Your turn

By CATHY BURWELL

If you have been reading the IR and watching the news, you are well aware that there is disagreement in where the proposed new museum for the Montana History Center will be located. As you may have ascertained, there is information that has not been readily available that has caused the Chamber to pursue its strong stance that the appropriate site is the Capital Hill Mall property.

The Chamber has thoroughly reviewed plans being proposed by the Capitol Complex Advisory Council, and the following concerns lead us to believe the site pursued near the Capitol is not the appropriate site, not only for Helena, but for all of Montana.

-- A new 55,000 square-foot building across the street from the current museum is not adequate and will not address the extensive and world class Scriver Collection space needs, nor will it allow space for future acquisitions such as one currently being negotiated on for an extensive Native American collection. (These large collections need to be displayed as collections, not a few pieces at a time.) The museum's stated space needs when funding was secured at the 2005 Legislature was 200,000 square feet.

-- The parking plan as described is inadequate and unrealistic. The limited additional space numbers do not address current or future needs, nor accessibility for large vehicles such as tour buses, RVs, or school buses. Parking is already lacking for state employees, which is compounded during the legislative session. The Cody, Wyo., museum currently has 300 parking spaces, and is expanding to meet needs. The streets surrounding the planned area are not wide enough to safely allow for motor homes, RV's, tour buses, or school buses. The projected growth of state government is 23 percent over the next few years -- where will these workers park?

-- Before a plan is adopted, funded, and built, great care needs to be taken to explore the pros and cons of all possible locations for the expansion of, or the construction of a new museum, in particular the Capital Hill Mall site, the Chamber's location of choice. We also believe the Forest Service property near where the Scriver Collection is currently stored could be considered.

-- Montanans deserve a world-class museum of the stature of such museums as the Cody, Wyo., museum that will adequately and appropriately display our many wonderful and unique pieces of art, artifacts, and historical items. This type of museum is also a strong economic development benefit for Montana. If done properly, it would become a destination for tourists. All of Montana would benefit when visitors traveled to the Capital City through their cities.

-- The Capitol complex is in great need of expansion for state government offices, and adding the Capital Hill Mall property is an ideal nearby property that would enhance and expand the complex to be a cohesive unit. The mall property has also been identified in the state's proposed long-range plan. Why not purchase the mall property now when it is less expensive and available?

-- We are concerned that the $7.5 million approved by the Legislature was for the MHS to purchase the mall property, not for other locations or proposals. One hundred forty-four of the 150 legislators supported and voted for this bill with the understanding from all testimony that this funding was to purchase the mall.

-- It appears that this proposal doesn't take into consideration that state government is only paying $7.5 million of the $40+ million project, and the remainder is to be raised from private funds. It would appear that the majority funding (private dollars) should have a say in the location, size, and makeup of the new facility.

-- For those who just don't want to lose the mall, the reality is that the mall will either relocate or simply disappear, regardless of whether the state buys it or not. There are some substantial financial obligations which cause immediate need for this offer. This would be not only devastating to the mall and the state (in losing the option to buy the mall at affordable costs), it could lose precious dollars for the Intermountain Children's Home, which owns a portion of the land.

-- The proposal to place the museum near the Capitol, when compared to locating at the mall, failed to factor in the cost benefit of the current building. If the MHS moved to the mall property, the vacated building is 90,000 sq. ft. which is worth $15-20 million dollars if built new. There simply IS NOT a huge difference in cost to go to the mall, just a world of difference in the ability to actually build an adequate and sufficient, WORLD CLASS museum that all of Montana can be proud to leave as a heritage for generations of Montanans to come!

If you have opinions regarding this proposal, we would encourage you to send letters to Janet Kelley, Department of Administration, who will make the final decision on placement of the museum. Please express to her the importance of doing the will of the Legislature, the will of the Capitol Complex Advisory Council, and what is RIGHT for Montana -- let's unite to build a museum we all can be proud of! E-mails can be sent to: sherylolson@mt.gov.

CATHY BURWELL is president/CEO of the Helena Area Chamber of Commerce.