Museum animals may be sheltering in place
"Crating in place is a wonderful idea," - Cheri McGuirek
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

L-N File Photo Not Big On Travel Moving the large trophy animal displays at the El Campo Museum of Natural History would likely cost up to $100,000 while crating them in place appears to be far cheaper. The city is working on a plan to store the animals and their displays on site during the Civic Center renovation effort.

The irreplaceable animal trophy mounts of the El Campo Museum of National History will be going under wraps during the pending renovation of the Civic Center.

But if Museum Director Cheri McGuirek has her way, they won't be doing any traveling.

Moving a rhinoceros which has been bolted to the floor wouldn't be easy, officials agreed, nor would finding a place to store the former wild animals or the dioramas which portray their natural habitats.

"Crating in place is a wonderful idea," McGuirek said, adding she wanted them they stay on site.

Crating and storing the trophy mounts in place could cost between $15,000 and $20,000, according to an expert's estimate, while modifying the dioramas would raise the price to the $25,000 to $30,000 range.

When off-site storage enters the picture, costs start around $40,000 and could rise to $100,000.

Storing in place could be a viable option, RWS Architect Malcolm Gaus said, since the Civic Center renovation project (please see related story) would require sections of the roof to be dealt with quickly.

In the contract, each section can only remain open for 24 hours intervals.

It is possible, although not yet certain, that the museum's air-conditioning may never be turned off, he added.

Community Service Director Leonard Sternadel urged Council to consider leaving the trophy mounts on site.

"My recommendation is to try to leave everything in place as much as possible," he said, adding the animals can reportedly be left in unclimatized areas for up to 10 days.

Another issue is size, City Manager John Steelman said.

"We have no place to move these (animals)," he said.

Insurance will become an issue as well, Gaus warned Council.

If the animals are crated in place, the contractor's insurance may have to cover any possible damage.

If they are moved off-site, other insurance may be needed.

The Civic Center is scheduled for renovation from August to October of this year. So far, the city has designated $1 million for the project.