Budget Woes May Shelve New Museum

After months of cost overruns and construction delays, the new Nevada State Museum is on track for completion at the Springs Preserve in February -- just in time for massive budget cuts that could keep it from opening until July 2011 or later.

The Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs has proposed a delay in funding for the museum's exhibits and 13-person staff to help cover its share of what is expected to be a massive state budget shortfall.

The department also has proposed closing the Railroad Depot Museum in Ely on July 1, despite the recent completion of $1.4 million in renovations there.

"These are all very difficult and painful decisions to have to make," said Peter Barton, acting administrator for the State Division of Museums and History. "We would hope this could be averted, but that will depend on the economy."

Gov. Jim Gibbons has directed state agency leaders to prepare for cuts of 14 percent when the Legislature convenes for its regular session in February.

Early on, the new state museum in Las Vegas was expected to cost about $35 million, but the price tag has ballooned to about $53 million, including almost $6 million worth of permanent exhibits.

Barton said the department has requested public works money outside of the state's general fund to pay for the exhibits. But even if that money comes through, he said, the museum could be finished inside and out by summer 2010 and "still have no staff or budget to open."

Museum officials are also seeking funds from the private sector, but Barton isn't holding his breath. "In this economy, try to find a private donor with that kind of disposable income," he said.

The museum originally was slated to move from its current home in Lorenzi Park over the summer, but construction delays pushed that back to February or March of 2009. Then the budget crisis came crashing down.

Barton harbors no illusions about where the state's museums rank when the time comes to slash spending.

"Put us up against public safety and it's a difficult argument to make," he said. "Do you want a firetruck to roll to your house in the case of a fire, or do you want a museum to go to? It's a tough sell, no question about it."

Barton added that barring another massive bout of economic turmoil, the state should be able to keep the Lorenzi Park location open until the new museum is finished.

Jay Nichols is looking forward to that day.

Nichols is acting director of the Springs Preserve, the 180-acre collection of museums, galleries and desert gardens opened by the Las Vegas Valley Water District in June 2007.

In its first full year of operation, the attraction near U.S. Highway 95 and Valley View Boulevard drew slightly more than 200,000 visitors, roughly one-third as many as expected.

As a result, expenses outstripped revenues by more than $10 million in the first year, leaving the water district to make up the difference.

Needless to say, preserve officials were looking forward to the attendance bump -- as much as 80,000 additional visitors a year by some estimates -- the museum was supposed to bring in 2009. Now they will have to wait.

"We're disappointed they won't be able to open in the spring as hoped," Nichols said. "But we'll be happy to have them whenever they are able to open."

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.