Museum proposal moves forward
County plans to provide $45M to support project to replace old building
Milwaukee County would provide $45 million to help finance Milwaukee Public Museum's new building, part of the museum's planned transformation which replaces a deteriorating facility, under a proposal endorsed Tuesday.
The County Board's Finance and Parks, Energy and Environment committees both recommended approval for the funding — a key part of the $240 million project. The full board is to review the proposal at its March 24 meeting.
If the board approves the county contribution, the museum will ramp up its $150 million private fundraising campaign. The museum has already secured $40 million from the state and is seeking $5 million in federal grants.
Museum officials want to begin construction in late 2023, with completion in spring 2026.
The new facility, just north of Fiserv Forum's parking structure, is to be renamed the Wisconsin Museum of Nature and Culture — a nod to statewide fundraising as well as the institution's status as Wisconsin's most-visited museum.
The development would include more culturally relevant exhibits, and create a long-term sustainable future for the institution, said museum President and Chief Executive Officer Ellen Censky.
“This is a pivotal moment in the history of our community,” she said.
“Not to be overly dramatic, but the future of this institution lies in your hands,” Censky told committee members before they voted.
Fiscal, labor concerns raised
Some committee members said they're concerned about the financial impact on the county, and whether the museum's unionized employees will be recognized by the newly organized Wisconsin Museum of Nature and Culture. Others said the museum's name displayed on the new building should reflect Milwaukee County's prominent role in its funding.
Two Finance Committee members, Supervisors Ryan Clancy and Sequanna Taylor, were the only “no” votes.
Including interest payments for borrowing $45 million, the county would spend an estimated $55 million on the new facility.
That translates to an additional $3.7 million in annual debt payments, according to the county comptroller’s office.
The county now provides $3.5 million annually to help finance the operations of the museum, which is a nonprofit group that houses collections owned by the county.
With the $45 million grant, that annual support would drop to $1 million once the new museum opens. However, there is also an additional $1.5 million annual expense tied to the countyowned building, said Comptroller Scott Manske.
That adds up to an estimated $2.7 million in additional expense for the county, he said. And that could increase depending on expected higher interest rates in future years.
The county’s 2022 budget is $1.28 billion.
Budget concerns were cited by several committee members, including Taylor.
Clancy said he supports the funding plan but wanted to ensure museum employees are treated fairly.
Clancy asked Censky if the Wisconsin Museum of Nature and Culture would recognize the current union for Milwaukee Public Museum employees. Censky said the question of whether those roughly 100 employees will be unionized is up to them — a response deemed insufficient by union officials.
Clancy also said the notice of Tuesday’s meeting, while complying with legal requirements, wasn’t posted early enough to allow employees and other citizens to attend the virtual meeting.
The Finance Committee first reviewed the proposal at a Dec. 9 meeting.
A delay in voting, which Clancy proposed, would put the museum at greater danger of losing its accreditation, said Supervisor Jason Haas, Finance Committee chair.
Losing accreditation would translate into a loss of federal grants, an inability to host traveling exhibits, which generate significant museum revenue, and hamper private fundraising, Censky told committee members.
The museum’s accreditation report to the American Alliance of Museums is due in mid-April. It needs to show progress toward obtaining a new facility, Censky said.
Losing accreditation would be disastrous, she said.
“We would start to close the museum and turn it back to the county,” Censky said.
The public museum, with around 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, has operated at 800 W. Wells St. since 1963. That 480,000-square-foot building is owned by Milwaukee County, which provides about 25% of the museum’s annual operating budget.
Renovating the current building, which is too large, inefficient and in need of $70 million in deferred maintenance projects, would cost $250 million, said Katie Sanders, museum chief planning officer.
New Betty Brinn home
The new 230,000-square-foot building, to be developed north of West McKinley Avenue and east of North Sixth Street, would feature exhibit space totaling 80,000 square feet, underground parking, a café, gift shop, collections research and storage, a classroom, auditorium, an events venue, offices and an exhibit maintenance workshop.
It also would house Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, which has operated since 1995 at 929 E. Wisconsin Ave. in O’Donnell Park. The children’s museum would have 33,000 square feet at the new facility.
The cost of designing and constructing the new museum and its exhibits is estimated at $190 million. Additional costs include $25 million for the museum’s endowment, $20 million to move the collections and $5 million to pay for the fundraising campaign and project management.