I was glad, with reservations, to read that Albany's historic Cherry Hill Mansion has received generous pledges of financial support after the Times Union reported on its need to stave off the financial grim reaper — yet again.
Admirable though it is, that largesse is merely a stop-gap measure that does not guarantee preservation of this priceless piece of American history. The generous donors could, like those before them, inadvertently be involved in supporting a money pit.
After decades of erratic management and a failure to create a monetary base with a regular revenue stream, the same crisis will happen again unless a strong financial overseer is found or a strong oversight panel is created.
Short-term fixes of this sort are mere panaceas, particularly in a fiscal era in which long-term funding of historic, artistic and other cultural institutions is problematic, here and across the nation. Only strong, insightful local management can be counted on in the long run.
An individual — or a core working group — with a combination of experience in fiscal business management, oversight of historical societies, and the willingness and understanding to make the tough financial decisions could be the key to putting Cherry Hill on long-term secure footing. Short-term fixes, while briefly gratifying, only postpone disaster. In fact, they tend to leach away from better long-term efforts to put out brush fires.
Couple such expertise with a cadre of caring volunteers and a small, dedicated paid staff that can deal in curatorial work, fund-raising and community outreach and you might make a go of this local treasure.
William M. Dowd
Past President
Albany County
Historical Association, Ten Broeck Mansion