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Park Board made the right decision – again

The promoters of the Magic City Discovery Center made a good choice when they went to the Minot Park Board looking for land on which to put down permanent roots.

The park board – as usual – made a wise choice of its own by granting the Discovery Center a long-term lease, virtually free. The land is located southwest of the Sertoma softball fields on North Hill; the lease payment will be $1 a year for 50 years.

The Discovery Center has a lot of things going for it. It’s educational in nature, provides fun activities for youth, it’s already been kid-tested every winter since 2014 in its temporary location at the Dakota Territory Museum, and last but not least, has some impressive backers.

The park board for one. But there is also the City of Minot, which has committed $1 million in Community Facilities Fund money – and Mark Lyman, president of the Magic City Discovery Center.

Obviously, the new museum for kids is not built yet; Lyman says several million dollars more will have to be raised.

We’re confident Lyman and his associates will get the job done, and in the end will turn a fine, well-designed, well-used facility over to the park district.

What will take place thereafter is a bit harder to foresee. While the park district will own the building there will be many, many responsibilities to be shared once the building is finished a couple of years from now. Hopefully, the management agreement will also prove to be a wise decision – fair, practical and equitable for both parties. That’s how good partnerships are formed.

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