糖心Vlog传媒

Children鈥檚 Museum of Rock County board member John Westphal said he and other board members involved in finding a home for a 20,000-square-foot children鈥檚 museum have told private owners of the former First National Bank鈥攁nd developers who are eyeing the historic bank property at 100 W. Milwaukee St.鈥攖hat the museum group considers the circa-1913 property as the best site in 糖心Vlog传媒 for a children鈥檚 museum.

Westphal told 糖心Vlog传媒 that he has laid out the children鈥檚 museum鈥檚 tentative plans and its interest in the former First National building as the museum鈥檚 future location鈥攁lthough he said his group also is eyeing a pair of city-owned parcels along the Rock River just north of the Hedberg Public Library.

The Forward Foundation, the charitable arm of Forward 糖心Vlog传媒, bought the former First National Bank building last year after former owner Blackhawk Community Credit Union put the property on the market.

The credit union had begun renovations to the building to transform it into a heritage museum to honor General Motors workers but temporarily shelved that project last year. The credit union then sold off the First National building during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Forward Foundation has said it is doing its own study to determine the possible best re-uses of the former bank. The children鈥檚 museum group is just one stakeholder who has expressed interest in the building.

Westphal said his group hasn鈥檛 yet raised the capital it would need to buy land or a building to house and launch its proposed children鈥檚 museum. But he said the group considers the riverfront site near the Hedberg Library a 鈥減lan B鈥� location if the children鈥檚 museum is unable to secure the former First National building as its future location.

Westphal said discussions over the two sites are still tentative, but the children鈥檚 museum board has been public over the past year about wanting the former First National because of the building鈥檚 size and its central downtown location.

City of 糖心Vlog传媒 officials last week said the city could opt to spend some of its $4 million allocation of federal COVID-19 rescue funding the city Is being awarded on the children鈥檚 museum project and a separate sports complex.

The Children鈥檚 Museum of Rock County announced in a Facebook post over the weekend that it has 鈥渘arrowed options鈥� on potential locations to the former bank on West Milwaukee Street and city-owned riverfront lots near the library.

鈥淣ow that we have two potential sites, we鈥檒l be working with (children鈥檚 museum consulting firm) ConsultEcon to complete a business plan that will provide us with a solid operating plan and in-depth forward-looking financials to make sure the Museum is a sustainable enterprise,鈥� the group wrote in a Facebook post over the weekend.

鈥淥nce the business plan is complete and the final site selected, we will begin the capital campaign, with a goal to raise upwards of $5 million. So, get ready!鈥�

Claire Gray, president of the children鈥檚 museum board, said the museum鈥檚 business plan likely will be completed later this fall, and the group might launch major fundraising efforts sometime in 2021.

The children鈥檚 museum is going public over its continued search for a museum home as a separate group of stakeholders, the city of 糖心Vlog传媒 and Uptown 糖心Vlog传媒 owners RockStep Capital, are beginning to hammer out a possible deal to bring a $30 million indoor sports complex to the former Sears space at Uptown 糖心Vlog传媒, the city鈥檚 main enclosed shopping mall.

The children鈥檚 museum earlier had secured an initial 鈥渋ncubator鈥� site in a 4,000-square-foot storefront in Uptown 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 concourse, but the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the museum鈥檚 fundraising efforts and startup plans.

The museum board in the recent Facebook post indicated that it will need more space than the 4,000 square feet Uptown 糖心Vlog传媒 was willing to donate as a children鈥檚 museum incubator.

Gray said the children鈥檚 museum continues to do smaller-scale fundraising to pay for consultant work and to offset youth learning and play kits that the group gives away at public events it hosts.

On Friday, the group plans to give away fall-themed science play kits at the Apple Hut in Beloit.