Science Center A Good Deal For All
On Sept. 19, Spokane will decide what kind of commitment it wants to make to its children.
This “great place to raise a family” will have the chance to prove it. Voting for Referendum 95-1 will improve the quality of life for kids, offering them something more than a so-so roller coaster ride or a spin on the Tilt-o-Whirl. Voters can offer kids an education and a lot of fun by approving the city’s plan for a Pacific Science Center in Riverfront Park.
Taxes won’t be raised to support the center, but know up front it will cost money. The city will pay the center $1.6 million over five years for a contract that, among other things, will provide free and reduced admissions to disabled individuals, seniors, students and low-income children. However, supporters estimate the pavilion will lose $2 million in the same time period without the center. If their projections are correct, that means a $400,000 savings.
Science center backers have worked to address concerns raised about the project. Spokane residents have said time and again they don’t want vehicles in their park. The buses that bring children to the center will use only the Howard Street entrance, drop off students, then exit. The trips will be limited to the early morning and an hour in the afternoon - slow times for park use.
People also worried the center might limit use of the ice rink and the IMAX Theater; both attractions will remain, with separate admission prices.
And one of the biggest issues isn’t the center’s to address. The City Council has not followed through on a promise to study the cost of relocating the carnival rides now in the pavilion. The rides are a sentimental favorite for many, providing low-cost entertainment for kids. There’s no reason why they couldn’t be relocated, if the community is willing to support it financially.
The priority, however, should be the science center. Its impact lasts longer than a tuft of cotton candy; children will leave the center with their heads full of ideas and their hearts full of wonder for the miracle of nature. What they learn there will make their schoolwork more relevant, their goals more attainable.
It makes financial sense, too. The pavilion is more than 20 years old; it’s due for extensive renovations, repair and upgrade costing between $2 million and $6 million.
The science center will pay for those repairs, while bringing in a projected $2 million in new tourist dollars and at least 35 new jobs in its first year.
Spokane has always been willing to pay for its parks, to ensure that children and families have a place to go for wholesome entertainment. Supporting the science center takes that commitment a step further, toward the future.
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