The Germantown Colony Museum is safe from cuts for now, but The Friends of the Germantown Colony Museum are asking for help to keep the museum going.
The group said the end of the fiscal year could mark a “period of great crisis for the survival” of the Webster Parish treasure. They are asking for donations to be made payable to Friends of the Germantown Colony Museum, P.O. Box 178, Minden, 71058.
Financial contributions to the nonprofit organization will help offset any cuts to their budget to continue museum operations for future generations. Membership fees will support the colony and museum as well as annual programs and activities. Membership can be done through individual at $20, family at $30, nonprofit at $50, business at $100 or sponsor at $200.
Meg Casper, press secretary for Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, said they see no cuts as of right now.
“As it stands now, there are no cuts to our museums in the budget,” she said. “We have been working with local communities where possible to take over the operations of museums because of ongoing budget concerns.”
House Bill 1, which directs the state’s money, is pending in the Senate Finance Committee, and if it is approved by the full Senate, the state’s museums would get $3,259,321 for the 2017-18 fiscal year, compared to last year’s total at $3,105,543 in the 2016-17 year, which equates to about $150,000 more for the coming fiscal year.
The Germantown Colony Museum sits on property from the founders of Minden and celebrates its German culture.
In 1979, the museum was placed on the Nation’s Cultural Resources Worthy of Preservation by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service.