Shawnee at odds with director of local museum
The city pulled the museum’s lease because it’s closed but the director said it’s the city’s fault
The city pulled the museum’s lease because it’s closed but the director said it’s the city’s fault
The city pulled the museum’s lease because it’s closed but the director said it’s the city’s fault
The city of Shawnee is at odds with the director of a museum in town.
The city pulled the museum’s lease because it’s closed but the director said it’s the city’s fault
"We were kind of surprised that there has been no mention given to us. We have not had any discussions with the city," said Ken Landry, the museum director at Pottawatomie County Museum.
An unexpected letter let the Pottawatomie County Historical Society know their lease wouldn’t be renewed for the Santa Fe Depot Museum.
"It’s the intent of the historical society and always has been to continue to use it as a museum," Landry said.
The city claimed it’s not being used for historical purposes.
"Currently it is only used for storage. There are a couple of tours going through but there is no regular usage of the building other than for storage," said Andrea Weckmueller-Behringer, the city manager in Shawnee.
The museum director said it isn’t true and they’re waiting on the city to take action so they can reopen.
From the outside, it looks like everything is in place but indoors, there is damage everywhere and per the lease, the city is responsible to fix the place.
"They’re acknowledging that it’s their responsibility but then they haven’t fixed it," Landry said.
The city manager said they want to fix the damages but it will cost around $2 million.
"If we don’t do something now, we would lose a historical landmark and we don’t want to. There are many different uses, including the museum, that we would like to get the community’s feedback, what they would like to see, how they would like to see this particular building used," Weckmueller-Behringer said.
Now, the community will have a say to save the museum or repurpose the building.