Reno County museum requests $11,700 for roof repairs and a server to preserve local archives

Mary Grace Clements, executive director of the Reno County Historical Society, told the Reno County Commission on May 22 that the county museum needs an $11,700 increase in 2019 funding to pay for a partial roof repair and a server to store digitized archival materials.

Clements said the museum’s current grant revenue is $11,700 and that the requested additional funds would offset estimated roof costs (one quote listed at $5,560–$6,200) and provide a place to store high-resolution scans and oral-history recordings the museum is digitizing. “If you look at what I’ve submitted, our roof cost are estimated at … $5,560 to $6,200,” Clements said. She added, “If you don’t have a server and a way to store all those high formatted images, it doesn’t do you any good.”

The director described a long-term decline in staff and a museum building with an aging boiler and moisture challenges that threaten artifacts. She said the museum has cut staff over the years and currently depends on grants and minimal membership dues (about 37 members under a revamped program). Clements told commissioners the museum is working with local vendors and has received grants to buy a scanner; the missing piece is reliable, local storage and targeted building repairs to protect collections.

Commissioners asked whether the museum could use funding from the Houston Whiteside Fund; Clements said that fund is held for emergencies and estimated its balance at about $180,000, but that she does not draw on it for routine repairs. Commissioners also raised the possibility of placing limited exhibits or digitized kiosks in empty courthouse space; Clements said she would be interested but flagged temperature and moisture control as essential to protect artifacts.

The commission did not take a funding vote at the meeting; the museum’s budget request will be part of upcoming budget-review discussions.