By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Almost a dozen people spoke during Thursday's Hays City Commission meeting in opposition to the potential closing of Fort Hays State University's Sternberg Museum of Natural History.
The university has not officially released a statement, but a spokesman said Tuesday that it is facing $2.4 million in budget cuts from the Kansas Legislature.
More official information is forthcoming next week, according to Eric Grospitch, Fort Hays State University senior adviser for executive operations.
President Tisa Mason, who was at the meeting to present the university's annual status report to the city, said she would not get ahead of protocol.
"I will anecdotally share that the annual budget of Sternberg is about $1.3 million, and it is sitting in a building with $20 million in deferred maintenance," Mason said.
She thanked the audience members who shared their support of Sternberg. Among them were museum employees, FHSU faculty, Hays residents and donors and regular visitors.
"I understand. I feel your pain. I understand your stories. I respect all your commitment," Mason said to the packed room.
The dome-shaped concrete facility, 3000 Sternberg Drive, was built in 1984-'85, by his company, said resident Dave Van Doren. He knew the world-famous Hays paleontologist George Sternberg, for whom the museum is named.
Van Doren suggested a new foundation be created to financially support Sternberg. "I'm willing to make that happen," he said.
Van Doren's wife, Cathy, is a former director of development for Fort Hays State.
She offered her thoughts "as an education person" to "diminish athletics" at FHSU as a cost-savings measure.
"I think athletics is a vital part of a university, but I'm not sure that a Division II campus of 4,000 people needs 15 competitive sports that have to be funded at all kinds of levels," she said.
Fort Hays State announced in June that it would immediately pause its NCAA men's and women's golf programs.
According to the most recent study by the FHSU Docking Institute of Public Affairs, the university has more than a $240 million annual impact on the region and is the No. 2 employer in Ellis County.
No property tax is paid by Hays and Ellis County residents to support Fort Hays State.
Mason said in addition to the $2.4 million state general fund cut in fiscal year 2027, the university has been told another $2.3 million cut in state funding is likely in 2028.
Commissioners said they strongly support the university and Sternberg, but pointed out the city does not own the museum building or financially support it.
Hays does have an established city scholarship program to encourage students to attend and remain at Fort Hays State.
"I understand that you're gonna make some tough decisions that people may not like," Shaun Musil, commissioner, said to Mason.
"Nationwide, prices are ridiculously high ... people have to adjust. ... I hope that we don't lose Sternberg, but staying within budget, I don't know how you continue doing what you're doing," Musil said.
Alaina Cunningham, vice-mayor, said, "We're all seeing it. When cuts happen, it just compresses it into another area that has to find that money. It just doesn't just magically fall out of the air."
If Sternberg does downsize or close, employee Jessica Lamb of the live animal team, is worried what will happen to about 100 animals that are housed in the museum. The fish, birds, a raccoon, a rabbit, snakes and more are also part of the museum's hands-on public education and school outreach programs.
"Some of the animals cannot be released back out into the wild, some can't be kept as pets and others can't be transported over Kansas state lines," Lamb said.
"If we aren't able to find solutions to these issues, some of our animals may possibly have to be put down.
"Right now we are terrified, we are heartbroken," Lamb said, calling Sternberg her "second home and family."
The young daughter of FHSU Communications Studies faculty member Scott Robson told city commissioners she is a regular visitor to the museum.
"The value of Sternberg to me is the opportunity to see animals, have fun, play around, see some animals that are rarely seen in Hays," she said.
"Sternberg is a pretty important place to rescue animals. If we didn't have Sternberg, what do we do?"
A petition on change.org urges the FHSU administration not to close the museum.
That petition is up to 5,496 signatures as of 11:27 a.m. today.