Alison Larson, (Grand Island Children's Museum, Courtesy)
Alison Larson, full-time executive director of the Grand Island Children’s Museum, said that the museum has a target opening date of the spring of 2026.
The opening date will be affected by how soon the museum can raise $5 million in matching funds to a grant it received and construction efforts.
“This is such a worthwhile project,” Larson said. “I feel like I’m up to the challenge. It will be a museum to be proud of.”
Grand Island Children’s Museum (GICM) will be located in the old Armory Building on Potash Highway in Ryder Park. The city of Grand Island owns the building.
Larson’s hiring as executive director was announced in a news release dated Jan. 11. She previously served as the Board Secretary for GICM from 2021 to 2023 before resigning to pursue the executive director position.
Larson previously worked as Senior Vice President, Marketing Director, and Investments Operations Manager at Equitable Bank. She has 25 years of experience in the banking and financial industry sector in Grand Island.
The museum will be a STEAM-based museum (science, technology, engineering, art, and math).
Larson said initially that local residents met with Hastings College staff and did a community assessment to see if the idea of a children’s museum was viable. After that, a steering committee was formed, then the Board of Directors was established.
Having the museum will make Grand Island “more attractive to employers,” Larson said. “We need something productive for kids to do.”
She said the museum will serve a targeted age range through teenagers.
“There will be something for everyone,” she said.
GICM has received a $5 million grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery and Investment Act. The grant is a matching grant, which means the museum must raise $5 million. A capital campaign will relaunch this year.
The museum will resume raising private, foundation, and grant funds.
The museum has a partnership with the Greater Grand Island Community Foundation (GGICF). Larson will lead fund-raising efforts with administrative support from GGICF. Larson’s office is located in the GGICF office building.
“We are counting on the support of our community to make this happen,” Larson said.
Other children’s museums have been visited, and residents have been asked what they would like to see at the museum, Larson said.
The museum will lease the Armory from the city with an option to buy the building, she said.
“The city has an interest in it as well. They’re a vested partner in its success,” she said.
Members of the museum’s board, who are volunteers, have been working very hard, Larson said. “Now it’s time for me to step in.”
The partnership with the Greater Grand Island Community Foundation comes after previous support. The Foundation launched the original Steering Committee for the museum in 2019 and served as a fiscal sponsor for GICM until 2020. GICM became a nonprofit organization in 2020 but continued to receive support and advice from GGICF.
The museum’s lease with the city will begin in March 2024, but the museum will not take occupancy until June to go with the construction timeline and to allow the City of move out of the building, according to the news release announcing the hiring of Larson.
The museum has hired CMBA as architects, JREMco as project manager, and is finalizing the general contractor agreement, the news release said.
A Campaign Assessment Study has been completed with the Steier Group, the news release said.
Donations and pledges to go toward the museum can be made through the museum’s website or by calling 308-392-3457. The museum’s website is www.gichildrensmuseum.org. The museum’s Facebook page is www.facebook.com/gichildrensmuseum.