BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) – The Bennington Museum, faced with declining attendance, has laid off three of its 15 employees.

On Monday, museum officials laid off employees in the marketing office, the museum shop and the maintenance department.

The employees had worked for the museum a combined 10 years and represented one fifth of the 15-person work force.

Executive Director Richard Borges said the employees were given a generous severance package, but he declined to elaborate.

He said he couldn’t say how much money the museum is saving by having let the employees go because the cuts also incorporate changes in other areas of the museum.

The remaining dozen employees will assume the duties of the three employees and Borges said he doesn’t consider the changes “catastrophic.”

“We felt that before we got into more financial trouble, we had to take that action,” he said, adding there were no other layoffs planned.

In the last two years, the nonprofit museum off Main Street has posted annual deficits of more than $200,000 and has been struggling to maintain attendance, which is down around 15 percent from 2003.

Museum officials have been reaching out to the community in recent months for help in generating ideas about how they might better serve visitors through exhibits, programs and other ventures. They have also been weighing staff cuts and reduced hours.

At a public forum on Nov. 11 attended by about 50 people, community members suggested the museum, which was established in 1928, may need to offer more entertainment and focus on local living artists.

In response, Borges said museum officials have decided to create a new children’s center at the Grandma Moses Schoolhouse at the museum. The building houses exhibitions recording the life and achievements of the artist.

The Bennington Museum is open seven days a week, 362 days a year. A reduction of hours is possible.

“There are things that are being discussed,” said Board Chairman Bruce Putnam. “Everything is on the table.”

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AP-ES-12-05-04 1301EST