I will send the following off to State officials once we know who they are after the election....
I am a Californian.
I understand that the State of Nevada is considering closing the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City. I believe this is a mistake. Your state railroad museum is a gem, a leader in railroad preservation. And a tourist draw.
I go to Carson City to visit the Nevada State Railroad Museum (NSRM) at least once a year, for their V&T Symposium, usually a second time later… For the Symposium I spend three nights in a local hotel, eat breakfast out a couple of times, dinner or at least drinks after the conference banquet a couple of nights… I buy a book or two and a tank of gas… The other time visits it’s commonly one night in a hotel, a dinner and a breakfast… (I pause in Carson City on other trips because of the NSRM.)
I generally don’t gamble (it’s not my thing)
I have been to Ely a couple of times in the last three years… to visit the Nevada Northern Railroad…. Again, a night in a motel, dinner, breakfast, a tank of gas or two. I will plan a trip to cross Nevada (rather than Idaho or Arizona) so I can visit the Nevada Northern Railroad Museum, and its associated State Museum.
I have been to Las Vegas four times in the last 5 years… no gambling (it’s not my thing) but hotel stays, shopping trips, dinners and breakfasts, bar hopping, and a visit to the Atomic Museum (I like historic museums, the Neon Museum is good as well.)
I have transited I-80 headed for eastern points a few times as well… gas, one stay in Elko (and a visit to their Historic Museum, History is important to me) a meal most times…
I generally visit Reno once a year on a Rotary Club trip… I expect to spend about $1,000 each trip… I will be there again in January.
I like the state of Nevada… my wife and I have thought about retiring there. We have family in the state. I have friends there.
The closure of the Nevada State Railroad Museum will mean that, I will spend at least 3 less days a year in Carson City… Three less nights In a hotel, three less breakfasts, three less dinners… and at a minimum this means at least $1000.00 not spent in the state, likely more two or three times that.
I understand the financial crisis you face. I am a California municipal government employee trying to balance a budget in a time of shrinking revenue and rising costs. I believe closing your museums and historic sites is short sighted and a mistake. You have a tourism based economy… a significant part of that base on gambling, but there are other things that bring us… the tourists, and abandoning the , Nevada State Railroad Museum and other non-gambling tourist sites will have a negative effect on your economy.
I urge you to preserve your historic museums and sites. They represent a base that has and will continue to draw visitors to your Silver State, beyond gambling. Your state has much to offer… you need to preserve your history, it has value.
Randy Hees
