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Kansas Historical Society highlights museum reopening, asks for staffing and capital funds for archive shelving and historic sites
Summary
The Kansas State Historical Society reported the Kansas Museum of History reopened after a multi‑year renovation and recorded strong visitor numbers; it requested reappropriations and enhancements including electronic high‑density shelving (~$341,000), staffing for the museum reopening and matching funds for historic site restorations, while the SBC deleted several enhancement requests pending committee review.
The Kansas State Historical Society told the Committee on Higher Education Budget that the Kansas Museum of History is open after a years‑long reinterpretation and that capital, staffing and preservation requests remain to support expanded operations.
Executive Director Patrick Zollner said the museum saw record attendance during the opening period and expects annual visitation in line with historical benchmarks: "When one spot opened up, another car filled — we had a record setting 2,300 visitors," he said, and reported 20,428 visitors between Nov. 22 and Dec. 31. The museum’s private fundraising campaign raised $6 million for exhibits; infrastructure and life‑safety upgrades were covered separately.
Zollner outlined FY27 enhancement requests tied to reopening operations: three FTEs (two custodial and one visitor services supervisor) to support third‑party events and year‑round operations; reopening the Charles Curtis House as a state historic site with 1.5 FTE and operating expenses; and several restoration projects including a $625,000 request for the Shawnee Indian Mission West Building. He noted the society secured a federal Save America’s Treasures grant for a portion of the Shawnee project and intends to use private matching funds where possible.
Committee members sought details on cost components. Representative Fairchild pressed for numbers on the shelving request; Edgar Klein explained it was an electronic, mobile high‑density shelving system for archives that effectively doubles storage and is priced at roughly $341,000 for the size requested ("It's the size of a basketball court"). Members also pressed for clarification on the museum chiller and other infrastructure costs incurred during the remodel; Zollner said a chiller/air handling package previously requested totaled about $2.7 million.
Dayton Lamonyan and the shorthand handed out to members reflect a Special Budget Committee motion that deleted supplemental and enhancement requests across agencies; several of the Historical Society’s enhancement requests were removed by that motion and would have to be defended to be restored to the subcommittee’s recommendation.
Next steps: Historical Society staff and analysts agreed to provide detail on costs (e.g., shelving specifications, IT manager justification and parking lot condition) requested by committee members.
