COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho – The Museum of North Idaho was forced to move to a new location because of a black mold issue.
You often notice their current building on your drive to downtown Coeur d’Alene near the resort. That location is currently closed and they’re now in a temporary building on 4th St. before moving to their permanent spot near city hall.
On Monday garbage cans sat inside the old museum catching any water leaking from the roof. The building looked more like an abandoned display case of history.
“After getting it checked out, we found we had mold. Obviously it is unsafe for us and our volunteers to work in,” Annette Molting, the development director for the Museum of North Idaho said.
Eventually, they’ll move to the historic JC White House near city hall.
“We need people who can move bookcases, display cases, boxes of books.”
Thankfully they found those people, but the work continues. The nonprofit is holding a gala to raise money for operations and this big move.
“Fundraising is always difficult in general. An election year, which is a little bit spicy. Mixed with that. Mixed with concerns about the economy,” Molting said.
“The economy is very mixed and it’s very complicated,” Steven Peterson, an associate clinical professor of economics at the University of Idaho said.
“Visitation and tourism numbers are still not back to where they were before the pandemic,” Peterson said.
Peterson said the future of nonprofits is unclear, but numbers indicate that giving is heading back on track.
“I think the overall level of giving, if it’s not on its current track, it will return, but individual nonprofits and individual sectors can be adversely affected,” Peterson said.
