Durango’s Powerhouse Science Center is closed indefinitely after the nonprofit organization’s precarious finances came to light.
The group’s board met in an emergency session Friday and decided to close the doors at the children’s museum, 1333 Camino del Rio. Eight employees, constituting most of the staff, have been laid off.
“After four years of treading water, we’re basically now underwater,” Executive Director Nana Naisbitt said in an interview Monday. “The only responsible option was to close the doors and, sadly, let go of nearly all the staff.”
Naisbitt said Powerhouse simply lacked the funding to stay open: “The board had a fiscal responsibility to ensure we could pay employees for the work that they’ve done and refund the summer camps.”
Powerhouse had a budget of about $850,000 last year, Naisbitt said.
“It’s definitely been a very difficult decision,” said board member Peggy Zemach. “The numbers were the bottom line.”
Board president Bill Luthy said he was caught off-guard by the financial revelations.
“We felt like we were fine for the year and were going to be able to finish our commitments,” he said.
Luthy added: “It’s terrible. I’ve been involved since we’ve been open. My kids are involved. I felt a strong commitment to the staff and the community. It’s kind of a worst-case scenario.”
The only employees remaining are Naisbitt and Joe Lounge, a retired Fort Lewis College professor who has served as exhibits and facilities manager.
They said Powerhouse would seek ongoing public funding for its operations. Powerhouse Science Center is envisioned as part of the proposed Durango STEAM Park project that would be built along the Animas River Trail at an estimated cost of $30 million. Zemach is also a board member of the science, theatre, entertainment, arts and music park project.
Similar children’s museums around the nation receive public funding, at an average level of 35 percent of their budgets, Naisbitt said.
“By the generosity of our donors, we’ve survived four years without public support,” she said.
The nonprofit’s prospects of receiving public funding are unclear. Zemach said the group has been in discussions with the city of Durango. Yet, local taxpayers are being asked to consider major upgrades at Durango-La Plata County Airport and the city’s sewer plant, along with a possible property-tax increase for county government.
Naisbitt said the nonprofit would have to be run differently.
“For years, the Powerhouse has been giving away its facility and grounds, either for free or for below-cost, for school events or for other nonprofit events,” she said. “This was done in the spirit of community. However, that is unsustainable as there are real costs involved in hosting such events. Also, we have often given away our programs in the same spirit. All this has contributed to the current financial crisis.”
Powerhouse opened in February 2011 in the historic building that once housed the nation’s first alternate-current power plant. Before that, it existed as a children’s museum within Durango Arts Center.
Powerhouse had 20,000 paying visitors in 2014, along with 6,500 schoolchildren who came on field trips.
Naisbitt became executive director in April, taking over from interim director Brett Cadwell, who previously served as the finance director.
Naisbitt said there was no financial mismanagement involved in Powerhouse’s closure.
“The staff over the years has done their absolute best to pour their heart and soul into it and make it function,” she said.
Naisbitt said the museum would reopen with a renewed focus on children’s science programs, particularly for ages 2 to 11.
“There has needed to be a sustainable business model, and I know we can create one with a base of public funding,” she said.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
Powerhouse timeline
1892: The Durango Light and Power Co. embraces a new technology – AC (alternating current) power – and opens a power plant on Durango’s downtown riverfront.
Mid-1970s: Needing extensive renovation and cleanup, the aging power plant is boarded up and acquired by the city of Durango.
1998: Operating as the Children’s Museum of Durango, the organization outgrows its space in the rented attic of the Durango Arts Center. A business plan is proposed to convert the power plant site to an interactive science center.
2002: Durango City Council passes a resolution supporting renovations to the power plant. Volunteers secure grants for renovation and site cleanup, including asbestos removal.
2006: Restoration, renovation and cleanup completed.
February 2011: The science center opens to the public as Durango Discovery Museum in the former power plant, sitting along the banks of the Animas River at Camino del Rio and 14th Street.
May 2014: Durango Discovery Museum changes its name to Powerhouse Science Center.
May 11, 2015: Powerhouse Science Center closes indefinitely.
