There’s nothing to prevent Chehalis from creating a children’s museum ... at least, nothing a little money can’t solve.
So says a 36-page draft feasibility study completed by David Plotz of Chehalis, Lewis County PUD’s power supply manager.
“The study concludes it did not find any show stoppers, but additional research needs to be done in some specific areas,” Allyn Roe, Chehalis-Centralia Airport manager, told members of the Chehalis Community Renaissance Team Friday morning.
How exciting it would be to have a hands-on children’s museum to draw tourists from throughout the region and provide learning experiences for Lewis County children.
We already have fabulous museums in Chehalis — the Veterans Memorial Museum, Vintage Motorcycle Museum, and Lewis County Historical Museum, which my 9-year-old refers to as the “pioneer museum.” That’s because in a tiny cubbyhole toward the back of the building, children can don old-time clothes, pretend to cook at a miniature stove, weigh fake fruits and vegetables on scales in a pioneer store, and straddle a horse saddle. She loves playing there with her friends.
But instead of a cubbyhole, Lewis County might someday have an 8,000- to 10,000-square-foot building where children can learn about history, science, biology, anatomy, and other subjects in a safe and fun environment.
Now all we need is about $2.2 million to construct it, or perhaps less to renovate an existing building, and operating costs of $262,500 a year.
The study, using demographic data and information from the Association of Children’s Museums, suggested a nonprofit Chehalis children’s museum could draw from Rochester and Grand Mound south to Longview and Kelso, west to Raymond, and east to Packwood.
The closest children’s museums are in Portland, Olympia, Tacoma, and the Seattle area.
To operate successfully, the museum serving children up to 14 would need about 21,600 visitors a year, including museum members, school field trips, corporate-sponsored “free admission” days, and repeat visitors.
The key is to make it a quality museum well-supported and promoted by the community. If done correctly, it could even entice teenagers with science displays that entertain while educating.
“We know that if this community gets behind it, we get things done,” said Larry McGee, CCRT chairman, who described the children’s museum as “one of the most exciting aspects of the entire Renaissance study.”
Half of the annual operating costs would come from admission fees, membership dues, gift shop income, room rentals and possibly educational program fees. The other $130,000-plus would need to come from gifts and grants. That’s the next step in the process — exploring what funding sources might be available.
Patty Kaija, owner of Kaija’s Garden and Pet, noted that our location between Portland and Seattle is ideal.
“It’s the halfway point,” she said. “It’s a great place for the kids to get out of the car and stretch their legs.”
A children’s museum also could market to out-of-town visitors staying overnight at the Great Wolf Lodge and people traveling to Centralia’s sports center complex.
Who knows? Maybe we’ll become a mecca for munchkins.
Beautifying Chehalis
When visitors enter Chehalis on Main Street, they see a nice hotel and bank complex ... and then a PUD substation, but not for long.
The PUD plans to move the substation to the back of its property at Main and Quincy, creating a more low-profile design and leaving the front of the property free for signs, benches, or even a picnic table or two, PUD manager Dave Muller told the Renaissance Team.
“We’re all trying to spruce up Main Street,” McGee said, adding that the team hopes to clean up eyesores in Chehalis.
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Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com.
