Things haven’t become more dire but the mainstream press caught up with the story we reported in October on City of Seattle efforts to figure out a way to pay for operating the expensive but really quite lovely Volunteer Park Conservatory.
This fall, we detailed plans for Seattle Parks to hire a consultant to come up with a proposal to keep the conservatory open despite a dwindling budget.
Last week, the Seattle Times reported that the consultant has been hired:
The fate also rests on the shoulders of Rick Daley, an Arizona-based expert in botanical gardens, whom the city has hired for $35,000. Daley is charged with coming up with a new business model for the conservatory. Currently, entry to the conservatory is free, but donations are suggested
As CHS reported this fall, one component of “saving” the conservatory could include an admission fee.
Parks says the conservatory costs around $450,000 per year to operate and attracts more than 90,000 visitors annually.
Beyond an operation budget, the facility also needs a major overhaul, volunteers say. With the arrival of the park’s centennial, the Friends of the Conservatory group has mounted a capital campaign to help raise $3.5 million needed to complete restoration of the 1912 facility.
The plan for making the conservatory financially sustainable will be discussed at a meeting next month, according to the group Friends of the Conservatory:
Public meeting on the Volunteer Park Conservatory Business Plan
Wednesday – March 7, 2012
Montlake Community Center
1618 E Calhoun St, Seattle, WA 98112
7:00-8:30 pmSave the date! Come to give your support & input on the future of our beloved Conservatory.
As I recall (didn’t take notes!), the conservatory has had a complete overhaul (down to the “studs”) TWICE in the 30 years I’ve lived here.
I appreciate that the hot, humid environment may be hard on materials, but I’d have thought that we should be up to making something durable by now.
Partner and I leave money whenever we go. We love the conservatory – I hope they figure out a way to keep it going.
Charge $5 per person and let’s talk about something else.
Indeed the restoration is 3/5th complete. The bromeliad, fern and palm houses have had the all of the wooden window framework replaced with extruded aluminum replicas. The remaining seasonal and cactus display houses need to have the wooden framework replaced as well. $3.5 million also includes replacing the lower east production greenhouse which was build in the 1920s and is currently unusable, but would be used as an education and event venue in the future. The plans have all been drawn, and the permits filed.
Over the past few years, the Friends of the Conservatory have significantly increased methods of raising money for the facility in a way that seems consistent with the scale and expertise of the place. For instance, last summer they conducted learning sessions for young people that were extraordinary introductions to botany and horticulture, for a fee that we parents found quite modest. (It could easily have been doubled and still be modest.) A number of events have been conducted both to raise funds and highlight the collections. A collection box (not as nifty as the Pike Market pig, but visible) for donations has been in place — but someone swiped it. A little store has been added. Continuation of these events over time is likely to provide some funding while serving an educational purpose as well. Before an entrance fee is instituted, let’s see how these efforts develop over a decade.
The Conservatory is not a big place – it is a small place with extraordinary upkeep. It is the upkeep that makes it special, and the knowledge of the people who maintain it. Many of the Conservatory’s volunteers are remarkably knowledgeable. This is a resource that could be more widely shared through partnerships with other organizations and development of events that would have a small fee.
Simply slapping an entrance fee at the door would do nothing to encourage the Conservatory’s people to extend their outreach or educational activities. It would also likely decrease the number of people who visit, since often visits are the result of just visiting the park. It certainly would prevent regulars, especially neighbors, from dropping by on a regular basis to see what has changed. I applaud the Friends of the Conservatory’s efforts and encourage others to become members if they are able to do so. Let’s keep the Conservatory admission free and help find other ways to assist the Conservatory.
How do you do it?
I am a supporter of the Conservatory and a member of the FOC. I have found it very difficult to follow the planning which is taking place. I would like to see a plan for the capital improvements.
I was not in favor of the Chihuly museum. It is a money raising box for how long we do not know. There are no facilities there for any educational activities. The Conservatory needs space to teach, work, etc. Jan O’Connor