Submitted Photo An architectural drawing of the Magic City Discovery Center shows the south side with its three-story climber.

Supporters of the proposed Magic City Discovery Center are asking North Dakota legislators to include $5.9 million for a children’s museum in Minot in the Department of Public Instruction’s funding bill.

Museum representatives backed Sen. Randy Burckhard, R-Minot, who offered the funding amendment in the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday.

At a legislative forum sponsored by the Minot Area Chamber EDC on Saturday, Burckhard said he believes it is a project that senators can support. Funding would come from 2019-21 biennium carryover dollars.

“We will be breaking ground, probably early in May, and this kind of funding really sets the tone,” Burckhard said. “This is for kids ages zero to 14. It gives them a way to learn and have fun at the same time.”

Wendy Keller, executive director of the Magic City Discovery Center, told the Senate committee that more than 700 children’s museums/science centers exist in the United States, but there is a hole in the Upper Midwest.

“The need is dire, but the Upper Midwest is behind in addressing the issue,” she said.

The Magic City Discovery Center will fill a void and help develop 21st Century workforce skills while generating $2 million in economic impact and $200,000 of annual tax revenue, she said.

“We want to offer topnotch programming, a world-class building full of exciting exhibits and cutting edge technology as well as ensuring long-term viability,” Keller said.

“This is not pie-in-the-sky thinking. We are shovel-ready,” Mark Vollmer, superintendent of Minot Public Schools, told the committee. “I have never seen a more creative or innovative approach by a community to get this done.”

The Department of Public Instruction budget already has passed the state House 75-18. The Senate committee will be reviewing the bill and potential amendments before sending its recommendation to the full Senate. Any amendments adopted by the Senate would require House concurrence.

The Magic City Discovery Center will be a three-story, 22,099-square-foot building with more than 12,000 square feet of exhibits. There will be 12 interactive galleries focusing on science, technology, engineering, art and math exhibits.

A private-public collaborative, the center will be built on North Hill on Minot Park District land. The City of Minot awarded a $1 million Community Facilities grant, and the project received a $6.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. Supporters also raised private funds through a capital drive.

Information presented to the Minot City Council in February stated the project raised $5.6 million in local dollars toward a goal of $9 million for Phase 1. With the addition of the Department of Defense grant, the scope was expanded to include completion of the museum’s lower level in Phase 2.

The office of Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, identified an estimated project cost of $14 million, although the discovery center board has not listed a specific cost due to the variable factors associated with the construction and exhibit development.