It’s a partnership the city of Sedona is happy to continue.
City staff recommended that due to its long-time relationship with the Sedona Historical Society, a new lease between the two include a 10-year term, with one five-year optional extension. This would replace the previous term which was five-years with one five-year extension. On Tuesday, June 9, the Sedona City Council agreed and the new lease was approved.
“There has already been a long-standing partnership between the city and Sedona Historical Society for the operation of the museum at the historical park,” Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director Karen Osburn said the day after the meeting. “The SHS, as part of its mission as a nonprofit organization, and through volunteers, grant seeking and fundraising, maintains this rich historic resource for the enjoyment and education of the public at minimal cost to the city.”
Council approved the first lease agreement with SHS in 1995 for the society to operate the Sedona Heritage Museum on city property at Jordan Historical Park. The current lease expires June 30, 2020. The last lease agreement was signed 10 years ago.
“The partnership has worked well and the r e i s nothing to indicate that it would not continue long into the future as long as SHS is willing to continue to provide this service,” Osburn said of the museum location.
According to a city report, the current lease calls for SHS to keep the museum open to the public an average of 25 hours per week, excluding legal holidays recognized by the city. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the city and SHS revisit this requirement in cases when it is impossible for SHS to fulfill the 25-hour requirement or be open to the public at all.
It was recommended by city staff that language be added to the agreement to address these types of situations. It now states that requirement will be waived during a s t a t e of emergency or emergency declaration that prohibits or impedes SHS from opening for all or some of the required hours.
The city pays for maintenance and repair items at the park facility and museum but does not pay the historical society for the services they provide.
“The city would not be in a position to staff the museum or keep it open to the public without the support and work of the SHS,” Osburn said.
