Closing stuns museum-goers

Mayor's cuts to shut down planetarium; Pink Palace's schedule affected

Walking through the new "CSI: Crime Scene Insects" exhibit at Memphis Pink Palace Museum Saturday, Anthony Harris expressed the frustration and dismay many felt over the news that the museum's Sharpe Planetarium is to be closed because of city budget problems. "We keep taking one step forward and two steps back," Harris said. "I understand budgets have to be met, but you can't be giving people big raises and then turn around and cut service to everybody else." The planetarium was one of the casualties of budget cuts announced Friday to deal with a $6.4 million budget hole. The cuts are being felt citywide, including the layoffs of nearly 2,100 workers and cuts to other services and programs. At the museum, patrons Saturday expressed disbelief and frustration. "After the kids talk about this stuff in class, it's nice that they can come here and see it. Where else are students supposed to see this type of thing?" Delise Johnson said. The Sudekum Planetarium at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville will become the nearest comparable facility. In addition to closing the planetarium, which had averaged about 3,500 visitors per month since last July, the museum will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays under the cuts scheduled to take effect March 23. The museum and other facilities that are part of the museum system, such as Lichterman Nature Center, are funded about 40 percent from the city. Other funding comes through the system's private fund-raising arm. Museum officials didn't find out about the cuts until late Friday and had little to say Saturday. "We haven't decided what to do yet," said Steve Pike, director of the Pink Palace Family of Museums. "We really hoped that people would look at us and see the educational value that we have," added Dan Hope, museum spokesman. Other areas that will suffer under the announced cuts include: More than 2,000 city employees, mostly part-timers, will be laid off. Also, a number of programs will be cut or reduced. Many senior citizens who depend on the senior meals and transport programs will have to find alternatives. Recycling will be collected once every two weeks instead of weekly. Mowing of vacant lots, which many say is a crime-fighting tool, will be eliminated. Dead animal pickup will be done five days a week instead of seven. Some at the museum didn't know what else to say except to wonder about priorities. "When your mayor is OK with spending hundreds of millions of dollars on basketball but won't spend a few million for public service, you have to ask where his priorities are," home builder Rick Markle said. By Andre Sherry, Commercial Appeal