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CRIST FEAR LEITCH, HE'S THE LONGTIME HEAD OF THE KANSAS CITY MUSEUM, BUT HE WAS ABRUPTLY
FIRED THIS WEEK. THE DECISION WAS MADE BY THE CEO OF UNION STATION, WHICH CONTROLS
THE MUSEUM LOCATED AT CRIN -- CORINTHIAN HALL. IN AN E-MAIL GEORGIA STILL OWE
CLAIMED IT WAS A PERSONNEL DECISION TOO SENSITIVE TO TALK ABOUT FOR LEGAL REASONS.
WHAT DOO BE THE CAUSE FOR SUCH SWIFT ACTION? DO WE HAVE ANY SENSE OF THAT?
NO, I DON'T THINK WE DO. IT MAY BECOME MORE CLEAR AS THE REPORTING UNFOLDS REGARDING
THIS, NICK. I WILL SAY THAT THE RELATION BETWEEN UNION STATION AND THE
KANSAS CITY MUSEUM IS QUITE INTERESTING. AS YOU MAY KNOW, KANSAS CITY
COLLECTS A MUSEUM TAX. I THINK IT'S 2 CENTS PER $100 OF ASSESSED VALUE THAT IS SUPPOSED
TO GO TO THE KANSAS CITY MUSEUM. BUT IT IS NOW -- IT NOW GOES IN ESSENCE TO UNION STATION, WHICH
THEN USES IT ON THE KANSAS CITY MUSEUM OR SAYS IT DOES, ALTHOUGH IT'S ALLOWED TO TAKE SOME OF
THAT MONEY OFF THE TOP. ANY SUGGESTION THAT THOSE TWO OPERATIONS WOULD SPLIT COULD
THEORETICALLY THREATEN THE REVENUE STREAM AT UNION STATION, AND THAT MAY BE -- I EMPHASIZE,
MAY BE INVOLVED IN THIS DISPUTE. BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME REPORTS IN THE NORTHEAST NEWS,
FOR INSTANCE, THAT THERE WAS AN EFFORT BY THE MUSEUM'S ADVISORY BOARD, THE KANSAS CITY MUSEUM
ADVISORY BOARD, THAT THEY WERE LOOKING TO BECOME INDEPENDENT. AND IF THEY DID THAT, THEY
WOULD GET ALL OF THAT TAX REVENUE, MAKING IT UNAVAILABLE TO UNION STATION, AND THAT MAY
BE INVOLVED. I SAY MAY, BECAUSE I HAVEN'T TALKED TO THE PEOPLE INVOLVED.
IT IS INTERESTING, SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND IT ODD. WHEN YOU GO TO OTHER CITIES, YOU
GO TO A MUSEUM THAT HAS HISTORY. WHEN YOU COME TO KANSAS CITY, WHERE WOULD YOU ACTUALLY GO TO
GET A CHRONICLING OF KANSAS CITY? THE KANSAS CITY MUSEUM IS A
SHELL OF A BUILDING, BEEN UNDER RENOVATION, CLOSED FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
AND WE HAVE TOO MANY MUSEUMS BUT NONE THAT TELL THE WHOLE STORY.
WE HAVE A LOT OF NICE MUSEUMS IN THIS AREA. SPEAKING OF MUSEUMS, YOU'RE
RIGHT, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA IS STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE WITH THEIR OWN PROPOSED *** LEAGUE
BASEBALL MUSEUM. THE CITY HAS ALREADY VOTED TO ALLOCATE $400,000 FOR DESIGN
WORK FOR THE BUILDING AND MORE THAN $4 MILLION WORTH OF *** LEAGUE ARTIFACTS.
THE MUSEUM WOULD FOCUS PRIMARILY ON BIRMINGHAM'S HISTORY IN THE LEAGUE, BUT MAY ALSO INCLUDE
MORE ASPECTS ABOUT THE LEAGUE IN GENERAL. NOW, THIS HAS ALARMED KANSAS
CITY OFFICIALS. IS THERE REALLY ROOM FOR MORE THAN ONE *** LEAGUE BASEBALL
MUSEUM, MARY? I DON'T THINK THERE WILL BE TWO *** LEAGUE MUSEUMS, NOT AT
THE NATIONAL LEVEL, NOT WHAT WE HAVE. KANSAS CITY ALREADY IS SOMEWHAT
ON THIRD BASE ON THIS IN THAT WE'RE ALREADY UP AND RUNNING. DEFINITELY FINANCES HAVE LONG
BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THE *** LEAGUE MUSEUM HERE. SO THERE IS THAT HUGE FEAR, AND
IT'S VERY VALID THAT SOME OF THE MONEY THAT MIGHT COME IN FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES NATIONAL MIGHT
BE SUCKED UP BY THIS NEW FACILITY. BUT THAT SAID, I MEAN, WE
ALREADY HAVE SO MUCH GOING ON HERE. I THINK THERE'S ROOM FOR BOTH AS
LONG AS THEY DON'T TRY AND PITCH EACH OTHER AS THESE COMPETITORS. THIS WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE
STORY IN THE KANSAS CITY STAR THIS WEEK. YOU'RE NOT FEELING THREATENED?
I WOULD BE. I DON'T THINK THIS MUSEUM IS ON THIRD BASE.
THEY MAY HAVE BEEN ON SECOND. THEY GOT THROWN OUT GOING TO THIRD, AND THE REASON IS
MARKETING. THIS MUSEUM ISN'T WELL MARKETED. THE EXHIBITS DON'T BRING IN
ENOUGH. IT'S MORE OF A DESTINATION. IF YOU'RE GOING TO A MINOR
LEAGUE BALLPARK TO SEE A GAME AND TO HAVE THE MUSEUM ATTACHED TO IT.
I WOULD BE VERY CONCERNED IF I WAS DOWN AT 18th AND VINE AND SEEING ONE OF THE PRIME TENANTS
SEEING THIS COMPETING EXHIBIT DOWN THERE. I THINK THERE'S GREAT REASON TO
BE CONCERNED, AND WHAT WE BETTER DO HERE, AND IT'S BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT BEFORE, AND WE EVEN DID A
PIECE ON IT LAST YEAR AND OTHERS DID, AS WELL, POOR MARKETING, POOR MANAGEMENT OF THAT MUSEUM
IN TERMS OF ITS MARKETING EFFORTS. I HAD BREAKFAST YESTERDAY
WITH MY FRIENDS AT THE ARABIAN MUSEUM, AND THE SUBJECT CAME UP, AND THEY POINTED OUT THAT THEY
DUG UP THEIR BOAT, PUT IT TOGETHER, OPENED UP THE MUSEUM FOR LESS THAN THEY SPENT 18th
AND VINE ON COST OVERRUNS, LET ALONE THE WHOLE MUSEUM. SINCE THAT TIME, THE REASON IT'S
MISMANAGED, AND THE REASON ITS MISMARKETED BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A POLITICAL FOOTBALL SINCE IT
FIRST ENTERED AND WAS KICKED ONTO THE SCENE HERE, AND IT WILL NEVER SUCCEED GIVEN THE KIND OF
MANAGEMENT AND OVERSTRUCTURE IT HAS RIGHT NOW. DAVE.
I THINK THE ORIGINAL SET OF BOTH THE *** LEAGUE MUSEUM AND JAZZ MUSEUM, THEY SET UP A LOT
OF MONEY TO BUILD THE STRUCTURES BUT NOT A GOOD ENDOWMENT TO CHANGE THE EXHIBITS, AS STACEY
SUGGESTS. ONE OF THE REASONS THE BIRMINGHAM PROJECT IS MOVING
FORWARD IS THERE IS AN ARTIFACT COLLECTOR IN TEXAS WHO HAS A VERY EXTENSIVE *** LEAGUE
COLLECTION, AND HE WASN'T SATISFIED WITH WHAT THEY DO IN KANSAS CITY, AND SO ENCOURAGED
THIS OTHER FACILITY WHERE HE MADE PUT SOME OF THOSE ARTIFACTS.
I'VE SAID FOR A LONG TIME, NICK, THAT WHAT KANSAS CITY COULD REALLY USE IS A MUSEUM AUTHORITY
WITH SOME OVERARCHING ABILITY TO MANAGEMENT THE *** LEAGUE MUSEUM, JAZZ MUSEUM, WORLD WAR I
MUSEUM, EVERY PUBLIC MUSEUM OUT THERE, KANSAS CITY MUSEUM, UNION STATION, PROVIDE A REGULAR
REVENUE FLOW SO THEY CAN ACQUIRE ARTIFACTS AND KEEP THINGS GOING. THE HEAD OF ONE OF KANSAS
CITY'S LARGEST FOUNDATIONS IS PACKING UP THE BOXES AND CLEARING UP HIS OFFICE AFTER
ALMOST A DECADE IN CHARGE. STEVE ROLING IS WINDING DOWN AS CEO OF THE HEALTH CARE
FOUNDATION OF GREATER KANSAS CITY CREATED IN 2002 BY THE SALE OF THE FORMER HEALTH MIDWEST
HOSPITALS TO FOR-PROFIT MEDICAL CHAIN HCA. THE FOUNDATION HAS GIVEN OUT
MORE THAN $160 MILLION IN GRANTS THROUGHOUT THE METRO WITH ASSETS OF MORE THAN $400 MILLION.
IT IS THE METRO'S FOURTH LARGEST FOUNDATION. I WENT TO MY DAD.
MY DAD IS NOW DECEASED. I SAID, DAD, I'VE GOT THIS NEW JOB.
HE SAID, WHAT DOES THE FOUNDATION DO? I SAID WE GIVE AWAY MONEY.
BACK THEN, HE WAS SMOKING, AND HE SAID, IS THAT ALL YOU'RE GOING TO DO IS GIVE AWAY MONEY?
WHAT HAPPENED? HOW IS THAT A JOB? DO THEY PAY YOU TO DO THAT?
YOU CAN SEE THE WHOLE INTERVIEW ON NEXT WEEK'S LOCAL SHOW THURSDAY NIGHT AT 7:00.
YOU CAN EXPECT AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS SUCCESSOR. IN THE NONPROFIT WORLD, WE GET
LOTS OF FUNDING FROM THE HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION. IF YOU'RE NOT IN THAT WORLD,
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF FOUNDATIONS IN THIS COMMUNITY, JACK? WE ARE FOUNDATION HEAVY AND
ENTREPRENEUR AND VENTURE CAPITAL LIGHT, WHICH IS AN INTERESTING FA
PHENOMENON. THEY GET POLITICAL. THERE IS TURNOVER FOR THAT
REASON. YOU HAVE TO GIVE AWAY MONEY. IF YOU'RE IN A FOUNDATION, YOU
CAN'T JUST SIT ON IT. YOU'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT AT LEAST SOME WAYS TO SPEND IT.
THE MOST CRITICISM YOU HEAR IS THAT KANSAS CITY'S FOUNDATIONS ARE NOT AS AGGRESSIVE AS THEY
MIGHT BE. THE GOOD NEWS IS THEY HAVE HE ENORMOUS RESERVES FOR OTHER
PROJECTS. THAT IS IT FOR OUR WEEK IN REVIEW.
THANKS TO OUR NEWS REVIEWERS. I'M NICK HAINES. FROM ALL OF US HERE AT KCPT,
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