Marshals Museum fundraising a tough job; staff remains optimistic

U.S. Marshals Museum officials say they continue to be optimistic despite what is proving to be a tough early effort to raise $50 million for the museum to be located in downtown Fort Smith near the Arkansas River.

Also, the museum staff continues to coordinate education programs in Arkansas and nationwide about the U.S. Marshals Service.

In January 2007, the U.S. Marshals Service selected Fort Smith as the site for the national museum. To fund the effort to build the museum, the project received $100,000 from the city of Fort Smith, $115,000 from Sebastian County, $200,000 from the state Legislature and $2 million from Gov. Mike Beebe. The cost to build the 50,000-square-foot museum — including exhibit work — is estimated at around $50 million. The museum board approved an iconic building design in June 2009.

‘EXTREME GOODWILL’
Jim Dunn, executive director of the U.S. Marshals Museum, said during a Tuesday (June 15) museum board meeting he enjoys the fundraising more than he thought, but is discovering the process is more time consuming than estimated. Dunn told the board he has visited with up to 10 companies in the past few months that provide goods and services to the Marshals Service and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Dunn said on fundraising calls he encounters “extreme goodwill” toward the project because of the reputation of the Marshals Service and the Dec. 18 reception for potential museum donors that was held at the Arkansas Governors Mansion in Little Rock with former President Bill Clinton serving as the ceremonial host.

“But it’s going to take awhile for that (goodwill) to translate into donations,” Dunn advised the board.

Russ Hodge, with Dublin, Ohio-based The Hodge Group, said in July 2009 that the fundraising process could take up to 7 years. Hodge, who was involved in fundraising efforts with the University of Arkansas, Bentonville Public Library and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, is advising the museum fundraising effort.

MORE TOOLKITS
The museum received a $9,890 grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council to produce about 200 more “toolkits” for classrooms, Jessica Hayes, director of operations for the museum, told the board. The council awarded the museum a $6,972 grant for the initial toolkit project delivered to 67 teachers in 35 public schools and six universities. The kits help educators incorporate U.S. Marshals Service history into the classroom, and include documents copied from National Archives, press reports, presidential letters and other materials that explain several historic periods in the U.S. Marshals Service history.

Also, the museum is working with officials in Louisiana to mark the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of New Orleans’ schools. The three-day event planned for Nov. 13-15, is expected to reunite U.S. Deputy Marshals Al Butler, Charlie Burks and Herschel Garner with some of the students they protected during the desegregation process. A public television station in New Orleans and WGBH — the anchor station for the Public Broadcasting System —  may document the November event, Hayes said.

OTHER BUSINESS
• Doug Babb, CEO of Cooper Clinic and treasurer for the museum board, presented a financial report that included a review of the previous fiscal year and an outline for the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

The previous year saw the museum end with a cash gain of $189,422 and cash holdings of more than $1.686 million at the end of the year. The cash is $929,013 in operating accounts and $757,918 in donor accounts.

“That’s good. That’s where we want to be,” Babb said of the end-of-the-year cash holdings.

The 2009 and 2008 fiscal year financial statements also received clean audits from Lawrence, Schluterman & Schwartz CPA, Babb said.

For the next fiscal year, the estimated expenses are $572,833, with expected revenue to total $146,550.

• The board also approved re-election of Babb, Ann Dawson, Lance Heflin, Ray Wallace and Jim Williamson to new three-year terms that will expire June 30, 2013. The board approved the following board officers: Williamson, president; Ann Dawson, vice president; Bennie Westphal, secretary; Babb, treasurer.

• Board members were also asked to review and sign a conflict-of-interest disclosure statement.