A measure recently approved by USD 394 residents will use tax levy funds to improve the structural quality of Rose Hill’s museum and its outlying buildings.
The measure passed 1606 to 1507 in the Nov. 6 election. It states that the levy shall not exceed an annual tax of one mill upon tangible property in the school district and that funds shall be used to “provide, establish, maintain and conduct a community historical museum for the City of Rose Hill.”
“We’re just funded by grants and donations, and grants are pretty hard to get for a small museum like ours,” said Cindy Bradford, treasurer and coordinator for the Rose Hill Historical Society. She said the museum has traditionally received funding at both the city and county levels, amounting to approximately $3,000 a year. The rest of the museum’s income comes from donations, membership dues, and fundraising.
“Our membership has aged so much that it’s mostly seniors, and I’m talking 80 and over, that it’s just hard to find people to work for those fundraisers,” Bradford said. “So just doing fundraising was not taking care of all of our needs.”
Bradford explained it had become a strain to maintain the condition of the society’s buildings while covering utilities and taxes.
The society currently oversees three buildings: the main historical museum, the remodeled Pleasant School Center, and a third building for larger historical objects that is still under development.
(Read more: Area | derbyinformer.com)