Funding cuts to two prominent museums in Claremore, Okla., were much less than originally anticipated, reported the Claremore Daily Progress.
Oklahoma lawmakers reached a budget agreement this week that included a 7 percent reduction in funding to the state tourism office. But the Will Rogers Memorial Museum and the J.M. Davis Arms Museum in Claremore each saw funding reductions of less than 1 percent.
Funding reductions of 33 percent for the Davis Museum and 20 percent for the Rogers museums originally were proposed. The newspaper credited Sen. Sean Burrage (D-Claremore) and Rep. Marty Quinn (R-Claremore) for keeping those funding cuts minimal.
Visitors come from across the nation, some following historic Route 66, to visit Claremore and its museums. A growing international trend has visitors from other nations landing in California or Chicago and renting cars to drive Route 66. Those visitors often stop, dine, and otherwise spend money in Oklahoma because of the history and museums in Claremore. That resource is an economic boost that Oklahoma needs to protect and nurture in the tight economy, say local leaders.
The connection between Oklahoma’s roadways, in particular Route 66 and tourism is also important, but ODOT official say they will move forward with critical maintenance and repairs of the state’s highway system.
At one point in February, a lawmaker proposed a bill that would have phased out state funding for those museums. The state was facing a $400 million budget shortfall, and the lawmaker advocated shifting the savings from that proposed phase-out to more important areas, such as schools and highways.