> Confederacy sites cut hours, staffing in budget > squeeze > By Katie Dodd > THE WASHINGTON TIMES > Published August 16, 2006 > > Officials for the Museum of the > Confederacy and the Confederate White > House in Richmond have cut the > landmarks' staff and hours of operation > to save money. > The museum will be closed > Wednesdays between Labor Day and > Memorial Day and will lose about 10 > percent of its staff through attrition. > Also, no White House tours will be > conducted in January and February. > Museum officials yesterday > announced the changes, which are > aimed at reducing budget costs. > "These are hard times for us, but > visitors are still enjoying their > experience here," said Megan Miller, the museum's > public relations > manager. "We are > working really hard to minimize the pain to donors > and constituents." > Officials had expected a $700,000 grant from > Virginia last month, but > instead received a > $50,000 stipend. > What's more, museum visitors have been on the > decline for years. > Located in the heart of the Confederacy's capital, > the museum is surrounded by > construction and new buildings, and is practically > hidden in the > shadow of the Medical > College of Virginia Commonwealth University. > "The museum is landlocked, surrounded by canyons of > concrete and > steel," said Delegate > Bill Janis, Goochland Republican. "The magnitude of > the construction > has caused roads to > be rerouted or closed, making it very difficult for > anyone, > especially a tourist, to even find > the museum." > Mr. Janis served as the chief patron of a study > commission that > sought solutions for the > museum's financial problems. > One option includes moving the museum and the White > House from their > historic site. > "The building has become incompatible with its > environment," Mr. > Janis said. "The > purpose of having the museum on this historical site > has been > obviated by construction. It > cannot survive at its current location." > But moving the landmarks is not a universally > popular option. > Robert Lamb, a former member of the museum board, is > strongly opposed > to the idea. > "Things are tough for the museum, but there are > solutions to keeping > it at the present > site," Mr. Lamb said. "If people would get together > to fix the > dysfunctional street and > parking systems, then they would be fine to stay > where they are." > Open since 1896, the White House served as the > residence of > Confederate President > Jefferson Davis during the Civil War. The museum was > added onto it in 1976. > In addition to the staff and hour cuts, museum > officials have decided > to publish their > quarterly magazine only three times a year and have > discontinued > publishing the annual > academic journal. Dan Hogan [email protected]