The public is going to get a chance to weigh-in on the future of the Aberdeen Museum of History, which has been up in the air since the armory fire displaced the showcase more than three years ago.

Friends of the Aberdeen Museum, a volunteer group of individuals who formed in 1976, will host the meeting on Sept. 16 at the Old Aberdeen Theatre.

The group’s goal appears to be to get as much feedback as possible from the public on potential landing spots for the museum.

The Friends have reached out to a number of individuals and groups, including the Aberdeen Board of Museum of History in order to have as broad-based a discussion as possible. The board has been working on managing the displaced collection and identifying potential locations for the museum.

The Friends sent a letter to the board inviting them to the meeting that stated, in part, “We understand that you may not attend in your capacity as a city representative, but encourage you to come as a private citizen. We welcome your insights on ways to find a new home for the Aberdeen Museum.”

The invitation went on to state, “Our city and its residents will benefit from a new location to showcase the treasured artifacts of Aberdeen’s past for generations to come. We want to partner with you in this endeavor to the benefit of our entire community.”

While we believe the meeting is a good opportunity for the public to express their views on the issue, and something we fully support, the event will likely have little to no impact on the museum’s fate.

That fate, unfortunately, seems to lie mainly in the hands of Mayor Pete Schave and the Aberdeen City Council who seem more enamored with building a pie-in-the-sky, multimillion-dollar event center than resurrecting an integral part of this old fishing and logging town’s history.

And that’s a shame because the longer this drags on, the greater the likelihood the museum drops off the radar. So it’s up to groups, such as The Friends of the Aberdeen Museum, to continue working toward its goal of resurrecting the showcase.

The Daily World has received a lot of feedback on the museum issue, mainly from folks who would like to see it come back because it was such a big part of the community. What we haven’t heard is much from the mayor about the issue.

So here’s your chance Mayor Schave — how about 750 words or less in an opinion piece on where you stand regarding the museum and why you are so high on the prospects of building an event center?

That should make for an interesting read regardless of where people are at on the issue. And it’s one we’re certain our readers would like to see in The Daily World. We would too.