The City of Olympia is encouraging community members to participate in a public hearing on a proposed bond issuance of up to $25 million to support the expansion of the Hands On Children’s Museum.
The Olympia City Council will open the public hearing at its meeting on Tuesday, July 8, at 6 p.m. The hearing will be held in the council chambers at Olympia City Hall, 610 4th Ave. E.
Community members can also attend virtually. To participate online, residents must register via Zoom.
On June 17, the council approved a funding strategy that includes a $20.5 million bond sale to help finance the museum’s expansion.
The proposed plan would allow the city to issue one or more series of tax-exempt bonds over the next three years to cover the project’s costs, including design, construction and development.
The project site is located at 414 Jefferson St. NE, in downtown Olympia. The expanded facility would remain owned by the city and primarily operated by the Hands On Children’s Museum, a Washington nonprofit corporation. The city may also designate some or all of the bonds as “qualified 501(c)(3) bonds” under the Internal Revenue Code.
The expansion project is in response to rising demand. According to Children's Museum Executive Director Patty Belmonte, the museum currently serves more than 315,000 visitors annually and has outgrown its 28,000-square-foot facility. She cited overcrowding, insufficient restroom facilities, and limited program flexibility among the challenges.
The expansion plan includes an additional 15,000 square feet of space, new exhibit galleries, culinary classrooms for children, expanded parking, improved show safety and storage, and a new entrance and lobby.
Written comments submitted before the hearing may be directed to the City of Olympia at 401 Union St., Suite 1600, Seattle, Washington, 98101 with the following designation — Attention: Deanna Gregory, Pacifica Law Group.
For more information, contact Assistant City Manager Debbie Sullivan at 360-753-8499. People requiring accommodations should reach out to Susan Grisham at 360-753-8244 or email at sgrisham@ci.olympia.wa.us at least 48 hours in advance.
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JnNwmn
If the Hands On Children Museum is such a draw to a large geographic area, why is the City of Olympia using its
bonding ability to pay for improvements? Why can't the HOCM look for grants from the state? These City bonds will limit the city's ability to fund low income housing projects. All property owners and renters are demanding City Council action
to work on housing. $25 million dollars could be used to help solve housing issues.
Tuesday, July 1 Report this
HarryBranch
According to the 1991 Action Plan for Budd Inlet the location of the Hands On Children's Museum has unrealized potential. According to letters back and forth from various agents:
"Planning for the future development of the urban waterfront should include enhancement of water quality and aquatic habitat as key elements. Future plans for the overall development of the waterfront should provide for protection and enhancement of water quality and aquatic habitat."
"A related concern is that of Clean Water Act Section 404. Fill material on the southeast portion of the Port peninsula (location of the HOCM) was only to be developed for water dependent uses." Options being discussed included "measures to improve in-water habitat within the East Bay of Budd Inlet." (not to be)
Areas of fill like the location of the HOCM should be reserved for water dependent uses instead of "non-water dependent purposes (e.g., Olympic Academy, restaurants, etc.)... Since impacts to fish and wildlife resources resulting from the project have already occurred, the Service is now primarily concerned with preventing further losses."
The sampling in East Bay indicates that there's an area of dioxin and PCB contamination in the nearshore adjoining the HOCM. The next step in the process is going to be to determine the nature and extent of the contamination. There's a good chance the land in question is the source. In situations like this anyone who has ever owned, rented or done business on a contaminated parcel becomes a potentially liable party (PLP). Teams of lawyers sit around a big table figuring out who owes what. Buying the land gives the City a seat at the table.
East Bay has the poorest water quality in Budd Inlet. The best and perhaps only way to restore chemical parameters like dissolved oxygen is going to be to restore some physical parameters, especially salt marsh and tide flats. Yet somehow whenever the subject of East Bay comes up, restoration is NEVER mentioned. It's all about what we can get away with. It's a shame. Even if all we care about is money, there's great value in nature. The city could do so much more with $25,000,000.
Tuesday, July 1 Report this
northbeachcomm
July 2; The City of Olympia is proposing the use of Bonds to fund the "Hands on Children" museum expansion. This is wrong. This museum has its own funding sources, it does not need the City to provide these funds. The amount listed is Twenty-five million dollars. That is a lot of money. The tax payers of the City of Olympia should not have to pay for this, it will increase the debt for the City by a huge amount. Why should future generations pay for this museum expansion? They should not have to pay, if the museum cannot find it's own funding, then this expansion should be delayed!
The museum currently sits near the Port of Olympia isthmus, the peninsula. That peninsula has a problem with historic toxic pollution. In the past decades, the "Cascade Pole" facility was located on the peninsula. It caused huge pollution problems because it treated the poles with a highly toxic chemical that causes cancer. There is also high levels of dioxin in the soil around the museum. The museum says "this will be OK", they will "take care" of this problem. Many of us do not trust this process, many of us are doubtful, many of us do not want to use $25 mil. of our taxes for this mistake! Please email the Oly. City council; say "NO" to this bonding effort! council@ci.olympia.wa.us; jburney@ci.olympia.wa.us
Wednesday, July 2 Report this
BillString
We have to save that money for an giant glass invisible spiral staircase statue that goes nowhere! It will be titled "Where your tax dollars go".
Wednesday, July 2 Report this
Boatyarddog
Aww @Bstring your such a DebbieDowner.
Wednesday, July 2 Report this