Ouch! The Leonardo Price Tag Doubles

None by KCPW

SLC Considering More Tax Money to Build Museum

(KCPW News) Five years ago, Salt Lake City voters agreed to a 10-million dollar taxpayer bond that would turn the old City Library into an interactive science museum called The Leonardo. Now it seems the cost has doubled to 24-million dollars. Museum Director Mary Tull blames construction costs:

"If you took the $10 million bond from 2002 and applied it to today's extraordinary escalation of construction costs, it would need to be $17.4 million," says Tull.

The original budget also failed to account for asbestos removal, seismic retrofitting and environmental standards now required for all city buildings. Tull says she and city officials have wrestled for months to find the extra cash, but now believe taxpayers will have to step up. She says the current plan is to use a sales tax bond:

"The option of raising this money for the building renovation privately, I feel we've exhausted," says Tull. "It's not ideal, but it's almost a relief that we are finally at the point where it's on the table. We've tried everything, as has the city. Now we need to see about a solution."

Tull doubts the higher costs and delays could have been avoided. It took The Leonardo board and staff two years to raise the matching 10-million dollars they needed before the city would release the bond for the building. Tull and city officials say that was a reasonable timeframe for the task.  That money will be spent on museum exhibits, which are right on schedule.

The Salt Lake City Council is expected to consider issuing a sales tax bond to cover extra costs of building The Leonardo during its August 14th meeting. If they act quickly, Tull says the museum could still open by April of 2009, as planned.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said it took The Leonardo staff and board four years to raise their 10-million dollar match.  That was incorrect.  It took two years.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW