Mount Pleasant Discovery Museum more than half way to $3.6 million fundraising goal

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The Mount Pleasant Discovery Museum may be firmly rooted in the imagination, but it is still moving closer to reality.

Executive Director Patricia Chase and Outreach Coordinator Cindy Schrauben’s biggest job is fundraising, Chase said. Their goal is $3.6 million.

“(Total costs) breaks down to building costs, the exhibits and the first-year operating costs,” Chase said. “We are just shy of two million (dollars) right now.”

The pair spends a considerable amount of their time traveling to the six different counties the museum will serve.

“We’ve been really working on putting structure around this organization and creating awareness of the project,” Chase said. “There isn’t a week that goes by without one, two or even five presentations.”

One thing the museum will not be budgeting for, however, is land.

The building will be constructed on East Remus Road near Morey Courts, 5175 E. Remus Road, on a plot given by an anonymous donor.

Chase said it is an excellent location because of the number of families and children in the area.

A Minneapolis company was hired to design the museum’s exhibits.

A three-day workshop was held in fall 2010 to get an idea what local children want to see at the museum. About 20 kids participated and by the end of the third day, designers had an outline of what the museum would be.

“Kids want this fun, entertaining venue where they are going to learn things, but they don’t want to know they are learning,” Chase said. “They want to walk out having had fun.”

Overall, the children indicated they were interested in playing in the dirt, getting wet, taking things apart and putting them back together, honey bees, the solar system, mazes and dinosaurs, Chase said.

“And definitely climbing,” Schrauben said. “They love climbing.”

Although the exhibits are being designed in Minneapolis, the organization plans to use local materials whenever it can, and to focus on being as environmentally-friendly as possible in construction.

Chase and Schrauben hope to have the entry cost per person at about $6.

“We will have family memberships at different levels depending on the size of the family, but we’re doing our best to keep costs to minimum,” Schrauben said.

Summer funds

The museum will continue its fundraising efforts through the summer. A Robot Rumble fundraising event will be held June 18 at Krapohl Frame & Body Shop, 1415 E. Pickard St.

The museum will sell 20 robots that are each 6 feet tall. Different businesses and organizations will be invited to decorate and personalize their own automatons.

Robots will race board-game style and bets will be taken like at the horse races, Chase said.

Chase and Schrauben are both excited about the future of the museum.

“It will be wonderful to have something in the area that families can do together,” Schrauben said. “It’ll be really valuable to have something like this in our own backyard.”