HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution #5020 RESOLUTION #5020
In support of the Illinois State Museums
WHEREAS, Governor Rauner proposes closing the Illinois State Museum in Springfield
and all branch sites: Lockport Gallery, Dickson Mounds Museum, Rend Lake Arts Center,
Thompson Center Gallery and the Research and Collections Center in Springfield; and
WHEREAS,the Illinois Department of Natural Resources operates these museums; and
WHEREAS, the museums celebrate and preserve Illinois art, cultural history,
anthropology, natural history, and earth sciences through exhibits, educational
programs,web exhibits and materials, and a collection of more than 12.5 million
artifacts; and
WHEREAS, last year there were some 386,750 visits to the museums, including 2,300
teachers and 40,000 schoolchildren; and
WHEREAS,the closures would cut off researchers' access to the archeology, botany,
geology and zoology collections which are used to study human impacts on the
environment; and
WHEREAS,the preservation of Illinois' unique archive of Native American artifacts,
including skeletal remains and other sacred object that are governed by written
agreements with a number of tribes, would be put at risk; and
WHEREAS, private donors—including Native American tribes—may seek legal redress if
the preservation and access pledged by DNR when items were donated to the collection
are no longer provided; and
WHEREAS, the professional staff—such as the 22 curators with specialties in botany,
zoology, geology, paleontology, anthropology, etc.—would leave with their
irreplaceable knowledge of the collections; and,
WHEREAS, not only would the state be giving up millions in grant funds drawn down by
the museums, it might face legal exposure and rake-back of outstanding grants; and
WHEREAS, according to the state Office of Tourism, visitors to the sites spend $33
million annually in our state, generating far more revenues that the$4.8 million the
Rauner Administration claims the closures would save; and
WHEREAS, closing these sites makes no fiscal sense and would be an irreversible loss to
Illinois' legacy and economy.
NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The City of Canton hereby states its opposition
to the closures of the Illinois State Museums; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The City of Canton urges Governor Rauner to reverse his
plan to close the museums; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The City of Canton urges legislators in the Illinois
General Assembly to support the continued operation of all six museums; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,that suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to
Governor Rauner, Senate President John Cullerton, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan,
and all members of the Illinois General Assembly who represent The City of Canton.
Ayes:
Alderman Craig West,Tad Putrich,Jim Nelson, Ryan Mayhew,Justin Nelson, Gerald Ellis,
Angela Hale
Nays:
None
Absent:
Alderman John Lovell
Ma r, y
City ey-