plans underway for construction of new children's museum in las cruces

The Las Cruces City Council has voted to approve an agreement with a non-profit that will lead to the construction of a long-desired children’s museum.

Some $750,000 in capital outlay funding to plan, design, and build the new museum was approved by last year by the New Mexico State Legislature.

The non-profit is called Ngage New Mexico, a Las Cruces-based group that works to advance educational success for students.

As envisioned, the new museum, while built to appeal to all children, will nevertheless center its efforts on displays and exhibitions for the very youngest children up to the ages of 5 and 6.

Ngage has already been extensively involved with both the City of Las Cruces and Dona Ana County, helping to present museum-ready exhibits at various public events, and launching an effort for a mobile children’s museum.

Ngage’s partnership with the city will be done in conjunction with the group’s educational initiative known as the Success Partnership.

It is thought that the total construction of the museum will end up costing more than the approved $750,000, requiring an additional capital outlay or funding from other sources down the road.

According to city documents, Ngage, as part of the council-approved agreement, will act as an advisor and assist Las Cruces in “planning, designing, and building the children’s museum.”

The council votes comes after several years of study regarding the potential for a children’s museum in Las Cruces, with a committee made up of various member of the community visiting similar facilities in Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Tucson to get ideas.
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In a column for the Las Cruces Sun News, Michael Radtke, Ngage’s lead museum coordinator, said, “The vision for this museum is to reflect the multicultural nature of our county and represent every facet of our diverse population.”

By Garry Boulard

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