BonnerSprings.com

The Wyandotte County Museum’s story isn’t over yet.

Following a preliminary proposal from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County to shut down the museum to save money on the 2010 budget, museum supporters fought back and made some headway Monday during a budget workshop.

The Wyandotte County Board of Commissioners agreed to set up a committee, made up of three commissioners and museum representatives, to review options for how to keep the museum open while still cutting costs.

“We didn’t get shot down but we didn’t get approved,” said Roger Miller, president of the museum board. “We’re not out of the picture yet.”

The idea to close the museum was presented by county administrator Dennis Hays’ proposed 2010 budget, which painted a bleak picture of the county’s financial outlook. In his proposal, Hays said a 3.6 percent decrease in expenditures from 2009 was needed for the 2010 budget to make up for lost funds due to the economy.

The proposal said closing the museum would result in a savings of $300,000, but members of the Wyandotte County Historical Society aren’t sure that estimate is correct.

Miller said the county would still have to pay for heating and cooling the museum to keep the historic artifacts at a controlled temperature, as well as continuing security measures to keep the artifacts safe.

Miller also pointed out that the county said it would find other positions for the museum’s two employees.

“If they’re going to take those two and move them somewhere else, that to me isn’t saving,” Miller said. “So we don’t think that’s going to make a big impact on their multi-million dollar shortfall.”

Edwin Birch, spokesperson for the Unified Government, said he didn’t have a breakdown of where the $300,000 in savings was to come from. He said the proposal was just one of many proposals made for the 2010 budget, and that nothing had been decided upon.

Following the budget workshop, Birch said commissioners would attempt to find a way to keep the museum open, but cuts would have to be made somewhere because of the challenging budget year. He said initial ideas for cuts would revolve around changing the museum’s hours of operation.

Compromise is also at the forefront for Miller, who said the museum wanted to do all it could to help the county keep the museum open.

“We have a very active board and volunteers,” Miller said. “We’ll do all we can to let (the Unified Government) know we want to reach a compromise.”

If the museum were to close, Miller said there would be a void in the county history. Other museums, such as those in Strawberry Hill or Quindaro, focus on that neighborhood’s history in the county, rather than the county as a whole, Miller said.

“They’ll be losing out on an opportunity to see the history of the county, or a place where they can donate their artifacts of their family history,” Miller said of what county residents would miss most if the museum were to close. “They’ll lose out on education of the younger generation to give them a sense of history. Our Native American history fascinates the kids.”

A meeting date has not been set for the committee that will review ways to keep the museum open, but Birch said it would be soon to keep up with talks regarding Wyandotte County’s 2010 budget.

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