Dolan: What About The Museum?

Mike Dolan (RE: Carousel prompts Mullan work ): The Museum of North Idaho has many of the same issues as the Carousel does as far as needing a site in order to raise money for a new facility. There was no mention of the MNI nor rush to negotiate a lease agreement for their facility needs. And in my mind, it is a more pressing need than the Carousel. Nastalgic as it may be to its many supporters, the Carousel is an historic artifact unique to Coeur d Alene; therefore, it should be under the perview of the Museum from a preservationists perspective. From a revenue generating perspective, it is a dubious endeavor at best even with subsidies, and I don’t feel that the Carousel should get the advantage of the ball field and its restaurant before the MNI because the Museum has a broader community mission rather than just a ride for the kids. It would make sense to conjoin the two interests and develop a unified plan to raise money for them together, rather than having competing interests both in the city’s plan and in the campaigns for public funding.

Question: Should the city address the needs of the Museum of North Idaho, along with those of Carousel?