Friends of the
Zeiss Public
Statement For
Telephone: 412-561-7876 By Glenn A.
Walsh:
Electronic Mail: < friendsofthezeiss@planetarium.cc > Children’s Museum Needs
Internet Web Site: < http://www.planetarium.cc > Additional Revenue
2007 August 27
Good
evening, I am Glenn A. Walsh of
This
year, the Children’s Museum has submitted two capital requests for
consideration by the Allegheny Regional Asset District Board of Directors. They
are asking for
$3,882
to repair steps to the Old Post Office building—steps which are now only used
for emergency exit. As with last year’s capital request of money to repair the
Post
Office roof, the small amount needed to repair the Post Office steps could have
easily been programmed into the Children’s Museum’s $29 million capital
campaign.
They
have known of the problems with these steps for many years, as they used
special metal steps, placed over-top the original steps, when this was the main
Museum entrance.
Again,
they chose to use the capital campaign funds for gutting the Buhl Planetarium
Theater, Observatory, Lecture Hall, and astronomical inscription from the Bible
while
deferring
the needs of these steps. Now, they want the taxpayers to pay for repairs, to
steps in a building they own, that should have been paid for during their
capital campaign.
We
applaud your refusal to fund last year’s capital request and ask that you
refuse to fund this request for the same reason.
Regarding
the $23,500 capital request for new computer equipment, we believe that the
systematic replacement and upgrading of computer equipment should be a regular
line-item
in
their operating budget. If RAD provides more money for computers, there would
be a greater pubic benefit by giving this money to the library systems’
Electronic
Information Network.
The
Children’s Museum’s operating request asks that RAD help “offset the
anticipated $200,000 reduction in state support this fiscal year.” We do not
believe it is RAD’s role to
offset
losses in other governmental funding. And, with the needs of many other assets
in this region, we do not think that RAD can afford to set such a precedent.
What
the Children’s Museum needs is more revenue. And, to receive more revenue, the
Children’s Museum needs additional attractions to bring more people into their
complex.
Return
of the historic Buhl Planetarium equipment and artifacts would provide new
attractions to bring new people into the Children’s Museum. In particular,
people will come,
probably
from all over the country, to see shows performed using Buhl’s Zeiss II
Projector, the oldest operable major
planetarium projector in the world !
With
a good marketing campaign, this will bring more people into the building. And,
at the same time, it will help teach Science to children visiting the
Children’s Museum.
Before
the Children’s Museum receives additional RAD funding, they should take steps
to increase their revenue by returning the historic Buhl Planetarium equipment
and artifacts
as
additional Museum attractions. We, respectfully, ask that you direct the
Children’s Museum to take such steps, before increasing their annual allocation
of RAD funds.
Thank
you..
gaw