Council OKs Bailout for Historical Society

The city will provide up to $47,300 to help the cash-strapped Ojai Valley Historical Society with expenses from relocation of its museum into the former St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel.

The City Council this week unanimously approved what City Manager Andy Belknap described as a “fairly modest” plan to solve the group’s short-term cash-flow problem. The money will come from the city’s Redevelopment Agency and could result in long-term maintenance cost savings, while providing the group with an infusion of cash, he said.

The nonprofit group has experienced higher operating costs in its newly renovated quarters, yet admissions have dropped because the museum is not yet fully operational, Belknap said. In addition, the group has spent almost $425,000 to develop and move onto its new site, and donations continue to be diverted to cover capital construction costs.

“We’re broke,” said Dave Mason, a member of the society’s board of directors.

The city money includes $10,000 to help the historical society move out of its former South Montgomery Street premises by mid-February rather than June, enabling the city to sell the property more quickly.

The city also will pay up to $15,000 to match public donations toward installation of critically needed exhibit space. In addition, the city will pay $22,300 to help maintain the landscaping around the museum that is being developed into a “Chumash garden.”

It is not uncommon for the city to assist private nonprofit groups, Belknap said.

“The model here the council tries to follow is to try to support nonprofit organizations to become self-sufficient,” he said. “We have a major investment in the property and it’s also a key component of downtown revitalization to restore Thomas Aquinas as a museum.”