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Presidential Museum shuts downAug 22, 2009 (Odessa American - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- It looks like the Presidential Museum is history. The 45-year-old museum closed Friday after facing insurmountable budget shortfalls and failing to get enough money to keep it running, according to a news release from Presidential Museum curator Lettie England. "After exhausting all efforts to obtain assistance in operational expenses, without sufficient success, the Board of Trustees has reached the conclusion that the museum will close," the release said. "This has been a very difficult decision. We are grateful to everyone who supported us, encouraged us and stood by us. Even though we will not be open, there are still many serious decisions yet to be determined and all of those will take some time to resolve." England said she could not answer any questions on whether the museum planned to reopen or what would happen to the archives, collections, former president George H.W. Bush's old Odessa house or anything else at the museum. Over the past several months, England told the Odessa American it was fiscally in dire shape. She unsuccessfully sought $25,000 from Ector County in April and $75,000 from Odessa's hotel-motel tax fund. The annual operating budget for the museum was estimated between $150,000 and $165,000. Efforts to reach current trustees Friday evening were unsuccessful. Former Presidential Museum trustee Laura Haynes, who stepped down weeks before Thursday's meeting where the remaining board members voted to close the museum, said England and the trustees had tried fundraisers, private contributors and have "gone at grants in every direction" to keep the museum afloat. It was always a struggle. "With admissions being down and grants being cut back and government funding being cut back ... It only goes so far. It's really unfortunate we'll be losing that museum," Haynes said. "Odessa is just a great place and there's more to it than just the oil, so it's a real shame. I'm really saddened by this news, Odessa's going to lose a great museum." To see more of the Odessa American, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.oaoa.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Odessa American, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |