PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia City Council members grilled a Drexel University official at a hearing Monday about the closing of the Academy of Natural Sciences. They also threatened to subpoena the Parker administration to testify about the closing.
The council committee heard contradictory testimony about the academy’s financial situation. Drexel’s representative, Melissa Richman, said the academy’s public programs cost almost $8 million but brought in only $3 million.
The academy’s board president said the museum budget was $3.6 million while revenue was $2.7 million — a difference of less than $1 million.
The revelation surprised the district’s councilman Jeffrey Young, who suggested the city could have helped.
“We have a $7 billion budget, and we contribute millions of dollars to other cultural institutions in the city. I think that’s something that was very, very doable.”
Young was also angry that the Parker administration, at the last minute, declined to send someone to answer questions, dramatically ripping up written testimony.
“This is what I think of this testimony [ripping sound]. This is crap. We’re going to be issuing subpoenas to talk to these folks, because why aren’t you here?”
The hearing did not develop a plan to reopen the Academy museum but made it clear there were many options for doing so that Drexel failed to pursue.
