The Lake Wales History Museum asked city commissioners on a quarterly report to approve a revised lease and operating agreement that would add measurable deliverables and raise the museum’s annual city subsidy from $175,000 to $200,000.
Museum President Brandon Alvarado told commissioners the draft agreement would require quarterly reporting on museum attendance, Pioneer Days attendance, number of programs offered and program attendance, artifact acquisitions and conservation, social media and website engagement, funds raised annually and quarterly profit-and-loss statements.
Alvarado said the requested increase would primarily fund a third staff position — a curator of collections and exhibits — and help stabilize staffing so the museum can care for artifacts the city owns and expand exhibits. “When we invest, the biggest investment we make … is in the people that we bring to the museum to actually run, operate and care for the property which the city owns and the collections which the city owns,” he said.
City staff told commissioners the museum’s current lease and operating agreement expires Sept. 30 (year not specified in the meeting) and that the draft before the commission is an initial revision. City Manager James said staff had added the measurable deliverables to provide accountability to public funds and that he planned to bring the revised agreement back to a future work session for further commissioner feedback.
Commissioners praised improvements at the museum and raised questions about the length and specificity of deliverables. Deputy Mayor Gibson, Commissioner Thompson and Commissioner Gillespie emphasized nonprofit fundraising, program quality, and artifact acquisitions as priorities for future reports. “I would like a little more meat on the bones there … it’s not just about the number you offer, it’s about quality,” Gillespie said.
Museum leaders also reported facility upgrades funded in part by Mountain Lake and the city: a renovated railroad gallery, a freight-room conversion into a multipurpose rental and small-concert space, deck repairs at the Yellow Depot, and initial electrical and lighting work for the freight space. Alvarado said Pioneer Days scored 93 out of 100 on a Tourist Development Council grant review and that the event received roughly $34,000 after a 7% reduction across the program this year. He said Pioneer Days attendance and event revenue are tracked with Placer AI to measure foot traffic and downtown spillover.
No formal vote on the operating agreement or funding increase was recorded at the meeting. City staff said the item would return for further consideration at a future work session once commissioners and staff have had time to review the draft and suggest refinements.
The commission also discussed separating the Stewart/Stuart Dunn Oliver House from the museum lease and treating it as a separate rehabilitation project. “The immediate concern right now is preserving our immediate campus,” Alvarado said, referring to the main museum buildings and artifact collection center.
The museum’s leaders invited commissioners to a site tour and asked for continued partnership on membership expansion, volunteer recruitment and revenue diversification for long-term sustainability.