Can the Neon Museum expansion return to ‘solid footing’?

Officials astatine the Neon Museum, the outdoor memorial to vintage Las Vegas signage, are reevaluating plans for a multi-million dollar enlargement into the shuttered Reed Whipple Cultural Center aft missing operation deadlines.

In May 2019, the City Council approved the museum’s entry into the city-owned building, to beryllium renamed Ne10, crossed the thoroughfare from the main Neon Boneyard, which opened successful 2012.

But the COVID-19 pandemic delayed readying and fundraising for the project, and pre-pandemic fiscal estimates request to beryllium reexamined, according to Aaron Berger, the museum’s enforcement director.

City lawmakers connected Wednesday agreed to suspend operation timelines until March truthful that depository officials tin reassess the task and the likelihood of being capable to scope a fundraising extremity wrong a tenable timeframe.

“At which time, Neon Museum volition present to america immoderate proposals and we’ll determination guardant with much tangible modifications to the agreements to enactment the task backmost connected coagulated footing,” said Jerry Walker, the city’s manager of operations and maintenance.

Berger, who took the helm successful July, told the assembly that further clip volition besides let him to talk to section leaders and assemblage members to guarantee the task volition service some the depository and the vicinity “in the champion mode possible.”

The depository precocious became accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, adding to the project’s complexity. While Berger called the designation “an tremendous achievement,” helium said it volition necessitate changes to archetypal plans, including the mode the gathering volition beryllium outfitted.

Expansion details, arsenic approved

The metropolis and depository agreed much than 2 years agone to a three-year lease statement for $1 annually and an enactment to widen the woody by 27 years nether the aforesaid terms. The 2 sides besides signed an operating agreement.

The archetypal bid of concern is to renovate the erstwhile taste center, a long-time arts abstraction that closed successful summertime 2016 and fell into disrepair. The task signifier was anticipated successful May 2019 to outgo $3.1 million, with enactment from a $2.2 cardinal metropolis grant, but it is unclear however costs whitethorn person changed implicit time.

Walker said Wednesday that the depository had frankincense acold performed biology cleanup activities and tract assessments astatine the building, located astatine 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

The expansion, arsenic elaborate successful 2019, would treble the Neon Museum’s footprint connected Las Vegas Boulevard. The center’s backmost parking batch would go the museum’s 3rd neon-sign boneyard, adding to its main show and northbound assemblage crossed the street. The building’s 8,000-square-foot theatre would beryllium converted into an indoor assemblage and different areas would beryllium utilized for nationalist demonstrations of neon artistry, classrooms, offices and storage.

Under the approved plan, the existing overcrowded Neon Museum would adhd 30-foot grids connected which definite signs could beryllium elevated.

Councilman Cedric Crear, who represents Ward 5 wherever the existent depository and projected enlargement are located, said Wednesday that portion helium was supportive of providing depository officials with the model to mull respective factors, “the volition is to get thing going, truthful I conscionable privation to marque definite that we’re wide connected that.”

Berger agreed.

“We stock your enthusiasm for moving forward,” helium said.

Contact Shea Johnson astatine sjohnson@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ connected Twitter.