Effective April 1, 2013, the Western Development Museum's (WDM) four exhibit locations in Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Saskatoon, and Yorkton are reopen on Mondays throughout the year, with the exception of January, February and March.
Last spring, the WDM announced that it would close Mondays in an effort to maintain a balanced budget. This cost-savings measure, along with several other initiatives, succeeded in addressing the Museum's budget shortfall. As of the end of this fiscal year (March 31st), the WDM will have managed to absorb costs associated with inflation and eliminate its deficit.
Because we've cut our expenditures, we're no longer facing a deficit," says Joan Champ, the Museum's Executive Director. "Our organization will be in the black at the end of this fiscal year."
The WDM recently conducted a thorough analysis of the impact that the Monday closures had on its operations since last spring. The Museum concluded that, while it saved money by closing Mondays, it probably also missed out on revenue from admissions, gift shop sales and food services. Museum management has no way of knowing whether or not visitors who would have come on Mondays came on another day of the week instead.
"We made the decision to reopen Mondays based on the best interests of both the WDM and its visitors - especially school children," said Champ. "The balance between what the Museum saved by cutting its hours of operation and what it potentially lost in revenue is close to 50/50. In the end, we decided that maintaining a high standard of programming and services for our visitors is most important."
In the coming fiscal year (2013-2014), the WDM will continue to address its budgetary constraints through a variety of measures outlined in its new business plan. These will include cost-saving measures, as well as several new initiatives designed to increase the Museum's self-generated revenue.
"The Museum is grateful for the support that people continue to demonstrate by coming through our doors," Champ says. "Every admission counts towards keeping the WDM vibrant and healthy."
