Earlier this week, a sub-committee of the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District came to an agreement on an issue that’s been plaguing the Missouri History Museum for months.
In late September, an audit by the Zoo-Museum District found that in 2006, the history museum had purchased one acre of unappraised land on Delmar for $875,000 from former mayor Freeman Bosley, who had a struggling restaurant on the site and owed thousands in back taxes. Bosley also had personal connections with Missouri History Museum President Robert Archibald and was a member of the board of trustees at the time, which many critics have cited as a conflict of interest. Further, the museum did not try to negotiate a lower price, even when environmental studies showed the land was contaminated.
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The museum originally wanted to open a community center on the property but could not raise money after the recession. Today, the space sits empty and has recently been valued at $232,000, $643,000 less than the original purchase price.
Many critics called for Archibald to be sacked, but instead, the museum shaved two years off his contract, which now ends in 2013, and said it would pay $580,000 of his retirement benefits, owed for hundreds of unused vacation days, through its endowment or other private funds, rather than using tax dollars.
On Tuesday, a sub-committee of the Zoo-Museum District met and came to an agreement that requires the history museum to get approval for any real estate buys or other unbudgeted expenses, if they exceed $300,000, which officials say will prevent tax dollars from going toward future boondoggles.
The Missouri History Museum released the following statement: “As we have said all along, the leadership of the Missouri History Museum is committed to an open and transparent process for managing the Museum, especially as regards the public and private funds entrusted to us that support its programs and services. Now that the History Museum Subdistrict has adopted the proposed changes to the management contract between the Subdistrict and the Museum, we have, together, strengthened our governance and oversight structure. These changes protect the interests of the taxpayers, as well as the future of the Museum and all the benefits it brings to the St. Louis region. Working together, the Missouri History Museum will continue to be a tremendous resource and attraction.”
To read the full statement from former Senator John Danforth, who assisted in the negotiations, click HERE.
