Bond proposal would fund exhibition gallery at MASM
The Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission on Monday will consider asking the Hot Springs Board of Directors to call a special election for Sept. 11 on a $2 million bond issue to fund construction of an exhibition gallery at Mid-America Science Museum.
The commission will consider the proposal during its regular monthly meeting at 3 p.m. Monday in the Arlington Room of the Hot Springs Convention Center.
If approved by the commission, the city board of directors would be asked to consider approval of an ordinance calling for the election at its June 19 meeting.
The bond issue would be repaid using revenues from the existing 3-percent advertising and promotion tax already being levied on motels, hotels, restaurants and like businesses in the city, according to documents released Friday by the ad commission.
The ballot issue would be a vote “for” or “against” issuance of the Mid-America Science Museum Improvement Bonds.
The bond proceeds would be used to construct the 7,000-square-foot addition to the museum on the west side of the museum’s main building, according to the documents, which were included with the commissioners’ monthly agenda package.
The goal for the exhibition gallery is to provide the museum with a venue “so that we may serve our audience with new, cutting-edge exhibits and programs,” according to a “case statement” in the documents, which included the proposed bond ordinance, timetable for the election, and illustrations of the proposed expansion area.
“In the past, the permanent museum exhibits would be removed from the main gallery space to make room for leased temporary exhibitions, making a substantial portion of the permanent exhibits unavailable to our visitors for months at a time. Since the renovation of the entire museum in 2015, the new design of the galleries has limited the temporary exhibition space even further,” the case statement said.
The gallery space would enable the museum to “lease larger exhibitions than it ever has without removing permanent exhibits, bringing the latest innovations in informal science education to the truly underserved populations in southwest and central Arkansas as well as to visitors from surrounding states,” it said.
“Similar to past practices, the Museum will use these exhibitions as an opportunity to introduce our audience to an even deeper investigation of science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on classes, targeted out of school and summer camps, and engaging demonstrations for students of all ages,” the statement said.
The statement points out that Mid-America Science Museum is a member of the Smithsonian Affiliate
program, which allows it to secure exhibits and artifacts from the national museum’s collections but, as a condition of any loan from the Smithsonian, the museum must have “accurate temperature and humidity controls to safeguard valuable artifacts.”
“The new Exhibition Gallery will be constructed with its own HVAC system so these variables can be closely monitored and the artifacts displayed properly and safely. The HVAC system in the original building does not meet Smithsonian’s standards so we have historically been unable to lease such high-quality exhibitions. These large exhibitions
will be on display in the Gallery during the summer months when our attendance is at its peak and we can impact the most visitors,” it said.
In the offseason months, from September through May, the museum would partner with local, state, and regional organizations to hold classes, summer camps, meetings, symposia, and artist exhibitions and performances.
The budget for the construction of the gallery would include the purchase and installation of a stage, a projector, large-format projector screen, and the proper audio and visual equipment for such events, the statement said.