The new home of the Children’s Discovery Museum in the Mendel Building is an important step closer to reality today as the City of Saskatoon proposed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Children’s Museum, pending City Council approval on Monday, February 27, 2012.

The MOU signals City Council’s confidence in the potential of the Children’s Museum to develop a world-class multi-purpose space, providing public programming and experiential learning opportunities where children and families will have fun. The Civic Conservatory will remain open adjacent the Children’s Museum, and will continue to be operated by the City. The City will retain ownership of the Mendel Building.

The MOU allows the Children’s Museum to complete a detailed Business Plan and submit it to City Council by the end of June 2012, according to Dr. Erica Bird, President of the Children’s Museum Board of Directors. When it receives the Business Plan, City Council will make the final decision on whether the Children’s Museum is the best suited tenant for the Mendel Building, Cary Humphrey, Branch Manager of Leisure Services for the City of Saskatoon, told a press conference today.

The Children’s Museum, which launched in Saskatoon in 2009, is currently located in Market Mall.  It has welcomed more than 35,000 visitors since first opening its doors.

“The Children’s Discovery Museum is very excited to have the opportunity to create a fantastic new attraction for Saskatoon,” Dr. Bird said.  “We deserve the kinds of amenities found in other major cities, and the time is right to invest in a place where children and families take part in creative exploration, expression, and discovery.  As members of the Association of Children’s Museums, we’ve done our homework using models from many successful children’s museums operating around the world.  We are confident in what we are planning for the Mendel Building.”

“The Children’s Museum is an excellent adaptive reuse of the Mendel Building, which integrates perfectly with the surrounding redevelopment of Kinsmen Park, set to begin this year,” Humphrey said. “The new Kinsmen Park Master Plan proposes to revitalize the area with a variety of activities for children of all ages, and the Children’s Museum is a welcome part of that initiative.”

The City issued a call for proposals in January 2011 for new tenants for the Mendel Building.  The Kinsmen Park and Area Master Plan identifies the Children’s Museum as the preferred new tenant to occupy the building when the Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan opens at its new location.

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