Mold, fungus keep Florida Adventure museum closed

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08/05/02

Mold, fungus keep museum closed

PUNTA GORDA -- Museum-goers will have to wait a little while before visiting

the Florida Adventure Museum and its exhibits.

Lori Tomlinson, executive director of the Florida Adventure Museum said for

" some time now, " water has been seeping into the building located at 260 W.

Retta Esplanade in Punta Gorda, causing environmental factors associated

with damp conditions to become a nuisance to staff and visitors.

" We have a lot of fungal growth, " Tomlinson said. " Mold and mildew have

become a problem and we have had to shut the building down until a plan is

formulated and accepted by the city because they own the building. "

A plan will be discussed by the middle or end of next week as to a course of

action for the building, she said.

" We don't know exactly what will have to be done, " she continued. " Whether

it will involve tearing out the carpet and ceiling tiles or what they will

have to do to get the this out of the air; we just don't know yet. We will

have to wait on the report for recommendations. "

However, the staff has acquired office space to perform day-to-day office

functions at 210 Wood St. in Punta Gorda.

" Beginning on Monday, the main number -- 639-3777 -- will roll over to our

temporary location, " she said. " We will not have any exhibits scheduled

until we clean up our existing building. "

The good news for the museum is that no artifacts or exhibits were damaged

as a result of the water damage.

" We were extremely fortunate that we didn't lose any artifacts, " she said.

The Florida Adventure Museum began as a youth museum in 1969 depicting

culture and history and is a private, nonprofit organization, operated by

the Museum Society, Inc. under its board of directors. The museum staff is

assisted by a volunteer pool of more than 250 households, including teen

volunteers.

The museum's mission is " to create an environment in which visitors of all

ages may explore and appreciate the history, culture, and natural

surroundings of Charlotte County and its interrelationship with Florida and

the United States. " The main exhibit changes every 10 to 12 weeks, offering

a variety of experiences for Florida residents and tourists alike. The

Museum also features a permanent Local History Exhibit and the Florida

Military Heritage Exhibit.

In addition, Florida Adventure Museum sponsors a wide range of educational

and outreach programs and special events, including speaking engagements at

area clubs and schools, booths at area events and festivals, off-site

exhibits about Florida, " free " days at the museum, summer programs for

children and families, and our annual Florida Frontier Days festival.

" We will announce our reopening through the media and, of course, our

message board on the side of the building, " she said.

For more information contact the museum at museum@... or call

639-3777.

You can e-mail Jann Falkenstern at jann@...

By JANN FALKENSTERN

Senior Writer