By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
The Yachats Parks and Commons Commission on Thursday approved a yearly budget for the city-owned Little Log Church and Museum, but not before warning the museum board that it has to do a lot better job at fundraising.
In a city budget of $1.7 million, the $15,900 spent on yearly operating costs for the church and museum is tiny. But the only revenue the church generates is $1,000 from voluntary admissions and $2,000 in event rentals.
That’s not enough, several commissioners said, especially if the city commits this year to spending at least $300,000 to tear down the deteriorating church portion of the property and build a replica, as its board has asked.
“We would urge you, somehow, that there is more fundraising,” said commission member Craig Berdie. “I would expect more from the public and more from the Friends (of the Little Log Church) when we’re asking the city for a capital commitment of $300,000 to $400,000.”
The city has owned the 95-year-old church property since 1986, but until this winter the relationship between the museum board and the city and its Parks and Commons Commission has been mostly hands off. That is changing because the church is falling apart and the city is budgeting $300,000 from lodging taxes to find a solution.
The museum board, at the urging of city officials, last week agreed that tearing down the church and replacing it with an “exact replica” was their preferred option.
On Thursday, the museum board came to the commission meeting to simply request that its operating budget for 2019-20 be the same as this year — $15,900. The request led to pleas to increase fundraising to help with yearly expenses but even bigger efforts if the City Council votes to pay for a replacement.
“All of a sudden the spotlight is on the Little Log Church,” said commissioner Michael Hempen.
Museum chair Karl Christianson said the group has done little fundraising in the past. The nonprofit Friends of the Little Log Church, a support group affiliated with the museum board, has no money.
City Manager Shannon Beaucaire pointed out to the commission that other city-owned facilities like the Commons or library generate little revenue. Hiking trails, which the city supports with money out of its lodging taxes, also do not directly generate revenue. But all three help improve the community and attract visitors.
Beaucaire said the museum board has made a renewed commitment to raise more funds and do a better job involving the community.
“I’m not asking it to be self-supporting,” Berdie responded. “But we are asking for money for a significant capital improvement project.”
Commissioner Linda Johnson said she felt blindsided by the church budget and larger replacement issue.
“They’ve never come to the commission,” she said. “They need to fund raise more money. They need to find more money. One thousand dollars is peanuts.”
Ultimately, the commission voted 4-0 to approve the museum’s proposed 2019-20 budget and forward it to the city Finance Committee.
Also Thursday, the commission unanimously approved a request to the city Budget Committee that it renew a “pledge” by last year’s City Council for $200,000 to help the nonprofit group View The Future buy and preserve 32 acres of land along the Yachats River just east of the Highway 101 bridge.
The nonprofit group has been struggling for several years to get the property appraised and find grants to help purchase the property from two Eugene-area developers. Joanne Kittel, the group’s co-chair, said grants usually require a commitment of money from the local government who will own the property.
Before voting, two commission members declared conflicts – chair John Purcell is co-chair with Kittel of View The Future, and Hempen is on its board. Commission member Dean Schrock said his wife is also on the board.
Last year the City Council pledged to help the group with $200,000 from its capital improvement program, but didn’t want to formally put it in the budget and tie the hands of the 2019 council that has three new members.
“We are going to have to be incredibly realistic as to what our priorities are … and we’ll have to look at outside resources and grants,” Beaucaire told the commission.
