The auditorium at the American Science and Energy Museum in Oak Ridge was nearly full during a community meeting to discuss AMSE’s future in July 2014. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Three U.S. Department of Energy sites in Oak Ridge provided $1.5 million in funding for the American Museum of Science and Energy in Fiscal Year 2015, an official said Monday.
The funding varies each year, and the funding for Fiscal Year 2016, the current fiscal year, hasn’t been determined, said Claire Sinclair, a spokesperson in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Site Office Public Affairs. ORNL manages AMSE for DOE, which owns the museum.
In FY 2015, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex each contributed $630,000 to AMSE, and the East Tennessee Technology Park provided $240,000. That’s a major portion of AMSE funding, the museum says on its website. (AMSE also has memberships, and the museum charges for admission.)
Questions about the future of AMSE have been raised as the Oak Ridge City Council considers a resolution on how the city would like the land transferred, if the DOE and General Services Administration decide to dispose of the property at some point in the future.
There has been no public announcement that the federal government wants to get rid of the 17.12 acres of federal property that includes AMSE.
But the Oak Ridge City Council will consider a resolution tonight (Monday, June 13) that would allow City Manager Mark Watson to negotiate with the U.S. Department of Energy and General Services Administration, as well as the company redeveloping the former Oak Ridge Mall, for the property transfer. The GSA is responsible for disposing of federal property.
RealtyLink, the company redeveloping the 58-acre mall site, has said that any redevelopment of the AMSE property that competes with its project, known as Main Street Oak Ridge, would be devastating to its efforts to provide the city a much-needed, quality, retail-centered mixed-use town center. RealtyLink said it must be able to control the redevelopment of the AMSE property.
DOE has said it is not in the museum business, and several proposals have been considered for the AMSE property in the past 15 years or so, including an Oak Ridge Associated Universities proposal, a Target/Lowe’s proposal that would have used land in front of the museum, and a transfer to the city. There was a series of four community meetings in 2014 that were designed to gather input on the future of AMSE operations.
The AMSE property is included in an economic impact area associated with the mall redevelopment. That plan was adopted by the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge City Council, and Anderson County Commission. Property tax revenues from the future development of the property would be used to help repay a $13 million tax increment financing, or TIF, loan. (Tax increment financing uses new property tax revenues generated at a site to help pay development costs.)
Sinclair said the transfer of federal property such as AMSE usually takes a few years, and if a new use were proposed for the museum property, adequate public notice would be given.
In the meantime, AMSE is expected to continue operating, officials said Friday and Monday.
See previous stories here:
- AMSE: Transfer of federal property usually takes few years, public notice would be given
- Chamber supports AMSE land transfer resolution
- Main Street: Ready to close by end of June, AMSE property the one remaining hurdle
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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