Fort Smith board to discuss $100,000 for Marshals Museum
by August 23, 2010 10:22 am 55 views
The Fort Smith board of directors on Tuesday (Aug. 24) will consider a formal request from the U.S. Marshals Museum for $100,000 to support the museum’s efforts in 2011.
A board study session is planned for Noon, Aug. 24 at the Fort Smith Public Library.
In January 2007, the U.S. Marshals Service selected Fort Smith as the site for the national museum. To fund the effort to get the museum built, the project initially 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.
A $115,071 donation from Sebastian County was approved by the quorum court in April.
In the request letter dated July 21, Museum Executive Director Jim Dunn said the museum will prove “a great economic boost” to the region during construction and when opened.
“Visitors to the Museum in the first year of operation are estimated to be 115,000; the economic impact on Sebastian County and surrounding areas is expected to exceed $5 million with the creation of 60 jobs,” Dunn wrote.
For the year ended 2009, the museums “functional expenses” totaled $419,176, up from the $209,111 in 2008. The 2009 increase reflected $238,117 to ramp up the national fundraising drive.
Cash and cash equivalents in the museum budget at the end of 2009 totaled $1.497 million, down from the $2.288 million at the end of 2008.
Museum officials raised $5 million as of November 2009, with a land gift valued at $850,000 made in January 2010. The land was from the Robbie Westphal family, and represents 2.6 acres joining property the Westphal’s gave to the museum in 2007.
“Significant additional gifts and pledges have been secured. The Museum makes periodic announcements and hopes to make additional announcements soon,” noted supporting documents the museum provided the city board.
A convention center/tourism funding plan proposed by City Administrator Dennis Kelly would include a $250,000 annual payment to the museum from an estimated $1.9 million in revenue from a 1% prepared food tax.