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Long-running debt leads to a crossroads for Salt Lake City’s Leonardo museum: figure out financial problems or ‘you have to burn Rome to build it again’

The nonprofit science and technology museum on Salt Lake City’s Library Square faces an uncertain future after years of struggling to pay its debts, with some wondering whether the best option now is closure.

The Leonardo owes as much as $3.5 million to Salt Lake City and the museum’s board and staff members, leaving some to argue that past financial choices put in doubt whether it’s capable of climbing out of a deep financial hole.

“The problem is that the debt is such a problem for the organization that again you have to burn Rome to build it again,” said Diane Stewart, who until last week was a member of the group’s board.