Accepting a grant that would have to be matched by $30,000 in local money probably wasn’t the best strategy for Watkins Community Museum of History.

The public shouldn’t be too quick to condemn the Douglas County Historical Society for turning down a $20,000 grant from the National Park Service.

On the surface, it may be hard to understand why the society would reject money to help pay for a mural and interactive exhibits at the Watkins Community Museum of History. The exhibit was planned to focus on the Underground Railroad, certainly a worthy topic.

The main problem, however is that the local group would have been required to raise almost $30,000 to pay for the rest of the project. That’s a lot of money for the group, which has been struggling financially. About the only way to raise the money would be to solicit private donations.

The board had a number of factors to consider. If the society could raise $30,000 in donations, would the mural project be the best use of those funds? If that money were raised for the mural, would it have diminished their ability to raise money for other projects?

Some board members were concerned that rejecting the grant might tarnish the image of Lawrence and decrease its chances of being named a National Historical Area, a designation being sought to promote historical tourism here. But a strong museum should be able to set and follow a mission and evaluate grants on the basis of how they contribute to that mission.

It’s an interesting sidelight that the 8-4 vote to reject the grant was cast by secret ballot. The secret ballot seems highly unusual for a volunteer board of a nonprofit entity, but it probably reflects the depth of continuing dissension on the board or members’ fear of criticism that they wouldn’t want their position on this issue to be public.

It’s clear that the historical society’s struggles aren’t over. A new director, Rebecca Phipps, has been hired to replace longtime director Steve Jansen, but she hardly has had time to get her feet on the ground. It’s important that the new director and the historical society board work together to set priorities and a positive direction for the museum.

They need to talk about what missions the museum should attempt to serve and what role it should play both for local residents and visitors from outside our community. When they have created a road map for the museum to follow, they can take that plan to possible donors who might want to support that mission. Rather than jumping at any grant opportunity, they can target their efforts at grants that will provide the greatest benefit for the course they have identified.

The Underground Railroad mural wasn’t a bad project; it just may not have been the best project for the museum to pursue right now. It’s all a matter of priorities, and the community should encourage the historical society board to set strong priorities that will help raise Watkins Museum to the position of prominence it deserves in this community.