The prior post reported details on the absurd AHS claim that
it would cost $2.1 million to reopen the mineral museum. In addition to that,
the AHS asked for $294,500 per year
to operate the reopened museum. The
first level breakdown of those costs is as follows:
Basic Mineral Museum Annual
AHS Operating Costs
Tour Add on Program $5,000
Community Events $3,000
One Day Workshop $5,000
Webinars $2,000
Educator Nights
$2,000
Traveling Exhibits $30,000
Virtual Exhibits $15,000
Education Curator (staff) $56,000
Collections
Management
Internships $8,000
Online Database Renewal
$1,500
General Operating Supplies
$20,000
Collections Curator (staff) $63,000
Museums Director (staff) $84,000
Total $294.500
Note that the above costs do not include the building rent.
The former mineral museum was far more successful than any
existing AHS museum. Why does the AHS think they would have to triple the management staff to reopen
it (director, collection curator, and education curator)?
The total cost for operating the former mineral museum was
the salary for the curator (only one) and the use of the historic, state owned
building. So, the AHS, which has never produced a museum anywhere nearly as
successful as the former mineral museum, wants about 6 times the operational funding the mineral museum received previously
to reopen it.
Is waste on this extreme scale typical of all existing AHS facilities?
This is an outrage! Fortunately none of the AHS proposals were accepted. This one basically asks the taxpayers to replace the efficient ans highly successful MMM that they destroyed with their own museum. Who is going to pay for operating this museum Not AHS! The latest mutterings from AHS is that they would like a reception center for lobbyists. We do not NEED an expensive new museum or a reception center for lobbyists. We do NEED to support student science education--get the MMM open under a scientific agency!!
ReplyDeleteVirtual Exhibits? They can't even have those type odf exhibits to work in the Papago Park Museum! Guess they call them "interactive exhibits"!
ReplyDelete$30,000 for "traveling exhibits? When you don't even have your exhibits installed in your main building don't you think it's a little early for "traveling exhibits?
And not a single word about rebuilding the volunteer cadre that used to run the old Mineral Museum? Those volunteers were needed to handle the tens of thousands of kids who toured. Ask the AHS how many tours they get on an annual basis.With only 3,000 visitors at Papago Park I don't think a school child has been in there in a while.
And I noticed there was no exhibits designer/curator in that staff list? After the collections have been returned there needs to be an exhibit upgrade....who is going to do that? Another over expensive New York exhibit design team? Dr. Woosley seems to like that type of robbery...excuse me operation.