As reported in the original June 5th, 2010 post
on this blog, the Governor’s office claimed the top rated Arizona Mining and
Mineral Museum was eliminated because of rent.
Although museum operations and K-12 education programs were
self-supporting, the museum did not generate enough revenue to pay the
artificially inflated rent on the state owned building.
The Arizona Historical Society’s Marley Center Museum in
Tempe (AKA the History Museum at Papago Park) is over four times the size of
the former mineral museum building and it has fewer visitors than the mineral
museum did. Near the end of the 2012
regular session, the Arizona Senate passed Senate Bill 1525. The fact sheet for bill 1525 includes the
following provision:
Exempts the Arizona State Schools for
the Deaf and the Blind and the Arizona Historical Society’s Papago Park Museum from
paying Capital Outlay Stabilization Fund (COSF) rent to the Arizona Department
of Administration (ADOA), effective January 1, 2013.
Well, that is a fine howdy-do? I wonder what is going on in that the building at 1502 W. Washington , which is empty, has to pay rent. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. They sure made the Department of Mines pay full rent and then made them cut back at least 15% of expenses which forced the foreclosure.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that everything that AHS runs is in some sort of trouble whether they caused it or circumstances beyond their control are giving them bad karma. Since they cut the rent for AHS on the old mineral museum and now giving AHS free rent at Papago Park, are they giving this agency less money next year for their budget or are they keeping it the same, which in essence would be a raise for AHS.