News

Officials unveil scaled-down museum plans

Posted July 06, 2007 11:00 pm

JENNIFER DAVIS

Lost in the fuss over scaled-back designs for the proposed Peoria Riverfront Museum are two upcoming hurdles that will decide if the museum group gets to build anything.

First, museum officials must convince the City Council to push back deadlines since they can't meet either a Sept. 30 deadline for construction plans or a Dec. 31 project closing deadline.

Museum officials will make a presentation to the City Council on Tuesday, but no vote is expected until July 24 at the earliest.

Secondly, but more importantly, museum officials should know by October if the gamble they're taking to raise money through the New Market Tax Credit program will pay off.

If not, there's a chance that the regional museum - a collaboration of Lakeview Museum, The Peoria Historical Society, the Peoria Regional Museum Society, the African American Hall of Fame, the Illinois High School Association, The Nature Conservancy and the Heartland Foundation - won't happen.

"The next six months will be make or break for us. It really will be," said Jim Vergon, chairman of Lakeview Museum's board of directors, and a spokesman for the museum group.

To date, the museum has only raised $24.5 million of an estimated $65 million cost. Still, museum officials are counting on the New Market Tax Credits, a U.S. Treasury Department program that rewards investment in community-based projects, to generate $20 million to $25 million. Also, Vergon adds they have "probably over $10 million in asks pending," in the private sector.

"The good news is they haven't said no. Our challenge is to go back to them and lay out how we've dealt with our design issues and get them to sign on," he said.

Scaling Back

The new design - scaled back in size and style - was officially unveiled Friday.

The most obvious change is the loss of the building's most dramatic feature - the metal sphere suspended in the 65-foot glass box, which was the planetarium. Now, the planetarium will be housed in a metal "elliptical cylinder," officials said.

Rising construction costs also mean the loss of 15,778 square feet and the removal of the reflecting pool on the plaza between the museum and the planned Caterpillar Inc. Visitors Center. Still, officials stress that only 6,445 square feet is being lost in "usable space" because of new efficiencies in the design.

"It's still a very, very dynamic plaza," said Jim Richerson, president of Lakeview Museum. "I think we need to focus on what we're gaining."

Brent Lonteen, president of the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, agrees.

"Build it out of glass, stainless steel, plywood - who cares? It's still going to be a family-friendly feature, something that enhances our riverfront," Lonteen said. "I think we need to keep our eye on the ball. It's not like people are going to say, 'I don't like the look of the building, let's not go.'

"I applaud them for living within their means. They're being responsible, and they're still trying to bring greatness to the riverfront."

Still, some wonder if they are being responsible.

Kim Armstrong, a Peoria resident who attended Friday's news conference, questioned their assurances that they can afford to build and operate this new design.

"You've had so many backpedals on this. Perhaps the operational costs should be re-evaluated as well," Armstrong said.

Vergon, who estimated the annual operating budget at $4.2 million compared to Lakeview's current $1.6 million, said they don't anticipate a taxpayer bailout.

"We've spent a lot of time, with the help of Caterpillar, really drilling down into our operating budget," Vergon said. "We feel our budget has really passed a lot of rigor."

An Evolution

Since 1998, when the city bought the two blocks between Main and Liberty streets, there have been numerous proposals for its use. In 2003, the first agreement to build a museum was signed by the City Council. The price tag was $65 million then, but it was a 110,000-square-foot facility scheduled to open in 2007. Caterpillar was going to have a wing.

By 2004, the earth-moving giant had decided to build its own multi-million dollar visitors center next door to the museum, thereby not jeopardizing the museum group's not-for-profit status.

At some point, fundraising stalled. In January 2006, museum officials unveiled the initial renderings.

"We asked ourselves if we should wait another six to nine months (for final cost estimates) but this community had waited a long time so we challenged our architects that the design would fit our budget," Vergon said Friday.

"So, the decision to share our design sooner rather than later was made."

Unfortunately, he added, when the real costs were figured, "our design was simply beyond our ability to afford."

Rather than increase the budget, officials decided to revamp the look - keeping the visitor experience as much the same as possible.

"It remains unique and very, very compelling, I think," Richerson said. "It's a place where we can deliver the Midwest to the world. And with Caterpillar (next door), this is a project with international reach."

Jennifer Davis can be reached at (309) 686-3282 or jdavis@pjstar.com.

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