LOWELL -- Elza Tucker points to a lantern his father once used to flag trains on the Frisco railway running through Lowell.
"Dad was a mail messenger for the railway," said Tucker, 97. "If he had parcel post, he would swing the lantern and the train would give him two hoots when they saw him."
The lantern sits on a shelf at the Lowell Historical Museum in one of six rooms filled with artifacts. A cider press sits in a corner, reminding visitors of the city's part in the apple-growing industry that once made the region famous.
In another room, an 1800s loom fills a wall. Two rugs made on the machine hang from one of its wooden pieces. A mannequin showcases Tucker's uniform from World War II, one he said he wore when fighting in Sicily under the command of George Patton.
Tucker started the museum with Vera Fowler in 1976. It found a home at its current location at 304 Jackson Place in the 1990s.
Elizabeth Estes, museum director and Lowell city clerk, said the museum is at a turning point. The building needs repairs, she said. About $20,000 is needed to repair roof and siding damage from hail and another $20,000 is needed to fix structural problems.
A renovation could be used for the interior as well, Estes said.
Estes said museum officials are looking at the possibility of pulling away from the city. The museum could become a nonprofit group, which might help it garner more donations, she said.
The Lowell City Council decided during its regular meeting Tuesday to form a committee to study the issue, Mayor Eldon Long said. The committee will look at several options for the future of the museum, he said.
"One of the first tasks of the committee is to determine whether or not to continue to put resources and funds into the existing facility," Long said.
The committee could also look at other options, such as building a new facility, he said.
A facility could be located at the proposed Kathleen Johnson Memorial Park, Long said.
The city is in the early stages of planning the park. The 100 acres on the city's west side could hold a splash pad, small amphitheater, disc golf course and community garden.
It also could be home to a center planned by Life Wellness USA. The 220,000-square-foot facility would house basketball courts, volleyball courts, indoor soccer courts and an Olympic-sized swimming pool, according to the plans.
The city does not know how much the park could cost. City officials estimate it could be about $5 million to $10 million to build infrastructure for the park. This includes extending water and sewer lines and roads.
Long said other sites owned by the city aren't large enough to allow the museum to grow.
The committee also will study whether it's best for the museum to become a nonprofit group, Long said.
"There will be a conversation about the pros and cons of that," Long said. "It is probably the right timing for that to be a consideration."
Committee members have yet to be picked, Long said. The city has received a lot of interest, he said.
"I see council members, museum board members, business owners, residents and city staff who have applied," Long said. "One thing you will find about Lowell, our museum may not be as large as some of the surrounding museums, but people of Lowell love our history and protecting their heritage."
The committee most likely will be made up of seven board members, Long said. Several subcommittees could be formed to handle specific tasks, he said.
Long said the first meeting of the committee will be 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lowell City Hall, 216 Lincoln St.
Metro on 09/21/2015