The Westchester Children’s Museum’s (WCM) logo is a silhouette of a child eagerly leaping over a “velvet rope.” The implication is that the child can’t wait to get into the museum and start having fun.

 

By Bill Lawyer  

 

The Westchester Children’s Museum’s (WCM) logo is a silhouette of a child eagerly leaping over a “velvet rope.” The implication is that the child can’t wait to get into the museum and start having fun. 

 

The more than 21-year wait is almost over. This summer, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and WCM board president Corinne Zola signed the contract and turned over a symbolic key – signifying that the process of building the children’s museum can begin in earnest. 

 

The museum will be located in the newly restored space formerly occupied – many years ago – by the men’s bath house, located on the Boardwalk at the southeast end of Playland Amusement Park. 

 

Now a 22,000 square-foot empty shell of high ceilinged space, the facility will, within two years, become a hands-on center for all kinds of fun and exciting year-round learning activities. 

 

Before that iconic leaping child can enter the museum, however, WCM Executive Director Tracy Kay says that two main things have to happen: their fundraising efforts have to be shifted into high gear and final touches have to be made on the details of the exhibits and infrastructure.   The plans are currently being reviewed by the Westchester County Department of Public Works. 

 

Just two days after the signing ceremony, Kay, Development Director Julie Sootin, and several WCM board members met at the empty building to plan a major fundraising event. 

 

They’ve got their work cut out for them. Seven million dollars needs to be raised just to carry out the infrastructure improvements to support the Museum’s twelve public spaces. Projects include HVAC, electrical work, lighting, and major revisions in the layout of the “empty” space.

 

The public spaces include nine interactive exhibit areas: a climbing structure, toddler beach, three water sites, music, wind and air, a shadow theater, and a “build your own roller coaster” area. Other spaces are classrooms, a gift shop, and a café. 

 

These are projected to cost nearly $3 million to make and install. Right now the WCM has about $2 million in assets, according to Kay. 

 

Once the museum is in operation, the board projects that an annual budget of $2 million will be required to carry out operations. This includes a staff of 15 to 20 full- and part-time employees.

 

Sootin expects that all but about $350,000 of the income will be earned — from admissions, program fees, events, and memberships. 

 

Kay says the WCM has had a very successful track record in getting grants to support their “museum without walls” outreach programs for needy groups, and he is certain that this will continue to be the case. 

 

Since the signing day, Kay and his staff have been actively working out the “infrastructure” details of their use of the County’s bathhouse building. He reports that they expect to have an office “presence” there within the next month.   

 

WCM will host its “Museum Without Walls” activities for children at the upcoming Sound Shore Arts and Music Festival at Rye Town Park the weekend of September 21. They hope people will come by to see the exciting things that are already being carried out by the WCM.