The other thread on 493 was getting a bit long, so here goes a new one.
First off, I am not at all “anti D&S” or “anti CRRM”, quite the opposite in fact. I do have very strong worries about the direction that the current management is taking the CRRM and its consequences for the Museum and its collection of railroad equipment. I think that I am far from alone in my belief that the CRRM has switched from being a museum that preserves Colorado Railroad history for future generations to a special event venue that happens to have trains on the grounds and is not afraid to use up its collection and other resources to meet the goal of carrying ever more people.
In a nutshell, here is what I see going on at the CRRM and why it is not good;
1) Special events were promoted as a way to increase attendance and generate money that could be used to fund the museum’s preservation efforts.
2) “Profit” from the initial events is used to restore equipment and improve the Museum.
3) Money generated by the events was used to expand the events, after all more money is a good thing. Right?
4) The expanded number and size of the special events requires the hiring of dedicated staff to manage them along with the modification of artifacts in the Museum’s collection, the purchase of new equipment, and the construction of new facilities to host them.
5) All of this new staff, equipment and facilities become fixed costs to the Museum and require ever more money to sustain them.
6) More money is needed, expanding the special events calendar appears to equal more money. Go back to step 3. Skip steps 1 and 2 they are no longer relevant.
My personal view is that the CRRM is now trapped in an endless loop of steps 3 to 6. Note that there is now “out” in this loop, nor is there much room for anything that is not special event related.
In the other thread it was noted that it cost $1,000.00 a day” just to open the doors at the CRRM. What needs to be looked at, is how much of that is fixed costs related to the special event business and how much related to actually running the Museum. My guess is that much of that cost is related solely to the special events business. The Museum’s paid staff has grown exponentially over the past few years as has its purchases of equipment. None of the pieces of equipment that have been purchased have been needed to fill holes in the Museum’s collection, all have been to feed the special events and few if any have any relation to the Museum’s stated mission or any relationship to Colorado at all.
Special events not directly related to a Museum’s mission are not a bad thing. The bad thing happens when the Museum loses sight of its mission and forsakes it for the special events business. The evidence strongly suggests that this is what has happened at the CRRM. The leadership’s apparent culture of secrecy and squashing of dissent make the situation more worrisome.
As I outlined in my post about “To what end 493”, the possibility of 493 returning to operation is clearly a good thing for 493 and the D&S, the question is, is it a good use of the CRRM’s resources?
Yes, I understand that change is inevitable, it is needed and it can be good. Change becomes a problem when it is wholesale, performed by a leadership without a deep knowledge of and passion for the institution, its history and mission, is not transparent and is done solely to support its own growth. In a living being this is the definition of cancer and the outcome is never good for the cancer’s host.
Addressing some specific issues brought up in the 493 thread;
Expectations
The D&S is a tourist railroad. It is well run and gives a quality product. People expect and get a train ride between Durango and Silverton in well maintained vintage railroad equipment. Customers give money to the D&S under the expectation that they will get a train ride. Nothing more nothing less. The D&S pays taxes on its income and property.
The CRRM is a nonprofit Railroad Museum. People give money to the museum with the expectation that their money will be used to care for the museum’s collection and uphold its stated mission. Sometimes money is given to a specific project. People join the Museum as a member with the expectation that they are then part of the Museum and have some small say in what goes on. They volunteer their time with the same idea. The CRRM does not pay taxes.
Information Sharing
The D&S - Al Harper and the D&S owe no one any transparency whatsoever on their business dealings. They are a private company undertaking projects with their money and things they own. Mr. Harper does not have to share his plans for his locomotives any more than I am obligated to share what color I may or may not paint my house. That said, the D&S does a good job of letting their potential customers know what is going on with the railroad.
The CRRM - The CRRM on the other hand is in a much different position. They are a non-profit entity that receives certain benefits from the government for providing educational services (one of the few reasons a 501c(3) entity is allowed to function under. The Museum also solicits donations from the general public to fund its mission and solicits memberships in the organization itself. The items owned by the Museum are theoretically held in trust for the public to benefit and learn from. As such, the Museum is required to share its financial information and other records with the public. The Museum also has an obligation to let its members and donors know what is going on. If you want people to send you money, you need to let them know what is being done with it. Hiding things from your members and donors makes it appear as though those things need to hidden and let’s face it, things done in secret are done that way for a reason, rarely is that reason a good one! Further, if you are a donor to the museum, you have every right to be informed of what they are doing with your money.
This is a discussion forum, that is why I post these thoughts here, so that a group with similar interests can discuss the issue. The CRRM is a nonprofit, so its financial information is public (a good starting point is the form 990 which is posted on line), there is a lot of information there as far as income and expenses, look them over and draw your own conclusions as to what has happened over the past 10 years.
Jason Midyette
