AZ4AU Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 Hello All,I was informed about some info pertaining to the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum at our club meeting last night . We need all Arizonan's to respond so that our voices are heard . Below is the info that was forwarded to me today.Subject: Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum's FutureClub Leaders and Interested IndividualsIt is very important that this information be sent to all members so that actions can be taken immediately!There are several things we can do to voice our opinions on the proposed destruction of the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum by the Centennial Commission. The following facts have been obtained from the Governors address at the museum on February 12th and her Web page. The Centennial Project does not include the outside displays or the mineral displays in the museum, including the Copper Gallery ($40,000) and the Mine to You project ($60,000). There have been many other speculations that have been identified, but I will only use what is fact.Legal ActionsThe first action, that is going to be presented shortly, is to remove the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum from the statutes and replace it with the Arizona Centennial Museum. They have to change the laws to allow the development of the new museum. If we wait until this is done, it will be too late to effect changes. We need to get to our representatives and voice your opinion. We must get this voice out ASAP! It is preferable to use mail or fax, but an Email would suffice. I have the placed the Web page to access the state representatives so you can communicate with your representative. To contact your legislators or find their direct phone numbers, click on Legislators or paste http://www.azleg.gov/MemberRoster.asp into your browser. If you're outside the Phoenix area, you can call your legislators' offices toll free at 1-800-352-8404. In the Phoenix area call (602) 926-3559 (Senate) or (602) 926-4221 (House) and ask them to connect you with your legislators.What to SayYou should simply express your concerns with the museum closing. This message should not be derogatory towards the Centennial project, but address the impact of the loss of the museum to our education of the children and adults to minerals and mining in Arizona. You can add your personal experiences at the museum to show its value to you and other individuals. Spread the WordWe must get this word out that we want to keep the minerals and mining artifacts at the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum.Take a look at the Governors Blog My linkI have submitted comments that you should readIf you have ANY Questions, please respond to this Email or call me at 623-556-3964Thanks for your support!Charlie ConnellChairman of the BoardFriends of the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMC Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 If you haven't been to that place, you, must take the time to visit it.http://www.admmr.state.az.us/Info/centennialmuseumannouncement.pdfthe above link is the announcement.Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Soloman Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 Mike, we'll send this letter out in our newsletter next week! Thanks for the Heads Up! - Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ4AU Posted February 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 Schedule for the Bill (urgent) !!!!Friends and Club ContactsI have just received the schedule for the Bill that will remove the Arizona Mining & Mineral Musuem from the State statutes.The House Committee on Natural Resources and Rural Affairs has posted a new agenda on the State Legislature's website. HB2617 is on the agenda, and mining amendments are mentioned. The amendments that discuss the details of the changes, however, have not been posted. Here's the URL for the meeting agenda:http://www.azleg.gov.../0222012793.pdfThe meeting is on Monday 2/22, 2pm, Room HHR4. Lots of bills are on the agenda, so this will probably be a very long meeting.Charlie Connell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZNuggetBob Posted February 18, 2010 Report Share Posted February 18, 2010 Mike the way I read the governors proposal I dont see the mineral museum going anywhere? The way I read it their planning on remodeling it and adding some other venues.Are you against it being run by the az historical society?or against it being remodeled? or both.Its even going to be financed by private funding, no taxes.Are they trying to pull a fast one on us and Im not seeing in the proposal?Am I missing something here? can you explain.AzNuggetBobBTW your governors blog link to your statements is a dead link for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ4AU Posted February 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Hello AZNuggetBob, The way it was explained to us at our meeting the other night is that the building will be returned to its original state and house the 5 c's (copper,cattle,cotton,citrus and climate) Centenial Museum, which the copper displays that are there will even go away . The stamp mill, hoist house, shovel bucket(huge), and any other mining related equipment will go away including that big mural on the North side of the building .Charlie Connell was the one that was informing us as to what has to happen and he is a Board member of Fammm (Friends of the Mining and Mineral Museum)If you want his number to call him and find out more info, email me ([email protected]) and I will give it to you .The link is fixed also . Thanks for the heads up . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotgold Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 AZNuggetBob, I also had trouble getting to the govenors blog, had to use a different browser. Charlie made comments to what is being planned about midway down in the comments area, I'll see if I can C and P it here. Right now my reply window is acting up again with all the reply icons straddling the middle of the window..... Charlie Connell said...Governor Brewer's Centennial Commission has proposed the establishment of a Centennial Museum. The proposal suggests the museum be placed in the building that currently houses the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum (AMMM). In other words, the AMMM would close. This proposal will impact the education of Arizona school children as well as residents of Arizona on the value of minerals and mining in our everyday lives. Listed below my concerns and an alternative proposal:The outside mining displays do not exist on the Centennial museum plans.Designer Richard Gallagher, stated the outside displays would be relocated and the building be returned to it original state.The logistics of moving a 35 foot head frame, a hoist house with a 17,400 pound hoist, an operable 1890’s stamp mill is time consuming and costly. This will take months to properly remove this equipment at a cost of many tens of thousands of dollars. I was involved with the original move of the headframe from Bisbee to Phoenix and the project cost was estimated at $60,000 and took over a year to relocate the Bisbee copper mining artifact. Is this in their budget? These components were not designed to be moved and there could be serious damage incurred if they are moved in a hasty manner. Moving the artifacts and painting over the haul truck mural on the north wall of the museum is an attempt to destroy, not save, Arizona’s Copper Mining History. The inside mineral displays do not exist on the Centennial museum plans.The mineral displays in the museum educate over 25,000 students annually from Arizona’s schools that visit the museum from Maricopa County about the uses of minerals.There would only be a small portion of our present “copper” minerals on display at any given time. The cost would be extensive to package and relocate the rest of the 3,100 minerals on display. The services of the Friends of the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum (FAMMM) would no longer exist.The Outreach Program is funded by FAMMM. This program conducts sessions at schools outside Maricopa County that cannot afford to travel to the museum. This traveling educational program is one of the few ways children can be educated on the importance of minerals in our everyday lives.My Alternative Proposal:Place the Arizona Centennial Museum on the state fairground. There are several buildings that could be renovated at a cost less than the logistics associated with the present project. The fairgrounds already display many of the 5 C’s including cattle and agriculture annually.I have been a volunteer at the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum for over 17 years and have over 20,000 hours of volunteer activities at the museum. I am the founder and Chairman of the Board for the Friends of the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum (FAMMM) for the last 7 years. This 501 ©(3) organization is dedicated to supporting the museum to make it a world class forum. We have had support from many community organizations that donated their material and time and mining companies including Freeport Copper & Gold, MINTEC, and in the past Phelps Dodge.Charlie ConnellI hope this works and gets posted to the forum!Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZNuggetBob Posted February 19, 2010 Report Share Posted February 19, 2010 Mike and gotgoldThe info you supplied puts this whole project in a completely different light. I was not aware that this was even being proposed until your post here on the forum. Charlie Connell is asking some very important questions that I could not find answers to in the governors proposal. I was not aware that some or all of the outdoor displays may be removed and at this point have no guarantees they will be returned. I fear that if they were removed it would be a great loss to the public and the mining history of Arizona. Ive seen a lot of Arizona's mining history go to the scrap heap in recent years and when its gone its gone forever. If you were to remove the massive pieces of heavy equipment used in mining it would turn the museum into a rock and gem display. This state grew up on mining as did many western states. The more I think about the proposed venues they want to add it sounds almost like their going to turn the museum into a carnival type atmosphere rather than a mining museum and I agree better suited to be housed at the state fair buildings.. The private funding looks good on paper to the public for tax and state budget purposes but also make me wonder who is really behind this. I vote no, If it involves reducing Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum displays just to suit some designers idea of what it should look like or to stay within their privately funded budget.. Miners know how a mining museum should look not designers... leave the Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum and the people running it out of this plan. Thanks for the info guys. AzNuggetBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin nuggethunting Posted February 21, 2010 Admin Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 Hey Mike, Thanks for posting this. It's very unfortunate to hear something like this. I find places like the AZ Mineral Museum great places for children, youth and adults to learn about minerals, how they are found, mined and used. Remember the old saying, "If it's not grown, then it's mined!" Take care,Rob Allison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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