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 The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passes through downtown Wapakoneta Wednesday, September 1. Staff photo/William Laney By CARLA MEYER
Staff Writer
For 45 minutes, the roar of motorcycles could be heard passing under an American flag hanging from two ladder trucks. For 45 minutes, area residents gathered in the shadow of the Auglaize County Courthouse and Wapakoneta Fire Station waved and clapped as motorcyclists rode by.
The smiles and waves turned into clapping and cheers as the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall passed down Willipie Street on its way to Custenborder Field in Sidney where it was greeted by a field of American flags.
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Wednesday, 22 July 2009 |
 Guests stream into and out of the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum Sunday. The museum is to remain open through 2009, and a partnership agreement between the Ohio Historical Society and a local group should be announced by September to keep it open in 2010. Staff photo/Matt Nichols By MATT NICHOLS
Staff Writer
The Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum is not closing for good anytime soon.
One day after the 40th anniversary of Wapakoneta hero Neil Armstrong’s historic moon walk, the museum’s horizon brightened considerably after months of state budget talks put its future in doubt.
Despite a 42 percent cut in state funds from two years ago, the Ohio Historical Society (OHS) announced Tuesday the museum is to remain opened until the end of 2009.
Final discussions between the OHS and the Armstrong Air & Space Museum Association should begin within the month to iron out the final details regarding a partnership which should carry the local landmark into 2010 and beyond.
“The museum is established for the rest of the year, and we have great expectations that we will be having a management agreement very soon with the local group in Wapakoneta,” OHS Spokesperson Kim Schuette told the Wapakoneta Daily News in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “Hopefully, we’ll have an agreement within the next few weeks.”
Schuette said the OHS Board of Trustees will likely name the Armstrong Air & Space Museum Association as the official partner after the board’s meeting in late September.
Optimism is high the local organization will be able to take over the reins of the museum soon.
Under a proposed agreement, Schuette said the Armstrong Air & Space Museum Association is to handle daily operations at the museum, including maintaining programs, collecting admissions and fundraising. OHS personnel would help maintain the preservation of the site, help with capital improvements and provide educational support, as well as outreach and marketing.
Former Armstrong Museum Director John Zwez, who founded the Armstrong Air & Space Museum Association, told the Wapakoneta Daily News there are a number of things to work through with the OHS regarding the partnership, and he is eager to get the ball rolling.
“We were up in the air for quite a while waiting for the state to do something,” Zwez said. “But we’re thrilled the Historical Society is ready to sit down with us for the negotiations.”
Zwez said funding issues, as well as potential projects, site hours and employment will all be discussed in the coming meetings. The museum currently staffs seven employees.
Zwez said through all the budget talks, he was confident his group of local residents would get the chance to save the museum, regardless of what the final numbers would be.
“We were concerned when the budget was looking bad, and it does look bad for the OHS,” Zwez said. “But my contention all along was that the OHS would have to find partners down the road. It was just these large cuts sped the process up.”
On Sunday, hundreds of local residents gathered at the museum to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s moon landing and taking man’s first steps on the moon. Many told the Wapakoneta Daily News they attended the event fearing it may be their last time to walk through the 37-year-old facility.
At least for now, operation of the building should continue.
“We’re very pleased by the fact it’s going to remain open,” Zwez said. “Things are looking very promising now.”
The museum’s future was murky for several months as Ohio lawmakers and Gov. Ted Strickland worked to iron out the state’s bi-annual budget. Members of the state Senate proposed slashing funding by more than $2 million before Strickland recommended a larger $6 million, or 45 percent, cut from two years ago.
The proposed cuts were all part of lawmakers’ attempts to fill a $3.2 billion shortfall in the state’s biennial budget.
The final approved budget closely mirrored Strickland’s version, with a $5.9 million, or 42 percent, cut from the state’s support.
Schuette said Tuesday administrators were disappointed with the budget slash, but they were eager to begin a new chapter at the Ohio Historical Society.
“We had to let people go, which is very sad because they represented a lot of institutional knowledge,” Schuette said. “But we are excited about the restructuring, and about our new plan to re-invent how we do business.”
OHS administrators claimed they were initially blindsided more than a month ago when they learned of the early budget proposals.
At the time, the Armstrong Museum was given a lifeline until the July 20th anniversary, with no promises after the date. When Strickland proposed his massive cut, the OHS was forced to remove $300,000 from their reserve funds to keep all 58 sites opened through Labor Day.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 23 July 2009 )
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