[MSN] Critters Force Loudoun Museum Closure

[MSN]

Critters Force Loudoun Museum Closure

By Margaret Morton
(Created: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 4:05 PM EST)

As anyone knows who has had squirrels invade their attic, the resulting
destruction can be significant.

And so it proved for the board of directors and staff at the Loudoun Museum,
who have closed the museum indefinitely after the critters got in the HC-AC
system and chewed through the electrical cables and creating a fire hazard.
The building will not reopen until the Town of Leesburg, which owns the
building, and the museum board work out just what needs to be done and
repairs are made.

Board President Liz Whiting said today the museum evidently had suffered
several invasions of the animals over the years in the roof of the
Oddfellows Hall section of the complex, where the museum's collections are
stored.

It appeared the squirrels had entered the building through holes in the
roof, where electricians found rotting timbers and evidence of entry, as
well as some dead squirrels.

Whiting said the board and Executive Director Karen Quanbeck would not know
the extent of the damage or what repairs would be needed until further
information is received. The town has already made emergency repairs,
rebinding the cables, but it would appear more significant work is needed
before the staff and artifacts can move back. Whiting also is concerned that
until some of the roof timbers, possibly the entire roof, are replaced it is
only a matter of time before another "squirrel invasion" occurs.

"They just come in and out," she said.

The problems were discovered when the museum hired its new education
director, Rick Etter, in December. Etter is a longtime volunteer and history
buff, who is a retired fire marshal from the City of Alexandria. Currently,
the museum has a bookkeeper who comes in once a week, the education
director, curator, museum administrator and a project manager. Trying to
find space for everyone was like "musical chairs," Whiting said.

The library was converted to an office for Quanbeck. To set up that rather
cold space with a computer, lamp and heater, an electrician was sent to
check out the wiring in the attic to make sure it could handle the load.

"He went up last month and told us 'you've got more problems than you
think,'" Whiting said.

The museum is seeking electrical bids for a series of measures, including
encasing the wires in a metal conduit, Whiting said. There are other
problems, including moisture on the north wall of Oddfellows.

Further damage was done from water in the HV-AC system to some of the boxed
collections stored on shelves. Museum Curator Pam Stewart saw water on the
floor and then noticed the boxes above her head were wet.

"Luckily, she found the damage within a half hour," Whiting said, and
removed the boxes to safety. The furniture that was stored in Oddfellows has
been moved downstairs to the main exhibit hall.

The museum's fine art insurers have recommended the artifacts and furniture
be moved out of the building until the town finishes repair to make the
building tight.

With the building effectively closed, the museum is holding programs in the
Log Cabin, just to the east of the main museum building.

"Basically, we're indefinitely closed until it gets sorted out," Whiting
said today, noting she is getting bids from two art movers and looking at
storage options. Whether the museum will have to vacate completely or can
operate on a partially open basis is not yet known.

"We're still assembling information. It's day to day," Whiting said.

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