Moving the state’s history museum into Denver’s Civic Center would not require a vote of the people but would require a vote by the City Council, according to Mayor John Hickenlooper.
Former City Councilwoman Cathy Donohue told Hickenlooper in a recent letter that a 1955 revision to the city’s charter requires a popular vote for any sale or lease of space in a city park.
The Colorado Historical Society has proposed moving its museum from 13th Avenue and Broadway into the southwest corner of Civic Center, opposite city hall. Opponents want the museum to relocate to the vacant city permit-center building on the northeast corner of West 14th Avenue and Bannock Street.
Hickenlooper responded to Donohue’s letter by stating: “The city may allow another public entity to operate in a park for park purposes without a vote…. Since a museum is specifically listed as a ‘park purpose,’ the state’s proposal is allowable under the charter. If this option is ultimately selected, the City Council would have to approve the cooperative agreement with the state.”
At a recent meeting of the ad hoc Civic Center task force, Brad Cameron, head of the Coalition to Save Civic Center Park, questioned whether the museum would “reactivate” the dilapidated and infrequently used Civic Center.
“By placing the museum’s entrance as it’s been shown on the south side of the museum, those people going into the museum will not use the park,” he said.
Steve Turner, director of Historic Denver Inc., said his board has been studying both sides of the issue.
“As for the activation of Civic Center, we see that it’s a puzzle with lots of pieces,” he said.
Some task-force members pointed out that the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in City Park does not attract visitors to use the park, nor does the zoo. Vicki Aybar Sterling of the Denver Art Museum called the issue “a puzzler. The museum alone won’t active the Civic Center,” she said.
But Jep Seaman, a member of the citizens’ advisory board to the Department of Parks and Recreation, countered that Denver parks “are woefully underfunded. The Civic Center location has the potential to generate funds for Civic Center,” he said.
The public discussions will continue at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Historical Society auditorium and again in the City Council conference room on the third floor of city hall at 8 a.m. Oct. 29.
Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com
