http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120.../302140103

The Cincinnati Museum Center will merge with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, a move that leaders say will improve the finances of both and create opportunity to reach new donors and develop new exhibits.

Debate: Is this the best way to save the Freedom Center?

Q&A: What merger means to you

They will reduce payroll expense by sharing administrative work and eliminating redundancy in areas like human resources and finance. The savings will eliminate the Freedom Center’s $1.5 million annual budget shortfall and allow the Museum Center money to more quickly pay down its $8 million debt.

The Freedom Center, which might have had to close without new revenue, will become the fourth wholly owned subsidiary of the Museum Center. Museum Center chief executive officer Douglass McDonald will be in charge of the entire operation. Freedom Center President and CEO Kim Robinson will report to McDonald.

No taxpayer dollars from the county operating levy for Union Terminal will flow to the Freedom Center, McDonald promised. Levy money is used only for maintenance, repair and operations of the Union Terminal building, which the Museum Center leases.

The organizations will remain separate with separate missions. The Museum Center – home of the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum and Museum of Natural History & Science – will remain in Union Terminal in Queensgate. The Freedom Center will stay on The Banks........................................more

So now the freedom center gets to be a boat anchor for the museum center. This savings plan seems like nothing more than a way to get operating levys passed for something clearly nobody supports.

If this plan included shutting the freedom center down and moving it to union terminal as an exhibit, it would make sense. As is, nothing more than shuffling the chairs on the titanic.

Lovely. Combining forces to screw taxpayers over.

I hope this blows up in the Museum Center's face when the levy hits.

This only makes sense if they vacate the riverfront property and MOVE THE EXHIBIT TO UNION TERMINAL!!

I hope that is the plan, but after all[/align], this is Cincinnati.

Combine two organizations who are losing money and want the taxpayers to bail them out, lay off a couple of people, and then they are profitable?

I know how I will be voting.

I don't think the Museaum Center is losing money. The levy they want on the ballot is for repairing the building.

I'm with Eastside. Move the Freeedom Center to Union Terminal and find a use for the building. I know they have been looking for a downtown location for Playhouse in the Park. That would not be a bad location amongst the bars and restaurants at The Banks.

IF the freedom center and the museum center combine forces, and lose, what happens to the Amtrak station? I don't care if we ever have a freedom center or a museum center (although I see a value in both), I just don't want to lose the only Amtrak station in the area.

(02-15-2012 08:52 AM)BearcatOtto Wrote:  I don't think the Museaum Center is losing money. The levy they want on the ballot is for repairing the building.

I'm with Eastside. Move the Freeedom Center to Union Terminal and find a use for the building. I know they have been looking for a downtown location for Playhouse in the Park. That would not be a bad location amongst the bars and restaurants at The Banks.

The Museum Center is asking the taaxpayers for funds to repair Union Terminal. The estimated amount is between $150mm and $200mm. Because they use fund accounting as opposed to accrual accounting, they are not losing money technically speaking. However, in the real world, they are losing money hand over fist.

(02-14-2012 11:46 PM)Eastside_J Wrote:  This only makes sense if they vacate the riverfront property and MOVE THE EXHIBIT TO UNION TERMINAL!!

Like this idea. There are so many great uses for the current location of the Freedom Center and it really does fit in perfect with the museum center theme. Though who knows what they would have to do to find space for it at Union Terminal.

(02-15-2012 12:29 PM)BigDawg Wrote:  

(02-14-2012 11:46 PM)Eastside_J Wrote:  This only makes sense if they vacate the riverfront property and MOVE THE EXHIBIT TO UNION TERMINAL!!

Like this idea. There are so many great uses for the current location of the Freedom Center and it really does fit in perfect with the museum center theme. Though who knows what they would have to do to find space for it at Union Terminal.

IMO - create a permanent exhibit and a "traveling" exhibit.

I think a lot of people would have an interest in seeing these things and learning about them. Some who might not travel cross country to do it though.

I went to the Nelson Mandela museum in South Africa. It was an extremely impressive, large interactive, multi-media exhibit that covered SA history from pre-colonial days through to and post apartheid. With the obvious emphasis being the part of SA history that involved Nelson Mandela and his work in ending apartheid. Amazing stuff, sometimes brutal and hard to stomach, very moving .

The point being - it wasn't in the middle of Jo-berg's prime business and enertainment district. And there is absolutely no reason why it should have been. It was in an easily accessible, nice area VERY close to downtown with a plentiful, easy bus access, parking lot.

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.c...eum/376906

Obama to break ground for national black museum

With eyes on his own personal legacy, President Obama revealed today that he will help in the groundbreaking of the nation's first African-American museum.

According to the White House, he will deliver the key remarks at the ceremony for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture to be built on the National Mall. The ground breaking takes place February 22.

The event isn't open to the public, though it will be webcast. Also, the nation's first black president still hasn't chosen the site for his personal presidential museum.

The #1 reason they are doing this is to bundle a bloc of voters together large enough to get the levy passed and then be able to fund via creative accounting. They finally figured out how to have the taxpayers make ends meet.

The cost savings explanation he is selling to the media makes zero sense as long as the physical locations remain separate.