City Council splits 3-2 on lease for Children’s Museum land

Published 8:32 pm Tuesday, November 15, 2016

By a 3-2 vote Tuesday night, the Meridian City Council authorized a partial land lease assignment at Bonita Lakes Park to the Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian for the purpose of constructing a children’s museum. 

The council approved leasing six acres for the project to be built on 16th Section land. The proposed location is toward the front end of Bonita Lakes Park and between the restrooms and caretaker’s house near Willow Ridge Road.

Project officials have said they explored more than a dozen sites in and around the city, but concluded Bonita Lakes Park was the ideal location. 

The $12 million project is patterned after the popular children’s museum in Jackson. Meridian is projected to be the first satellite museum. The Lauderdale County School Board recently approved the assignment to the MCM-Meridian of the land from the city. The school district will be responsible for leasing the land to the museum.

The next step for MCM-M will be to negotiate the lease with the school district and then seek approval from the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors.

Council members Randy Hammon and Barbara Henson voted against the proposal.

“The MCM-M never got anybody else’s opinion on this,” Hammon said. “They left out opinions of seniors, single adults and couples with children. This is all about people with kids. Not that a children’s museum is a bad thing. I agree with the Children’s Museum, but I don’t agree with the way it was done. This is the only natural habitat we have left in Meridian, Mississippi. Do you realize we’re setting a precedent here?”

Officials with MCM-M project a 20,000 square foot facility to open in 2020. They have said it will take $695,000 per year to operate the museum.

MCM-Meridian projects annual revenue of $508,000, which will come from regular gate admissions, field trips, memberships, facility rentals, retail and food sales. MCM-Meridian projects it will need to earn $187,000 through development activities, which will include a planned endowment that is part of the capital campaign, special events, educational grant writing, education program sponsorships and an annual campaign.

Henson voiced caution in explaining her opposition.

“I think we should consider the matter more. I do not think we need to move so fast and figure out how much they need to fund it and find another place,” Henson said. 

MCM-M Chairwoman Kimberly Denison attended the meeting but did not address the council, but concerned citizens Duffee Williams and Peg Wahrendorff voiced their opposition to the project’s proposed location.

“Bonita Lakes is a unique natural area. We had a mayor develop the green space with horse trails, walking trails and bathrooms installed without affecting the natural beauty of the park,” Williams said. It’s more like walking in a national park. You have the colors of the leaves like the Smoky Mountains. I think its an area deserving of our protection. I’m asking you to consider this action. I think we should look at all issues involved and might reconsider.”

Wahrendorff presented four main reasons for opposing the location.

“The No. 1 reason opposing the site is it sets a dangerous precedent for the city in its management of this irreplaceable tract of land. And it is happening without a public hearing to allow citizens for citizens’ questions or input. By agreeing to this group’s proposal, I feat it will become harder to turn down future requests,” Wahrendorff said.

“Bonita Lakes has a large following of individuals and groups who have come to treasure it for what it offers, just as it is. It has become the people’s park for citizens of Meridian, Lauderdale County and surrounding areas,” Wahrendorff  said. “It is a destination just as it is. I think it is going to be shocking to many users of Bonita when they see a 6-acre area clear cut. Six acres may not sound like much in some people’s minds, but it is an area about the size of five football fields. When it is cleared, paved and fenced, a vastly different picture will emerge.

“There are other areas of Meridian that could benefit from the location of the Children’s Museum,” Wahrendorff said. “There is nothing particular to the museum’s purpose and mission that requires it to be located at Bonita. If located in or near downtown, it would be an enhancement to the developing Arts District and would aid in making downtown Meridian a destination for visitors.

“There are often unforeseen circumstances that follow any well-intended endeavor,” Wahrendorff said, wrapping up. “At Bonita Lakes, such consequences can be irreversible and costly.”

According to the Memorandum of Understanding between the facility and city, if construction has not begun within two years from Nov. 17, 2016, the property will revert back to the city of Meridian.