Wheaton museum awaits city response

More than four months ago, representatives of Wheaton's Center for History made a public plea of the city council: Resurrect a contract with the center.

They are still waiting for council members to act.

“It's like we're getting nowhere,” said Laurie Warfel, who serves on the center's board of directors.

Despite being visited by as many as 15,000 people a year, the museum is in debt and struggling to keep open its locations at 315 W. Front St. and 606 N. Main St.

While there have been fundraising efforts. Warfel said: “The kind of money we're raising isn't the kind of money we need to pay staff.”

President and CEO Alberta Adamson, the center's last remaining paid staff member, hasn't received a paycheck since April, Warfel said, adding that two former employees still are owed money.

Center officials have been hoping the city council would reinstate an agreement that paid the center $225,000 annually to preserve and promote local history. When the previous agreement was terminated by the council in April 2009, the center lost about half of its operating budget.

However, the council hasn't acted on the center's request for assistance. And even though museum supporters are asking to meet with the council, there are no plans for that discussion to happen.

Councilman Tom Mouhelis said it would be “a waste of time” because there's not enough votes on the council to approve any plan to give the center more money.

“I'm opposed to giving them funding because, quite frankly, we don't have the funding to give them,” said Mouhelis, citing Wheaton's budgetary concerns.

“If they want to meet with the board, then let them come next year during the budget hearing,” Mouhelis added. “But this year, there is no way we can give them any funding without cutting personnel. And I'm not going to cut personnel.”

Councilman John Prendiville said he supports the center's mission and would like it to receive “some funding” from the city. He also acknowledges a majority of the council disagrees.

Museum supporters said they want the chance to address any misinformation that council members might have heard. “We would like to have them tell us what their gripe is,” Warfel said.

Otherwise, she said, time is running out.

“The stuff that we do, the educational programs and so on,” Warfel said, “it would be a shame to have to shut all that down.”