One of our region’s best known tourist attractions seems to be a in race against time.

The building housing The Cape Breton Miners Museum has a leaky roof and other structural damage.

That damage has now spread into the main part of the facility, and now, there are growing concerns the building might not even be safe anymore.

“This building contains tens of thousands of artifacts, not reproductions, artifacts,” explains the museum’s tour coordinator Kevin Strong. “The damage started up on the second floor, it’s down into the lobby now and it’s only a matter of time before it’s down in the exhibit area here and we can’t afford to have our exhibits damaged.”

The damage once contained to the second floor of the building has now spread to the main level, where thousands of visitors come through the doors annually.

Executive Director Mary Pat Mombourquette says it’s starting to get embarrassing.

“We’ve gotten the award of excellence for the last three years running,” she says. “So we’re really proud of what we offer our guests, we don’t want that experience to be diminished. “

The estimated cost of the damage here at the museum is 1.5 million dollars.

Mombourquette says she’s been in contact with all three levels of government who have agreed to cost share funding.

The problem is, officials here have yet to receive money.

“It’s all well and good to be willing to help, but they have to come forward with the money and we need it now,” says Strong. “It’s not a case of we can wait, it’s a case of we’re already too late.”

With each passing storm the damage is worse and the cost is rising.

Mombourquette is worried the roof could collapse.

“In the administrative office, that ceiling will collapse without a doubt at some point in the future,” she adds.

Mombourquette says the museum has received one sizable donation from a community member to help with repairs, but still needs government help to launch permanent repairs.

At the moment, the question seems to be whether the facility will survive the winter without sustaining even more damage.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.