Reach leaders, stakeholders to discuss next steps for Richland museum

Community leaders will gather June 8 to discuss the best path forward for the Reach museum, as the facility approaches its second anniversary and a period of transition.

The museum opened in the summer of 2014 after more than a decade of dreaming and planning.

It’s seen plenty of successes in its first two years, from drawing thousands of visitors, to a popular tour program, to a recent $10,000 tourism grant from the Port of Seattle.

It’s also faced financial challenges.

“The community has resoundingly communicated to us that a robust, inspiring, enriching and constantly evolving STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) education program that is accessible to all must be our primary focus,” wrote Lisa Toomey, CEO, in a report for the workshop.

But that’s expensive, and the cost “exceeds our ability to fund (it), even with current grants and donations.”

The museum is running at a deficit, which isn’t unusual for public buildings and museums. However, the financial position has led to some tough choices.

Reach leaders recently made about $150,000 in cuts by reducing museum hours and laying off some staff.

With the workshop, “we’re going to bring our partners into the room and say, ‘these are the challenges we face as a start-up and a public institution,’” Toomey said. “(We’ll ask), ‘what is it that the community wants?’ We’ll see what they have to say.”

The workshop is at 6 p.m. at the Reach, 1943 Columbia Park Trail. A wide range of community leaders and Reach stakeholders — including city of Richland officials, the Reach Foundation, Ice Age Floods Institute, local performing arts groups, school districts, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation — have been invited to share their thoughts.

The Reach museum includes two main galleries, a rotating gallery, a multipurpose room, a store, offices and great hall overlooking the Columbia River, plus outdoor features.

In its two years, it’s welcomed more than 60,000 children, families, teachers, residents and visitors, and held scores of education events — 167 as of mid-May.

The $150,000 in cuts happened earlier this spring. The museum now is closed Sundays and five full- and part-time staffers were laid off.

The effort to build the Reach museum started not long after President Bill Clinton established the 196,000-acre Hanford Reach National Monument in 2000. At first, officials envisioned a larger facility in a different location — Columbia Point south.

But problems with that site arose. Fundraising also slowed as the recession set in, and public confidence in the project dipped.

Eventually, the museum got new life with a scaled-back vision and new leadership.

At its opening in 2014, Sen. Patty Murray said, “To me, this is about all the people who never gave up. I’m so proud to be standing with all of you in front of this absolutely incredible facility, to see all the years of hard work become a reality.”

She described it as a testament to the enduring commitment of the Tri-City community.

Toomey, who is retiring as CEO at the end of the year, said that it’s time to once again go back to the community to talk about the Reach’s future, just as she did when she joined the project and shepherded it through construction.

“Now we’re not asking about building a building, we’re asking, what is important to the community?” she said.

“It’s important to us to hear what the community wants and what they have to say. I think (the workshop) will be an enlightening experience for everybody. It’s time to have that conversation.”

This story was originally published June 7, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Reach leaders, stakeholders to discuss next steps for Richland museum."