Boards deal with legislative mandate

Thursday, April 6th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CLAREMORE, Okla. (AP) -- Directors of two Claremore museums are trying to figure out how to comply with a legislative mandate to merge the museums without diminishing either one.

The Will Rogers Museum and the J.M. Davis Gun and Historical Museum are both run by the state. The Legislature has told the governing boards that they have to merge operations by August 2001,saying it will save the state $100,000.

"This is kind of like a wedding set for 18 months down the road, and this is our first date," said Steve Turnbo, member of the Will Rogers Memorial Commission. "No one knows at this point how we can do this, but it has to be done."

The commission held a special meeting Wednesday. The director of the gun museum and six of its commission members met with the Rogers Museum board and representatives of the J.M. Davis Trust,which owns the gun collection and historical artifacts at the downtown museum.

The legislative action calls for the commissions to merge. Four representatives are to be appointed from the Rogers board and three from the Davis commission.

The Rogers commission has seven members. Like those on the Davis commission, they are appointed by the governor and usually confirmed by the state Senate or House.

The Legislature appropriates $1 million per year for operating the museums.

Joe Brown, a former state legislator who serves on the Davis Commission, said he doubts any money will be saved through the merger.

"It will probably cost more," he said.

Also to be considered is the complexity of the collections themselves, and how gift shops could be shared across the city. In addition, board members don't know who would serve on the new commission.

"This meeting has raised a lot more questions than I realized," said Rogers commission Chairman Jim Hartz.