Thunder Bay’s waterfront art gallery is a step closer to its fundraising goal.

The gallery has announced that it will be receiving a major gift from the Port Arthur Rotary on Thursday afternoon.

Currently, the gallery is about $5 million short of the required funding.

The project was first conceived in 2009 before beginning in earnest in 2012 with an initial planned opening date in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic and waterfront environmental investigations ultimately delayed construction.

The current goal for the project is completion by the end of 2025.

Over the past couple of weeks, work has resumed at the building site for this year’s building season.

Funding for the project has been provided by all levels of government and the community. An initial commitment from the city of Thunder Bay of $5.7 million has led to commitments of over $40 million from the federal and provincial governments.

The waterfront project was originally estimated to cost roughly $50 million, but increased construction costs have pushed the price tag up closer to $60 million.