The Santa Clara, California, City Council voted unanimously at their meeting on Monday to approve a deal that will move the International Swimming Hall of Fame to the suburb of San Francisco, according to the Times-Herald.
The Hall of Fame had already announced that it plans to hold its 2015 induction in Santa Clara after their lease on the old International Swimming Hall of Fame complex in Ft. Lauderdale expires in March.
The location of the new Hall of Fame is as of yet unfinalized, but the city is planning for a temporary location while it explores a plan to build a new 3-acre International Swim Center, near the current George F. Haines International Swim Center, that would eventually include the Hall of Fame permanently.
Meanwhile, a scaled-back version of the International Swimming Hall of Fame is expected to go in place somewhere, which CEO Bruce Wigo says “(Will) be smaller but it’ll give people a taste of what the Hall of Fame will bring to the city.”
Specifically, the City Council has entered a provision in the agreement that no taxpayer “general-fund” money, which provides services like police and fire protection, can be used for the hall, though the city can reach into its “special uses” fund if other fundraising efforts fall short.
Financial documents included in the City Council’s report include some interesting finds:
- The International Swimming Hall of Fame was able to cut their salary and benefits costs by over $30,000 in 2013, while still increasing their net assets (which do not include the museum’s collection). In total, the ISHOF spent $136,440 less in the 2013 than in the 2012 Fiscal Year
- The audited financial reports shows $380,000 in “Rent and Utilities” for the fiscal year ending 2013. That equates to aproximately $32,000/month.
