HB 333-MUSEUM CONSTRUCTION GRANTS  9:20:46 AM CHAIR GATTIS announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 333, "An Act establishing a museum construction grant program in the Department of Education and Early Development." 9:20:52 AM REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON, Alaska State Legislature, briefly introduced HB 333 as prime sponsor and then deferred to state museum facility staff for further presentation. 9:23:07 AM EVA MALVICH, Director/Curator, Yupiit Piciryarait Museum, Association of Village Council Presidents, testified in support of HB 333 paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: in packet The Yupiit Piciryarait Museum, a tribally-run and managed museum, is the only museum for the Yukon- Kuskokwim Delta region, and is roughly the size of Oregon. We support HB 333, the enabling legislation to support construction or renovation of museums and cultural centers around the state. Our area is home to Yup'ik and Cup'ig Eskimos and Athabascan Indians. We've lived here for millennia, and our museum collection is full of objects showing how we lived over time, valuable objects that are priceless and are full of information. In fact, Dr. Paul John, from Toksook Bay, is on the museum steering committee. He is a respected elder, who lived at a time when people moved from camp to camp, following the food source. He wants the kids from our area to be able to study the tools we used, how they were made, and how they were used to catch food. He said by doing this, we can become 'real' Yup'iks again. In addition, we want people to know we are still relevant. Although we live in a western society, we want people to know we are still here, and have adapted over time. Our livelihood may have changed, but we still value our subsistence lifestyle and continue to live off the land. Our fish traps are now made out of chicken wire instead of wood, but we still use them in winter to catch fresh fish. Our drums, traditionally made from gut skin, are made out of plastic or airplane fabric, but it is still a drum and is used for Yup'ik dances. The facility that houses the Yupiit Piciryarait Museum is owned and operated by the Kuskokwim Campus. When it first opened in 1996, the museum staff had access to two offices, a large storage room, in addition to our gallery and back rooms. The Kuskokwim Campus staff took over one office, and a large storage room, therefore we are running our program with much less space than originally planned. In addition, the HVAC system, which controls our relative humidity, was shut off over 12 years ago by our landlord, because in their words, it was too expensive for them to maintain. Our collections of ivory and animal skin are susceptible to irreversible damage because we have no control over our environment. Our organization, the Association of Village Council Presidents, have been working closely with the Nunaleq Project in Quinhagak. Nine thousand objects have been uncovered so far from a sod house that was ambushed during the bow and arrow war. The objects have been brought over to Aberdeen, Scotland, so the staff there can catalog the objects. The people from Quinhagak have stated that they cannot afford to keep the objects in their community, and would like them in Bethel, instead. In addition, the Lower Kuskokwim School District and AVCP have recently entered into an agreement, in which teaching material for Yup'ik language curriculum will be collected by school staff and sent to our museum to be archived in our facility. The people from this region should not have to travel to Fairbanks or Juneau to view objects from his/her hometown, the cost of an airline ticket from village to Bethel, to Anchorage and Juneau or Fairbanks is sky high, not to mention the need to rent a car, and hotel room. 9:27:27 AM MS. MALVICH added that to travel from her home to visit the State Museum represents a cost of $1,300.00, she then continued paraphrasing: With this enabling legislation, we can build another facility and become a federal repository. With this designation, we would be eligible to house objects that are taken out of federal lands in our area. We would be able to take care of objects in our own region, and with more staff, become a resource for archaeology projects around our region. With our coast lines eroding, we know there are historical sites in danger of becoming lost to the Bering Sea every year. Please support HB 333. This enabling legislation will allow our museum to grow to meet our customer's needs. We will be able to provide the right environment for our priceless museum objects. The collection would be housed in Bethel, much closer and easier access than Juneau or Fairbanks. 9:28:25 AM JANE LINDSEY, Advocacy Chair, Museums Alaska, testified in support of HB 333, paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Good morning, my name is Jane Lindsey, I work for the Juneau-Douglas City Museum and am here as an elected board member of our statewide group, Museums Alaska, where I serve as the advocacy chair. I would like to thank Representative Herron for sponsoring HB 333 and all of you for the work you do on behalf of the state of Alaska and our fellow Alaskans. As a board member of Museums Alaska, yearly our museum community meets at an annual conference to share best practices in preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting our cultural history. In Alaska, we have over 65 museums, cultural centers, historic houses and sites that have been operating for many years in their communities as anchor institutions that care for our primary Alaskan cultural history, deliver education services, research opportunities, exhibit local art and culture; provide public programs, and generate revenue through cultural tourism. A 2014 McDowell survey for the Foraker Group has been made available to the committee that demonstrates critical infrastructure needs for our institutions. Of the 36 museums contacted, 27 or ¾ have identified significant capital improvement needs within the next five years. Exhibition space expansion or improvement; increase in facility size; collections storage expansion; and security improvements are rated among the top four priorities for these institutions. These are all specialized needs for museums and cultural centers that care for, and exhibit our Alaskan collections. Building expansions and new construction are difficult undertakings to fund raise for and as demonstrated in the Museum profiles in the McDowell survey, many of these museums have limited staff to fundraise while attending to other full-time duties. Museum staff and personnel are often tasked with raising funds that are equal to or double the size of their yearly budgets. HB333 provides a pathway for a growing number of institutions that will need to realize funding for the health of our museums, cultural centers and our Alaskan collections. Like the state's model for library construction projects, HB 333 can provide a ranking mechanism for these critical capital projects while partnering with funding formulas from local, non-profit, and federal granting agencies. A system like this can build-in forward thinking in sustainable energy initiatives for our museums that desperately need specialized environments. Museums Alaska looks forward to providing information to the committee as needed and answering any questions that you may have. Thank you for your time. 9:31:16 AM REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX commented that the small museums are an excellent draw for tourism. 9:31:41 AM REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND questioned how artifacts become distributed around the world. MS. MALVICH responded that there are 800 people. REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND remarked that a world class museum in Bethel will be a good resource and promote tourism in the area. 9:32:55 AM REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked why the artifacts go to Scotland rather than elsewhere in Alaska. MS. MALVICH answered that when artifacts were discovered it was the Scotland museum that responded with help. MS. LINDSEY added that the infrastructure needs do not allow the in-state museums to accept challenges of this size for preservation. 9:34:58 AM LANI HOTCH, Executive Director, Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center, noted the educational and visitor organizations that she has worked with in her capacity to illustrate the integral part that the Heritage Center plays in the community. She said funds are put to good use and stretched for maximum results, and recounted the construction phases of the facility and the need for further funding needed to finish the inside and provide heat. The small communities are in need of museum/cultural center support, she finished, stressing that it is a responsibility to preserve the local history. 9:41:31 AM REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD asked what private sector funding sources are being approached. MS. HOTCH described the fund raising efforts and the budget components. Other funding sources are sought, but without legislative backing, sponsors such as the Rasmuson Foundation will not pledge without an understanding of the state allocation. She described other outreach efforts/proposals that have been tried or are planned, but again, matching funds are often a requirement. REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD asked how much has been provided to date by the state, and for further clarification on the costs for this fiscal year as well as for future needs since sustainability is a concern. MS. HOTCH answered $3.5 million for this fiscal year and $750,000 for ongoing costs, possibly more. She offered to provide the information. Regarding sustainability, she said once completed, that is the expectation. Partnerships with tourism agencies are being developed. 9:49:19 AM LACEY SIMPSON, Director, City of Ketchikan Museum Department, stated support for HB 333 and stressed the state obligation for the artifacts that are held in public trust. She cited several deficits that exist in facilities, including humidity control or ability to display artifacts. Many smaller facilities are housed in buildings that were never designed as museums. The need is growing and the state has been generous. Communities are enriched by having museums. 9:52:50 AM EMMIE SWANSON, Valdez Museum and Historical Archive, offered her strong support for HB 333. The Valdez museum faces a deteriorating infrastructure and adequate space for the program, she said. She highlighted a few key points, such that the Valdez Museum occupies two buildings, with the primary location being a centennial building that is inadequate for museum services and programs. She focused on the primary concern, the second location, which is a warehouse that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (U.S. ACE) constructed in the mid-60s when Valdez was rebuilt after the 1964 earthquake that was never intended to be a museum facility. Still, this warehouse houses a 75,000 piece collection, archives and contains a small theatre space. With the need for specialized equipment for display and climate control, she stressed the importance for financial support. She described the situation as it exists in Valdez, stating that the Valdez museum is over capacity for the storage of large artifacts and no room exists to bring in new artifacts. MS. SWANSON related that some artifacts are stored in two locations maintained by the City of Valdez's Parks and Recreation department as well as noting several large artifacts in outside storage are exposed to the elements. Further, several large artifacts are currently stored in the workshop adjacent to the "Remembering Old Valdez" exhibit and several more are housed in a small building near the softball field, behind the community college. She emphasized that the cultural heritage should stay in regional locations. In 2012, the Valdez Museum Board adopted a five-year strategic plan, which included the need for a major capital improvement program. This is rooted in the goal to continue to preserve the valuable cultural resources for communities of Valdez, Copper River Basin, Prince William Sound, and the state. Most of Alaska's museums are small in size and budget and museums all have a difficult time fundraising for capital improvements. It's also difficult to ask for donations in this small community of 4,000 people with over 70 nonprofit organizations, yet the museum does manage to provide over 45 percent of its budget through donations and grants. These grants are strictly program related and support education and are not supportive of operations or facilities' management. She thanked members for hearing concerns of museums in Alaska. She hoped the committee will support passage of HB 333. 9:56:51 AM MICHELE MILLER, Pratt Museum, testified in support of HB 333, paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: My name is Michele Miller, and I serve on the Museums Alaska Board of Directors and work at the nationally- recognized Pratt Museum here in Homer. I speak in support of House Bill 333, establishing a museum construction grant program. The Pratt Museum serves as an anchor institution on the Kenai Peninsula, educating children and adults, and contributing to our community's sense of place and identity through history, art, and culture; and through exploration of the natural environment. Like museums all over Alaska, the Pratt contributes to the state's economy through employment and cultural tourism. Thank you, Rep. Herron for your sponsorship of this bill, which provides the structure for establishing a systematic approach to prioritizing museum capital project funding requests in Alaska. The Pratt Museum is one of the 50 [percent] of museums in Alaska currently fundraising for a new facility. With the passage of this legislation into law, construction projects will be funded by the merits of their projects, prioritized by their ability to match state funding, and where they are in the construction process. Similar to the library construction statute, which has helped build 14 new libraries through $50 million of awards, this legislation will allow museums to plan to protect valuable collections well into the future. Again, I thank Representative Herron for his sponsorship of House Bill 333, and I look forward to working with his office on the legislation this interim. [HB 333 was held over.]