History Center reports rising utilities and small reserve; urges partnership on building capital needs

Ben Sandberg, director of the History Center and manager of the Tompkins Center for History & Culture (TCHC), told the expanded budget committee on Sept. 15 that the History Center’s operating request was maintained at the 2025 level but that utilities, historic HVAC systems and rising maintenance costs are stressing the Center and the shared building fund. Sandberg said approximately 75 percent of the History Center’s operating budget is payroll and that recent federal funding sources the museum relied on are waning, driving a shift toward fundraising and earned revenue strategies. He described a new online collections portal to improve public access to the center’s roughly 500,000 cataloged objects and digital assets, and outlined rental and tenant arrangements at the Tompkins Center for History & Culture, which houses 13 nonprofit organizations and several project groups. On the facility, Sandberg reported that transmission of rental income and operating costs is complicated by accounting and auditor requirements and said fee rental schedules for tenants include modest annual increases through 2029. He noted the TCHC’s building‑specific restricted fund balance (about $12,000–$13,000 on his books) could cover a projected 2025 utilities shortfall but would not sustain repeated higher utility or capital needs; he said the facility team is pursuing NYSERDA and arts/culture capital financing studies to seek grant assistance for HVAC and energy work. Committee members asked about the fund balance amount and whether the county holds building‑improvement funds; Sandberg said he would confirm account details with county finance staff. No formal action was taken during the presentation.