State museums to expand days of operation

By Cy Ryan

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 | 6:07 p.m.

Nevada’s state museums, hit hard during the recession, will be back to full strength and will be open at least one additional day a week come July 1.

The budget committees of the Legislature Tuesday accepted the recommendation of Gov. Brian Sandoval to restore employees who have been working 32 hours a week to 40 hours.

Peter Barton, director of state museums, said the entrance fees will remain the same but more revenue is expected to be collected due to the extended days.

Barton said the museums received lots of complaints from visitors who sought to visit the museums only to find them closed.

For instance, the state museum in Carson City has been open only four days a week since July 2009. It now will be operating six days a week Tuesday through Sunday. It is housed in the U.S. Mint Building and is the largest of the state museums.

The Sandoval budget recommends 17 positions working 32 hours a week be restored to the 40 hours at the state museum in Las Vegas. The museum is operated in conjunction with the Las Vegas Springs Preserve and has artifacts, specimens and historical documents of Southern Nevada.

The Lost City Museum in Overton, which houses collections of Native American and Moapa Valley history, will go to seven days of operation. It has activities such as archaeological digs, pottery workshops and educational programs.

Barton said it will take a long time for the museums to attract the number of visitors it lost due to the cutback in operating hours. But he’s happy the Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee approved the budgets.