Maymont Nature Center is closing on Mondays

By: Will Jones | Times-Dispatch
Published: April 29, 2009

The economy is so rough that even the river otters at Maymont are getting hit with furloughs.

The popular Richmond park has closed its Nature Center on Mondays to reduce expenses in the face of sagging donations and budget cuts.

"It's indefinite at this point," said Norman Burns, executive director of the nonprofit Maymont Foundation, which manages the 100-acre property for the city.

The Nature Center, which doubles as a visitors and information center, had been open on Mondays on a limited basis before it was quietly closed this week.

The exhibits, including tanks stocked with fish, turtles and the entertaining otters, had been open on Mondays only to the park's 2,000 members, but the building was open to the public and offered restrooms and access to the grounds.

The exhibits are now open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. School groups that have scheduled Monday tours and classes are unaffected by the closing, officials said.

The foundation also has shut down entirely the park's gift shop, eliminated one filled full-time position, put a freeze on hiring and ordered its staff to take three furlough days by the end of June.

"For a free-admission park like Maymont, this is a very tough time," Burns said.

The park's $3.6 million annual budget has been trimmed by 10 percent, and officials are bracing for further cuts in the fiscal year that will begin July 1.

Mayor Dwight C. Jones' proposed budget includes $320,000 for Maymont, a reduction of $80,000 from this year. The city's contribution represents about 11 percent of Maymont's overall budget, which also is supported by donations from individuals, foundations and corporations, as well as contributions from Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties.

"We're expecting those [local-government contributions] to be down next year in addition to Richmond's," said Cathie Rosenberg, Maymont's director of marketing.

The City Council is considering an additional $60,000 for Maymont as part of its budget amendments. Councilman E. Martin Jewell said the city needs to do all it can because Maymont is a city park that's only being managed privately.

"That's the closest thing to Disneyland that Richmond has," he added.

More public funding would help but is unlikely to address all of the needs, Burns said.

In the light of the fiscal pinch, Maymont officials have stepped up their plea for donations from the park's estimated half-million annual visitors. Prominent signs placed recently at two entrances encourage contributions of $4 per person to offset costs.

"We need everyone -- people who've used Maymont for free in the past -- to understand we need help," Burns said.

Annette McKelvey, who toured the Nature Center yesterday while chaperoning a group of third-graders from Maybeury Elementary School in Henrico, said she noticed the appeal for donations.

"Four dollars -- it seems like a lot, but it's not," she said.

Thurman Brickhouse, who lives in Henrico, said he sympathizes with the park's plight. He was visiting the Children's Farm with his 3-year-old granddaughter, Cara, who was enamored by the goats.

"They have to do what they have to do," he said. "Everybody's having to cut back. I'm glad it's open as much as it is. Overall, I think, they do a nice job."

Burns said Maymont's struggles come as the park is experiencing an increase in visitation that coincided with the economy's downturn last fall.

"All I can tell you is people are using it more than ever as a way to get away from the pressures of the world."

Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or wjones@timesdispatch.com.