Okaloosa County BOCC — August 8, 2013 — Request for Support — reading text

115 Westview Avenue Tel: (850) 678-2615 Valparaiso, FL 32580 www.heritage-museum.org Fax: (850) 678-4547 August 1, 2013 Ernie Padgett, Okaloosa County Administrator 1804 Lewis Turner Boulevard, Suite 400 Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547 Subject: Funding - Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida Dear Mr. Padgett: On behalf of the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida Board of Trustees, I wish to thank the Okaloosa County Commission for its past support. Our Board of Trustees understands that in an era of reduced revenues, County Commissioners are faced with making difficult decisions with regard to the services the County provides its citizens. Likewise our Board has made difficult decisions on ways to reduce spending while maintaining a quality level of service to our patrons. However, at some point we can no longer afford to operate the museum without a sustainable level of monetary support. The Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida was created as a regional association with a mission to collect, preserve, and display material illustrating the region’s culture, history and heritage. We provide public access to our collections as well as educational programs for both children and adults. In addition, the Museum serves as an archive and repository facility for historical records and documents that are made available to the public for study and research. Understandably the Museum is categorized as a quality of life item, one of the lowest priorities in the hierarchy of needs for Okaloosa County. The Museum provides so much more than a quality of life; it preserves our history and heritage. The Museum has seen the level of support from the County drastically reduced over the past years. Our County funded Director’s position has been eliminated along with our Information Technology support. County fiscal year funding has been reduced from $50,000 to $13,500. To partially compensate for these reductions, the Museum has ramped up its fundraising efforts to include more special events, membership drives, and corporate sponsorships. In spite of the difficult financial position we are in, we are not standing still. The Museum volunteers and staff have created a special exhibit in support of Okaloosa Viva Florida 500 where the County Time Capsule has been placed on permanent display for the next 100 years. This exhibit was promoted and highlighted during Museum events on April 20 and July 20 and additional activities are scheduled for August 22 and December 14 when the Time Capsule will be sealed. All of these events require time, materials and expenditures for marketing, operations, refreshments, manpower and maintenance for our facility. While Viva 500 may not rank high in priority in the Panhandle, the Museum considers it a warm up for the Okaloosa County Centennial which occurs in 2015. In conjunction with our mission to promote and preserve Okaloosa County history and heritage, the Board of Trustees contends that Museum activities associated with Okaloosa Viva 500 and the celebration of the Okaloosa Centennial are essential services which should have a higher priority. These events offer opportunities for positive exposure and dissemination of knowledge of Okaloosa’s history and heritage. For example, in celebrating the Centennial the Museum could conduct an “Update The County Logo” contest to market the yearlong celebration. The Museum offers the resources and venue for such activities. Our programs provide volunteer involvement, educational benefits, and attract residents, visitors and tourists. In this light the Museum Board of Trustees respectfully urges the County to continue to provide a sustainable level of financial support for the Museum and to consider providing additional funding should the resources become available through this budget process. The Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida provides essential services that are not replicated anywhere else and which will benefit the County and its residents for years to come. Sincerely, Gordon King Steve Czonstka Gordon King Steve Czonstka Chairman Vice-Chair Finance cc: Don Amunds, Dave Parisot, Nathan Boyles, Wayne Harris, Kelly Windes, Dan O’Byrne