The community-run Hall Museum will step up its fight on Tuesday against the ACT Government's plan to charge rent for using an abandoned school site.
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The Village of Hall and District Progress Association believes the rent could be as high as $90,000 a year, a claim that has previously been dismissed by Chief Minister Andrew Barr.
The association was drafting a business plan at a meeting on Monday evening, to bolster its view that only a peppercorn rent should be charged to a community organisation that is maintaining formerly derelict buildings.
The museum, which staged an emotive Anzac Day display, is in danger of closing if the government insists on rent based on a user-pay policy.
The crisis has erupted for the museum because control of disused government buildings has changed to the Economic Directorate, which has a user-pay policy.
Mr Barr said in April it was not sustainable or equitable for the groups to have no lease, pay no rent, and not pay for the utilities they used or the upkeep of the grounds or buildings.
On Monday he said the ACT Property Group recently met with the Hall Progress Association and discussions had been very positive.
"The group recognises there is a level of inequity in the current rental agreement with the ACT Government," he said.
"The Hall Progress Association have been asked to prepare a proposal for a rental agreement they believe is fair, which the Property Group is currently awaiting.
"Once this is received, negotiations will continue and we hope a resolution will be reached in the near future."
The groups using the site - the progress association, Hall Rotary Club and the men's shed - want Mr Barr to use his discretion to waive the rent.
The school was closed in 2006 and the buildings were used to store surplus furniture until a handshake agreement with the progress association allowed the museum to operate.
Museum co-ordinator Phil Robson said each of the groups using the site were not-for-profit bodies that operated for the benefit of the community.
"We questioned the costings and said we couldn't possibly afford the rental they were asking," he said.
"They asked us to submit a business plan on what we could afford to do if we reduced our footprint on the site.
"We have a number of exhibitions running in various buildings, so yes, we could reduce the foot print but the fact is, we don't raise anywhere near enough money each year.
"With donations and fund raising, we raise about $2500 to $3000 each year - that wouldn't pay for half a toilet block [at the proposed rent of] $128 a square metre per annum."
