SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Leonardo art and science museum faces possible eviction if it doesn’t cover payment for nearly $400,000 in unpaid utility bills, city officials said this week.
The mayor’s office sent a notice of default to museum staff last month listing the city’s grievances, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Among them are utility fees at least six months past due. Another is safety-related maintenance problems like a broken window above a children’s play area and a check of sprinkler systems.
The newspaper obtained the letter through a public records request.
Kristian Anderson, senior adviser for arts and culture in the mayor’s office, said city wants to find a payment plan rather than force the museum out.
“That is a possibility,” said Anderson about eviction, “but we hope it doesn’t get to that.”
The Leonardo called the city’s characterizations “disappointing and disingenuous.” The museum asserted that it proposed a repayment plan, provided extensive paperwork throughout negotiations and even delivered two checks that were never cashed.
Lisa Davis, who sits on the museum’s board of directors, said she thinks the city wants the nonprofit out of the building.
“This isn’t really about just paying back utilities,” Davis said. “If it were, I’m absolutely confident we’d have an agreement.”
The two parties had a repayment plan in place for the overdue utility bills in October 2017. The Leonardo would stay on top of its bills while repaying the past-due ones in monthly $1,000 increments, according to the notice. The city alleges that the museum only sent in a handful of checks. But officials still tried to be flexible by pushing the deadline for collection of the late bills to December 2018.
Meanwhile, The Leonardo sent over its own notice of default over a leaky roof. Museum representatives claim there is more than $1 million in damages and it’s the city’s responsibility. Whether or not the city tried to repair it is another point of contention.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
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