House Media Division
The Oklahoma House and Senate approved a measure intended to conclude the final chapter in the state’s long history with the building of the American Indian Cultural Center.
“I am pleased my fellow lawmakers voted to bring this situation which has been ongoing since the early 1990’s to a close,” said Speaker of the House Jeffrey W. Hickman, R-Fairview. “This measure provides the only legal means in which the museum can be finished. The taxpayers deserve closure and the great economic impact the proponents of the museum in Oklahoma City have promised for almost 25 years.”
House Bill 2237 calls for a $25 million dollar bond to finish the construction of the American Indian Cultural Center. Once construction is complete and the museum’s doors are open, the state’s Native American Cultural and Education Authority will be dissolved and stewardship of the museum will be handed over to Oklahoma City.
As of today, the state has spent roughly $90 million on the Cultural Center, $63 million of which is bonded indebtedness. The state currently pays about $5 million a year on the debt and $2 million to keep the unfinished museum maintained. Once the new $25 million bond is issued, the $2 million currently being spent on operations will be redirected toward the final bond payment. Fifty percent of any revenue over $7 million the museum and the surrounding development bring in will also go toward paying the state back up to $25 million. No new state funds will be spent on this project.
This bill sets up a process for the state, cultural authority and the City of Oklahoma City to begin negotiations on an operating agreement and includes an immediate transfer of roughly 143 acres that surround the museum property so economic development of the area can proceed to ensure the museum’s success. Pledges totaling $40 million from private, city, county and tribal sources are committed to the construction completion and proponents of the museum plan to raise additional private funds to reach the estimated $75 million necessary to open the doors.
Restrictions in the deed from Oklahoma City when the property was given to the state require the land to be used for a Native American cultural center or transferred back to Oklahoma City. This means selling the property is not an option for the state. Because the state owes $54 million in bonded indebtedness on the museum building, the state cannot give the structure back to Oklahoma City as is until the bonds are paid off at maturity.
“This bill puts the destiny of 210 acres located at the prominent intersection of I-35 and I-40 in the heart of Oklahoma City in the hands of the citizens of Oklahoma City and their community leaders,” Hickman said. “I am hopeful an agreement can be reached soon and the center can be completed so we can finally realize the great potential of this development which has been discussed for decades.”
HB 2237 will now go to the desk of Gov. Mary Fallin.
