OPINION — As a River of Time Museum member, I recently received a letter indicating that our museum is at risk. According to the letter, the town is potentially requesting a $75,000 yearly lease payment, definitely a non-sustainable amount for our small museum.
How did this happen? Apparently, a law, the gift clause, requires that the town cannot gift the use of space to the museum as it has in the past. In order to satisfy the gift clause, a non-profit must provide value to the town.
But I would argue that the museum does provide value. No, there aren’t throngs of tourists in and out daily. But frequent visitors and school groups make use of the museum. When I first moved to Fountain Hills, I was delighted to visit the museum and discover our town’s founding story and interesting tidbits such as the White Castle event. The museum also provides classes and living history, such as the historical Fort McDowell tour. The museum also is the repository of our town’s history. And we all love the gift shop and the Holiday Market.
