Lease, location issues ditches Keystone's plans for museum

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – The hope for a Southern History Museum ended during a special meeting of the city council on Monday, June 23.

The meeting was convened to assertively reconsider the proposal to establish the Museum in Keystone Heights. The council tabled discussion during its June 9 meeting, with plans to revisit it during its August or September meeting.

Council member Dan Lewandowski opened the discussion with an apology and addressed the misunderstanding. He proposed several motions, highlighting the potential benefits of the Museum to the city.  He urged the council to firmly reconsider the museum, asserting that it aligned with the best interests of Keystone Heights, Dr. Michael Heiser Foundation and Christine Arnold.

Lewandowski presented a comprehensive layout for the museum with designated parking spaces tailored specifically for the council members.

The City Council members expressed unanimous support for establishing the museum; however, finding an appropriate location proved the most significant challenge.

They discussed identifying suitable space for leasing and explored how the foundation, a private nonprofit 501(c)(3), and the city, a public entity, could collaborate effectively.

Attorney Rich Komando addressed the City Council members' concerns about company entities and leasing arrangements.

The Heiser-Hollander Foundation President clarified that she prefers the Museum to be located at Sunrise Estates, a property behind Hitchcock’s Market in Keystone Heights. In contrast, Keystone Heights City Mayor Nina Rodenroth firmly suggested that a downtown location would be ideal, asserting it would draw greater foot traffic and enhance visibility.

"I think that the most painless option, if there is one tonight from the council, is just to if the city manager believes that there is a path forward, and the city attorney, to work out some kind of just generic lease arrangement possibly down the road to be decided on if you want to continue that," said Ryan Knight, City Council member of Keystone Heights.

Despite attempts to reach a mutual agreement on housing the Museum in Keystone Heights, the Museum of Southern History board of directors voted against relocating it there.

A significant factor behind the conflicting viewpoints was the Museum of Southern History's urgent need for a lease agreement, which clashed with the City's commitment to following contractual protocols to ensure legal compliance.

Heiser-Hollander challenged the City's decision to conduct a background check, arguing that it seemed unnecessary given her status as a non-city employee. However, the city acknowledged that it had acted in accordance with established guidelines and fulfilled its obligation to conduct due diligence.

According to Rodenroth, the Heritage Commission museum falls under the City of Keystone Heights.

"I am sad to see that the potential for the Museum is no longer, but as a City Council, when you're elected, you have a fiduciary responsibility to your citizens. The concept that it took a little due diligence to work. I'm sorry, that turned out to be more of a problem than it probably should have been," said Komando.

Following the announcement of Christine Arnold's resignation as Chair of the Heritage Commission, city council members conveyed their profound disappointment. They strongly believed that she should remain in her position, given her invaluable community contributions and an exceptional role as a historian.

"I'm hoping that maybe we can designate Christine Arnold as our historian for the City of Keystone Heights," Rodenroth said.

She intends to propose the creation of a Chautauqua Museum within the City.