Salt Lake City's science project, riddled with misfires and mistakes, finally has won over the judges.
By a 6-0 straw poll, followed by a virtual receiving line of congratulations, the City Council on Tuesday agreed to solidify a stripped-down Leonardo by issuing a 5-year-old $10.2 million bond.
The money, first granted by voters in 2003, means the hulking concrete cube on Library Square immediately will be renovated into a science and culture center targeting a July 2010 opening.
"It's very satisfying,'" said Leonardo executive director Peter Giles, who joked in the hallway about popping the champagne. "We expect the community will begin to feel that confidence."
The bond for the old main library became a political football first hiked by former Mayor Rocky Anderson then tossed to the Ralph Becker administration. Becker nearly spiked the museum last year before granting a reprieve for an independent review. That report insists The Leonardo is "poised for success." It also says the remaining fundraising -- The Leonardo must raise $3.5 million in 16 months then $1.5 million each year for expenses -- "can be achieved."
"We did a complete analysis," said Becker, pledging to keep the city "at arms length" in a businesslike, landlord-tenant approach with the museum. The mayor praised the center's scaled-back business plan that still calls for a seismic upgrade and silver certification under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
The blueprint uses all three floors for interactive exhibits, workshops, classrooms, a catering service and a cafe. Up to 40 "road-tested" exhibits will be leased from San Francisco's Exploratorium, though Giles emphasized The Leonardo will not be a replica of that science museum. Instead, he says the character will be "very Utah," a homegrown hodgepodge that includes input from local companies, schools and artists.
"This is a hugely different proposal," said Councilman J.T. Martin. "It's not one built on 'I thinks' or 'I hopes.'"
Martin said the successful Body Worlds exhibit showed there is a thirst in the community for a science center, but he cautioned against connecting the dots between that high-profile show and an untested new museum. He also worried about the fallout if Giles departs.
But Councilman Luke Garrott challenged his colleagues and the mayor to fully support the museum even if they can't offer any more money.
"They need a symbolic partnership," he said. "It's time to really jump in."
Councilman Soren Simonsen, whose business partner sits on The Leonardo board, recused himself.
