Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Henderson City Council approves $100,000 for polar exhibit

Debra March

Debra March

The Henderson City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to reallocate funds so the Henderson Space and Science Center Board can show its first exhibit next month.

The science center’s board plans to display “Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins” at the Galleria at Sunset mall. It is expected to open May 22 and run for 12 weeks.

In the future, the center plans to have its own museum. The $63 million building, planned for construction at U.S. 95 and Galleria Drive, is expected to be completed in about five years.

For now, the board will sign a contract with Canada-based Science North to show the exhibit at the mall, said Ray Shubinski, project manager for the Henderson Space and Science Center. The board will partner with the mall, which donated space, to market the exhibit, he said.

The exhibit explores the Arctic and Antarctic regions, including wildlife, the challenges faced by polar explorers and trends in polar bear populations resulting from climate change.

“To us, this is a chance for us to say that the Henderson Space and Science Center is a real project,” Shubinski said. “It’s not just something that’s being talked about.”

With moving and utility expenses, the exhibit will cost about $130,000, he said. To fund it, the council allowed the board to reallocate $100,000 of $234,000 in start-up funds set aside by the city for the science center.

The money comes from the interest the city collects on $25.3 million in its land fund, said Rob Brisendine, operations manager for the city’s Cultural Arts and Tourism Department.

Councilwoman Debra March said she looks forward to seeing how the exhibit fares.

“I think that this will really tell us what the public’s interest is in the museum,” she said.

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