Sep 18, 2007
Children's Museum eyes Thea Foss spot
Jason Hagey; The News Tribune
The Children's Museum of Tacoma wants to build a 25,000 square-foot building as part of a planned park on the east side of the Thea Foss Waterway, but not everyone likes the idea.
The museum, currently located in an approximately 4,000-square-foot space at 936 Broadway, has been planning for years to expand, executive director Tanya Andrews said. Museum officials considered several locations throughout Pierce County, but decided they wanted to remain downtown.
The planned waterway park would give the children's museum a prominent home in the heart of downtown, near the city's other museums, Andrews said. Eventually, Andrews envisions an outdoor children's play area, in addition to a two-story museum building. "There really is no gathering spot for families in our county's urban core," she said.
But environmental groups and some property owners in the nearby Dome District say the land being eyed by the museum was purchased with money set aside for preservation of open space, and it should remain open. Opponents want the Foss Waterway Development Authority, the owner of the property, to find a different location for a new children's museum.
The Foss board is scheduled to hear a presentation of the children's museum proposal at its meeting Wednesday. A public hearing on Waterway Park also is on the agenda.
The approximately 3-acre parcel at the head of the Thea Foss Waterway was purchased with money from Pierce County's Conservation Futures Program. Property owners pay a tax of 5 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to the fund the program, which is aimed at buying land to shield it from development.
Don Meyer, executive director of the Foss Waterway Development Authority, said there has been some effort to find property that could substitute as open space for the square-footage the museum might occupy, but he said no decisions have been made. The board will consider a variety of issues before making a decision, he said, including legal and environmental obligations. Part of the property is contaminated, Meyer said.
Opponents of the museum plan not only want the property to remain open, but they also accuse the City of Tacoma, Pierce County, Metro Parks and the Foss board of working behind the scenes on the museum plan.
The group Citizens for a Healthy Bay gave Foss officials a draft of a letter to Mayor Bill Baarsma objecting to the museum plan and complaining about the failure to include the public in the talks.
Todd Silver, a rower, urged Foss officials to preserve the space for water-dependent use, including kayakers, canoers, rowers, dragon boaters and outriggers. "The waterway's namesake started it all by renting rowboats a hundred years ago and now we have an opportunity to continue that legacy rather than turn it simply into another building site," Silver wrote in an e-mail.
Tacoma City Councilman Bill Evans is a strong supporter of the museum's proposal. His experience visiting Tacoma classrooms over the years has shown that few children realize they live in a seaport city. He's excited about the potential for learning that could come from a museum along the water.
"Oh wow, this is just something that has to happen," Evans said. "This is as important as a glass museum."
As for protecting open space, Evans said, "We do live in an urban environment. It's not the same as the foothills of Rainier."
The Children's Museum of Tacoma began in 1985. It has been in its current location since 1997. Last year, it served 37,000 children and adults, Andrews said. A capital campaign for a new building has raised $1.6 million to date, she said. The cost of a new building is estimated at $12 million to $15 million.
Foss Waterway Development Authority
What: Board of directors public meeting
When: 4 p.m. Wednesday
Where: 525 E. Dock St., Suite 204
Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542
jason.hagey@thenewstribune.com
The News Tribune
1950 South State Street, Tacoma, Washington 98405 253-597-8742
© Copyright 2007 Tacoma News, Inc. A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company
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