Chamber Urges Action to Keep State Museum Open

Editor and Chamber members:

You will find below a copy of a letter that the Chamber`s Board is going to send to Governor Charlie Crist regarding the State Museum. As most of you probably know, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of State Parks has made a list of parks with relatively high operating costs and low income that it is considering closing due to budget restraints. Our State Museum (Cedar Key Museum State Park) is one being considered. This may only be a temporary closure of a year or so, but it is our feeling that it really should not happen at all.

The Board urges you to send a letter of your own to the Governor explaining why you feel the museum should not be closed. You can mail it, email it or even copy ours and add hand-written comments at the bottom. If enough complaints are sent it is possible that the Governor`s people will reconsider the closing (squeaky wheel gets the grease theory).

The Governor`s address is:
Governor Charlie Crist
State of Florida
The Capitol
400 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001

His email address is Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com

We urge you act now to save our State Museum.

November 25, 2008

Dear Governor Crist,

We are writing to ask you to reconsider your decision to include the Cedar Key Museum State Park on a list of Florida state parks to be considered for being closed because of budget restraints. This small museum is a focus point of the community of Cedar Key. It is extremely popular with both visitors and locals alike and is excellent for teaching children about the long history of this area and also the natural history. Cedar Key, being
such a small city and distant from neighboring cities and towns, has few options for visitors who do not want or cannot participate in water- and nature-based activities that our area is famous for, and the State Museum, as it is known locally, is one place they can visit. The museum staff also co-hosts the Cedar Key Star Party each winter. Over the years this event has grown as many people, both local and visitors, enjoy viewing the dark night skies over Cedar Key through an array of high-powered telescopes. These are brought by amateur astronomers from all over North America who gather here for a week of star gazing.

Please look at all the options before deciding to close our State Museum.

Sincerely,
Paul Rimavicus, President