Museum's future uncertain

By John Christian Hopkins
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation Museum could be facing some hard times soon.

Delegate Amos F. Johnson (Black Mesa) sponsored a bill to provide the museum with $638,282 from the unreserved, undesignated fund to replace the heating and cooling system, but with only $170,000 currently in the fund, the Navajo Nation Council deleted all funding requests from the fall session's agenda.

In his legislation, Johnson noted that without the repairs, the museum will become unusable this winter and could damage exhibits and artifacts stored in the building. If it must close, as seems likely now, museum employees would also lose their jobs, Johnson wrote.

The Navajo Nation Museum's contemporary building also houses the Navajo Nation Library and Research Collection. In addition, cultural and educational programs, sponsored by a variety of organizations, are hosted in the facility's conference rooms, auditorium, food service facility, and amphitheater.

The museum hosts 80,000 visitors a year. For some, it is their only stop on the reservation, Johnson said which makes the museum an "ambassador to these thousands of local, national and international visitors."

Controller Mark Grant told the delegates on Monday, the opening day of the session, that the unreserved, undesignated fund holds only $170,000.

Hogback delegate Ervin M. Keeswood Sr. moved to delete all funding requests for the time being, as it would be a waste of time to debate items that can't be afforded. When the undesignated fund grows as Grant expects it will once the fiscal year close-outs are approved the appropriation for the museums and other requests could be reconsidered.

Museum director Geoffrey Brown is out of the office until Oct. 31, and could not be reached for comment. Arvin Trujillo, executive director of the Division of Natural Resources, also could not be reached for comment. The DNR oversees the museum.

The heating/cooling system failed this year, with a rupture in the cooling tower causing other problems with the building's cooling system. The system has progressed to a point of "total system failure."

The museum's request would fix the problem and a new heating/cooling system would help reduce the costs for gas and electricity by as much as 50 percent annually according to a budget prepared by Natural Resources.

The new heating/cooling system would have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years. Because it would use "independent modules" a problem in one unit would only affect that single unit, instead of setting of a chain reaction as the older system did this summer.

In an executive summary, Brown said the heating system has deteriorated rapidly since the Nation acquired the museum from the Museum and Library Foundation in 1998. Over the past five years the failing system has been a great expense to the museum, Brown wrote.

"The system was very badly designed and poorly installed, and has proved to be completely unsuitable for this climate and location," Brown wrote.

Admission to the museum is free. Hours, which are subject to change, are Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm; Wednesday evening until 8 pm; Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm; Sunday closed. Guided tours of the exhibitions are available for groups - please call in advance to schedule.

For further information call: 928-871-7941.

— John Christian Hopkins can be reached at 1-505-371-5443, or by email at kingauthor24@frontiernet.net.