Dear members and friends of the Graham County Historical Society:
Wondering what the Graham County Historical Society plans next for its museum site? Stay updated on our latest thinking and actions.
On May 15, 2023, the Graham County Historical Society Board of Directors met with the Graham County Board of Supervisors. At this meeting we were presented with a draft lease agreement under which GCHS would use the former Stockman Bank building at 627 West Main Street, Safford as a museum site for $2,500 a month and he would rent for five years. lifted after After reviewing the terms of the proposed lease, GCHS Board Member and Arizona Historical Society Board Member Diane Drobka has initiated due diligence to determine if this is a good situation for us.
Diane soon discovered dozens of museums in Arizona. Arrangements are made in these museums that the museum pays little or no rent for long periods of time (usually he is 50 years or more). The GCHS Board has made this decision as the responsible body. We must submit this information to the Supervisory Board and seek more favorable terms for the Museum.
The Supervisory Board respectfully listened to the views of the members of the Board of Management. We were allowed to fully articulate our positions, and ended with a letter summarizing our needs, read by Secretary Diana Moller.
May 15, 2023
Gentlemen:
I’m Deanna Moller, Graham County Historical Society Board Secretary…
The Graham County Historical Society Board of Directors offers you a unique opportunity to demonstrate honor and courage to all of Graham County, just as our ancestors did in the past. The truth of history shouldn’t be hidden, it should be displayed where you can see Graham County is a great place. Schoolchildren should see how things were done in the past and be taught about the chronology leading up to where we are now. Visitors often first look for local museums to determine location.
If the Safford property at 627 West Main Street is sold to a private company, it will assume that company’s identity. On the other hand, when the property is placed under the custody of the Graham County Historical Society, it takes on the identity of the entire Graham County. But we need your help.
If you request us to purchase a building, our funds will be used to pay for the property, not to develop the museum. We present a partial list of the initial costs required to open and operate the museum. Another aspect of this is that local businesses are hired to do the work.
We also present a list of other locations in Arizona where the museum’s governing board has worked with forward-thinking counties to secure the necessary space for the museum.
We will reconsider your proposal and instead make this space available to the Graham County Historical Society for 50 years at a nominal rate of $1 a year as the Graham County All-Resident Custodian for Preserving History. I am asking you to do so. thank you.
One of the supervisors then shared his thoughts, expressing surprise that GCHS could not afford the $2,500 monthly rent and that the museum would take more than five years to build. And he expressed concern that allowing the space to be used as a museum would compromise its fiduciary duty to taxpayers. It was later learned that the lease of the building to GCHS was part of his five-year plan for the county and that he hopes to return the building after five years to move the county law office into the space. got it. We believed GCHS would be offered a lease/purchase agreement for the building. A five-year lease is totally unacceptable for a museum to be established.
Nothing has been decided and the parties are still negotiating.
The Graham County Historical Society’s position is that there could be no better use for the county than to use the building at 627 West Main, Safford, as a historical museum displaying artifacts from all areas of Graham County history. . We have accumulated approximately $235,000, including $150,000 from grants received from the FMI Foundation. Considerable funds must be spent to prepare the museum grounds for occupancy, and there is no financial responsibility to pay the $2,500 monthly rental fee. We are adamant that the site will be available for $1 per year for a minimum of 25 years, and preferably for 50 years.
Added an interesting note:
- First, some background information. We (GCHS) have been discussing this building with the Supervisory Board for over a year. The county originally rented a building from FMI to provide facilities for the probation service. Years later, it became clear that the county should purchase the building, and FMI generously allowed the county to apply the rent to the total purchase price of about $300,000. The Probation Service then moved, and the building was then used for the COVID-19 vaccination program (federally sponsored and funded), then moved. The building has been vacant since earlier this year, and the county is considering allowing GCHS to use the building for the Graham County Museum.
- There have been informal discussions that the $2,000 monthly lease payment could be afforded, but that would quickly run out of funds and leave the museum’s doors open for a very short period of time. After all, we are a non-profit, 501(c)3, volunteer organization, and it costs money to establish a museum and run a museum building.
- We were thrilled to get the building and knew that at least 14 other museums are offering their buildings with the support of county and city governments, or for $1 a year. So I expected what our county wanted. Please support us in the same way. However, their goal appears to have been to maximize the value of the building without considering its cultural and historical benefit to the county.
- To be clear, supervisor Paul David (who is also a member of the GCHS board of directors) helped inform the supervisory board of counties that charge only $1 a year for use of museum facilities. . Because of this, the county attorney, who was considering the lease, felt he was undermined. Therefore, Paul was forced to refrain from participating and voting on this issue. This effectively stripped the residents of Pole District 1 of their voice on the issue.
- Danny Smith recently resigned from the Supervisory Board. We will truly miss his many years of leadership and outstanding support to Graham County. He has been a strong advocate of the Graham County Museum on Main Street in the county seat and historic downtown. Clay Mack was named to replace Danny.
- We understand that Graham County has an additional $22 million in its fiscal 2023 budget and has just received an additional $3.9 million, according to a June 24 report.th Article from the Eastern Arizona Courier. This does not support the county’s position that it cannot afford a long-term lease on a building for $1 per year. We are not asking the county to staff the museum or pay for any renovations necessary to accommodate the museum. There are no consistent costs to any lease other than the normal costs of maintaining the structure of the building.
- It’s also interesting that the example the oversight board used to create the lease agreement was that one county leased a building to a museum for $1 a year and helped staff the county, whereas we is asking for the same $1 a year. We are considering it while placing our own volunteer members.
We believe the time has come for the Graham County Board of Supervisors to fully recognize the value of having an accredited museum in the county seat on Safford’s historic Main Street. The overwhelming cultural and historical significance of having this museum, including the educational and tourism aspects it brings to the community, cannot be overemphasized.
Dear members and supporters, As you know, most of our members are of the older generation, and many of them have experienced moving museums two or three times. We have not had a museum in over 12 years and need a permanent home to store our vast collection of artifacts, historical and cultural information. So we ask for your help in letting the Graham County Board of Supervisors know what you think of our petition. To voice our concerns, we may need to initiate a petition campaign or organize a large gathering at a meeting of the Oversight Board. Please note, however, that the Company does not seek to establish an adversarial relationship with the Supervisory Board. We just want the public to know what’s going on and to allow you to have a say.
Thank you for your continued support over the years. Please understand that this is the top priority of the Graham County Historical Society Board of Directors.
Hope it can be resolved soon.
Sincerely,
Graham County Historical Society
Harvey D. John, Chairman of the Board
PO Box 274, Thatcher, Arizona 85552
gcazhs@gmail.com
Graham’s History.org
