Editorial: On the one hand …

Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005 | 9:15 a.m.

Five years of free rent would tempt anybody. That is what is being offered to the Lied Discovery Children's Museum if it will move from just north of downtown Las Vegas to an upscale retail and office development under construction on Las Vegas Boulevard South. The museum's board of directors is considering the opportunity, which would also bring about a doubling of space for this community resource.

The museum is a treasure for families. Parents and guardians delight in the interactive displays that educate and entertain their children. Its current location, across the boulevard from Cashman Field, brings an added benefit as it is in a building shared with the Las Vegas library. Also beneficial is the nearby location of several other cultural centers, including the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. The children's museum is a natural fit, but there is a downside as well. The overall area has long been blighted, with dirty vacant lots and boarded-up buildings emanating a general sense of abandonment.

Just off U.S. 95, the museum is easily reached from all parts of the valley. In addition, the board that originally located it there wanted it to be easily accessible to low-income families. The museum's presence in the area, along with the presence of the other cultural centers, has stimulated community efforts to develop a "Cultural Corridor" as a big step toward ending the blight. These efforts will be among the considerations for the museum's directors, and for the public, too. Would a move set the efforts back, perhaps for years? If so, would it be a terrible blow for the families living in the nearby neighborhoods?

On balance, though, the directors have an obligation to consider the advantages of a move. They could assume 50,000 square feet of brand-new space in Town Square, an office-retail development going up about a mile south of Mandalay Bay. The rent, currently pegged at $1.1 million a year, would be free for the first five. The developers of Town Hall say it would be a win-win -- the museum would attract customers and clients, and the development's high volume of activity would increase the museum's visitation.

Of course, the directors also must weigh what will happen after five years, when the yearly rent will exceed $1 million and the Strip casinos begin to encroach on that area of the boulevard. Is that the best place for a children's museum?

If the museum stays put, it could increase its visitation through promotion campaigns and play a role in the area's redevelopment. If it moves, it would have double the space in a location that might inspire more visits. We hope public discussion on this issue will stimulate thought on the broad subject of cultural institutions in Las Vegas, and help provide a guide for planners on where they should be located.