Opinion

Transfer of Museo Alameda to A&M is a positive step

City Council acted in the best interests of taxpayers and the mission of the Museo Alameda when it approved the transfer of the troubled museum's operations to Texas A&M University-San Antonio. The nonprofit that has run Museo Alameda since it was formed will vacate the Market Square building that houses it by the end of September. The university hopes to move in on Nov. 1.

The museum serves a critical role highlighting the history of Latino arts and culture. It has the possibility of becoming a nationally recognized repository. Yet despite a glitzy grand opening in 2007 and a coveted affiliation with the Smithsonian Institution, Museo Alameda has been plagued with financial problems.

Those problems affected staffing and programming at the museum. They also created a drain on public funding and siphoned scarce dollars in the cultural arts budget away from arts organizations that met higher standards for city support.

In 2010, the city approved a $450,000 bailout to keep the museum in operation. That was in addition to $359,000 Museo Alameda received in cultural arts funding for the same two-year budget cycle.

The university, with the support of the Texas A&M System, is committed to realizing the museum's potential. Under the deal, the city has committed to fund $150,000 for programming for the next three years.

The city also will still spend as much as $305,000 annually for security and maintenance of the building. After the initial three-year period, the university has proposed assuming these costs. That's a proposition that city leaders should facilitate.