In my previous post I really did make some effort to not come off like a major flame against the Railroaders Museum. I also did not intend to start a flurry of anti-lawyer posts as well. I am sorry if I was too terse.

In my opinion the benefits of a more formal operation by the museum have been more than negated by the reduction in hours the place is open. The Railroaders Museum has demonstrated that they are not up to the task. What they are doing is not working; they have had their chance. In my opinion the stewardship of the park needs to be place with an organization that will make it available to the public. Excuses donÂ’t open the gates.


Forgotten Delaware
tom@forgottendelaware.com

Having recognized that they were not functional the museum has been reinventing itself recently, and I am sure more changes are on the way as they work to improve their situation. Let's give them time to find and put in place the management practices they believe will allow themselves to prosper and offer a reasonable level of programming. It isn't neglect on their part, just closed for organizational repairs.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

> In my previous post I really did make some
> effort to not come off like a major flame
> against the Railroaders Museum. I also did
> not intend to start a flurry of anti-lawyer
> posts as well. I am sorry if I was too
> terse.

> In my opinion the benefits of a more formal
> operation by the museum have been more than
> negated by the reduction in hours the place
> is open. The Railroaders Museum has
> demonstrated that they are not up to the
> task. What they are doing is not working;
> they have had their chance. In my opinion
> the stewardship of the park needs to be
> place with an organization that will make it
> available to the public. Excuses donÂ’t open
> the gates.
.
Please don't reproach yourself over the "lawyer" posts; we were just utilizing our freedom of speech, one of the principles upon which this country was founded, and, besides, it does get people's minds working, doesn't it? Merry Christmas to you!!

> In my previous post I really did make some
> effort to not come off like a major flame
> against the Railroaders Museum. I also did
> not intend to start a flurry of anti-lawyer
> posts as well. I am sorry if I was too
> terse.

> In my opinion the benefits of a more formal
> operation by the museum have been more than
> negated by the reduction in hours the place
> is open. The Railroaders Museum has
> demonstrated that they are not up to the
> task. What they are doing is not working;
> they have had their chance. In my opinion
> the stewardship of the park needs to be
> place with an organization that will make it
> available to the public. Excuses donÂ’t open
> the gates.

First of all Mr. Gears, as the new Exec Director at the Railroaders Memorial Museum, I take great offense to your classification of what we are doing as "mismanagement". This situation did not arise overnight and will not be remedied in that short period of time either. As much as everyone yearns for the "good old days", they are not coming back. I for one am dying to open the gates of the Curve and let everyone in. However, today's tort happy society is a reality we cannot get away from. As soon as I feel I have done my duty in exploring the legal ramifications of opening the gates and have done my job in trying to insulate the Museum from the resulting lawsuits (and I can guarantee their will be some if we open), I will make the decision whether or not to do so. By the way, for those who didnt realize it, the Curve closed every year for the winter - this is not a result of "mismanagement" by the new leadership. I did make the decision to close the Museum for the first time this winter. Visitation never warranted remaining open during the winter months but nobody could bring themselves to make the decision to close it for the season. It was exactly this type of approach to business that got the facility in the financial trouble it's in.

I fully support your decision, Mr. Cessna. It is a sound one that many museums do not often make, and I commend you for taking a proactive stance. Many people like to "sound off" on this board, yet they have never worked a day in a museum in their lives and some of these folks just do not grasp the realities that result in certain kinds of decisions that must be made at such institutions. I've noticed that they are quick to "go for the jugular" but do not stop to think about the why that went into the decision. Sometimes hard decisions need to be made when times are tough. That's just the way it is. Don't automatically assume it is a conspiracy by the elite designed to keep you from visiting the Horseshoe Curve when you want to. Learn to deal with it, Mr. Gears.

> First of all Mr. Gears, as the new Exec
> Director at the Railroaders Memorial Museum,
> I take great offense to your classification
> of what we are doing as
> "mismanagement". This situation
> did not arise overnight and will not be
> remedied in that short period of time
> either. As much as everyone yearns for the
> "good old days", they are not
> coming back. I for one am dying to open the
> gates of the Curve and let everyone in.
> However, today's tort happy society is a
> reality we cannot get away from. As soon as
> I feel I have done my duty in exploring the
> legal ramifications of opening the gates and
> have done my job in trying to insulate the
> Museum from the resulting lawsuits (and I
> can guarantee their will be some if we
> open), I will make the decision whether or
> not to do so. By the way, for those who
> didnt realize it, the Curve closed every
> year for the winter - this is not a result
> of "mismanagement" by the new
> leadership. I did make the decision to close
> the Museum for the first time this winter.
> Visitation never warranted remaining open
> during the winter months but nobody could
> bring themselves to make the decision to
> close it for the season. It was exactly this
> type of approach to business that got the
> facility in the financial trouble it's in.

OK, everyone, this thread is over unless someone has new information or an important new point of view to add. If have not deleted any of these posts, but I don't want to see any new ones from either side in this vein. If you feel you really have a new perspective to add, feel free, but I will review any additional posts and delete any which contain personal references, ad hominem remarks, or which do not contribute to a polite constructive discussion.

I must say I continued to be disappointed that this forum cannot seem to host a civil discussion of issues relating to Altoona among a handful of other hot topics. Instead we open with intemperate broadside attacks rather than constructive criticism. These in turn provoke intemperate responses, adding fuel to the fire. As a result I have no choice but to end the threads.

If people want to engage in debate on these terms I encourage them to take it off this list. The email addresses of the administration at Altoona are known (same is true for MOT and Steamtown among other hot topics) and you can take your issues up with the responsible parties and debate the merits as forcefully and directly as you wish. But on this board, we will stick to the terms of service:

1. polite, constructive criticism and polite responses to same
2. No flaming
3. No ad hominem remarks

If your post does not fit in the spirit of these guidelines, please take it up directly with the people you wish to debate with and don't take it here.

eledbetter@rypn.org

Scott, it is refreshing to hear of the all too uncommon, "common sense" thinking that you are bringing to the museum. As a past consultant to the Railroaders Memorial Museum, I can verify your thinking. All too often we forget that although museums are non-profit organizations, that they still must be run as businesses to survive.

Stone Consulting & Design
garylandrio@stoneconsulting.com