Looking for what savings he can find in this ongoing time of "fiscal crisis" in Nassau County, Comptroller Fred Parola has called for the county legislature to modify its contract with the Nassau County Museum of Art, an act that would result in total privatization of all museum operations.

The current contract between the county and the museum allows for a free lease for the museum, which is located in Roslyn Harbor. The lease, Mr. Parola noted, is scheduled to remain in effect for the next 79 years.

In addition to privatization, Mr. Parola now urges the development of a strategic plan that would maximize "the cultural benefit of this magnificent and unique site for present and future...generations" of Nassau County residents.

The comptroller made his comments at a Thursday, Dec. 28 press conference at the Nassau County Supreme Court building. Officials with the Nassau County Museum of Art intend to respond to Mr. Parola's findings and comments with a comprehensive statement of their own, the contents of which will be published in a future edition of The Roslyn News.

From 1997-99, Mr. Parola's office conducted an audit of the museum. Mr. Parola said the audit revealed that the current agreement would cost taxpayers anywhere from $136 to $150 million "into the future." Under the current agreement, the county pays for museum utilities, security, building maintenance and repairs, grounds maintenance and capital improvements. The comptrollers' office audit for the years 1997 and 1998 found that the county's costs in such areas added up to more than $700,000.

Mr. Parola also said that additional construction and land improvement costs will "add up to an astounding amount of money that...taxpayers will have to fund." The lease, he added, "requires the county to make improvements to the building, so that the museum can become accredited." Mr. Parola maintained those costs would include $4 million for new construction for museum expansion-an item that has already been approved by the legislature, plus $1.4 million for site improvements. In all, Mr. Parola concluded that county taxpayers "cannot afford [the] agreement" between the county and the museum.

At his press conference, Mr. Parola also said that when the use of the museum property was transferred to the county, the New York State Assembly never approved of the passage of ownership. He called on County Executive Thomas Gulotta and the Nassau County Legislature to submit the property to Albany for such approval.

While praising the volunteers who served on the museum's Board of Trustees, Mr. Parola added that in his experiences in auditing such entities, they "tend to become proprietary in their interests," something he claimed has happened to the museum's current board. He also used such adjectives as "isolated" and "insulated" to describe the current mind-set of the museum board. Mr. Parola said the board "needs to be reconfigured" into a board that has more regional diversity among its members and is also one that includes professional managers.

Concerning the use of expenses, Mr. Parola said the audit showed "no evidence of impropriety," just some "shoddiness" in the museum's spending documentations and oversight work. Mr. Parola cited certain "town car" uses, birthday parties, dinner accounts, gifts, and entertainment bills as what he deemed to be unnecessary spending by museum board members.

Before making results of the audit public, Mr. Parola's office contacted the museum's attorney for a response. The attorney's response, according to Mr. Parola, was that such "unresolved issues" were "unintentional errors" and "isolated incidents."