Nevada State Museum finally ready for Springs Preserve home

For awhile it seemed the brand new Nevada State Museum at the Springs Preserve would never open its doors.

There wasn't enough money or staff to make it happen. The $51.5 million building sat empty as state budget issues delayed its opening.

On Oct. 28, the museum will finally be open for business, six years later than planned.

County officials are pinning their hopes on the museum to boost revenue and visitor volume at the $235 million, 180-acre Springs Preserve.

Museum officials said they're just happy to be up and running.

But quietly, discussions are taking place as to how the museum can generate the needed increase in attendance to be sustainable while maintaining its identity as a separate entity from the preserve because of its attachment to the Las Vegas Valley Water District-owned property.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

David Millman, museum director, said the two facilities have different content, with the museum focusing more on collecting and preserving the state's history while the preserve deals with nature and water conservation.

"We're not the Springs Preserve," Millman said. "We're part of the Springs Preserve, but we're different."

The museum's identity will change in that it has more room to display a more extensive statewide history, he added.

Scott Huntley, water district spokesman, said the museum should be viewed separately from the preserve because it is funded and operated by the state. But Huntley added that there are connections between the two groups because they are located so close to each other.

As for the museum's presence increasing revenue and attendance, Millman added that he believes the museum will come through the way county officials hope.

"We think working with the water district, it will be a very good boost, but I can't be specific until we open," he said.

Entrance fees at the preserve won't go up, which means membership programs for each are reciprocal, and ticket prices will include museum admission.

For that reason, county officials said the museum needs to attract at least 10,000 visitors per year for the project to be viable. Millman said he believes that figure is reachable.

"But we've got to be patient and give it time," Millman said. "These things don't spring up and form community attachment overnight" at a new location.

The museum will only be open four days per week, Friday through Monday.

VISITOR VOLUME

Water district officials estimate 18,000 visitors will come to learn about the state's history annually, said Scott Huntley, district spokesman.

Attendance at the Springs Preserve, which opened in 2007 at Valley View and U.S. Highway 95, has increased every year but is still just one-third of early projections that called for about 600,000 visitors annually, most of them out-of-town tourists.

In two decades at Lorenzi Park, the museum saw attendance fluctuate between 12,000 and 60,000 visitors annually, Millman said. The smaller number reflects how visitation was affected during the move.

"If attendance doesn't go up, it won't be good for the preserve," Commissioner Steve Sisolak said. "We'll have to wait and see and cross our fingers."

In its first year at the preserve, the museum is expected to generate an estimated $200,000 in revenue. At least $80,000 of that will go toward operational expenses, leaving $120,000 to be split equally between the district and the state. County commissioners, acting as the water district board, fronted the museum $53,000 in seed money earlier this month.

Springs Preserve officials didn't want to discuss specifics about their new neighbor. They issued a written statement saying the museum "will compliment and enhance the wide array of events, programs, classes and inter­active exhibits available to our guests."

Commissioner Lawrence Weekly, who represents the area and serves on the preserve board, said the museum will give Nevadans a place to take in the state's history in its entirety.

"We have a history of not doing a good job at keeping track of the great things that have gone on here," Weekly said. "Here's a home that will house a lot of that great history that Nevadans can come and participate in."

'THE CLOCK IS TICKING'

Workers buzz inside the building, hanging exhibits and stocking store shelves in preparation for the museum's opening.

Millman struggled for words to describe the effort put into moving artifacts down the road from the old Lorenzi Park location into the new 70,000-square-foot facility.

"It's exhilarating to some degree," Millman said. "Once Oct. 29 comes, I'll be able to sleep. It's been very difficult. It's not an easy process. Now the clock is ticking."

Permanent exhibits cover the state's flora and fauna, with stuffed desert animals and a fake drip cave devoted to geology and bats.

Across the room is an area for paleontology, where prehistoric animals rest their bones in sand and rock.

Other exhibits include Cornish miners who helped develop square-set timbering, as part of the Comstock mining method helped miners dig at certain heights without the fear of a cave-in.

Interactive exhibits allow visitors to select survival items as they travel by wagon through trails. Native American tools, baskets and pinto points are showcased.

A few displays away, the federal government's impact on the state is represented through Hoover Dam, Nellis Air Force Base and nuclear testing.

A Howard Hughes time capsule shows preserved pine nuts, mustard, toilet paper and other household items taken from the late billionaire's home and sealed up in 1952.

A pink glittering backdrop showcases Las Vegas' entertainment history with showgirl headdresses, movie screens that play film clips of the Rat Pack and Elvis Presley and old slot machines, poker chips and decks of cards displayed for gambling history.

Across the hall is an area where exhibits will change frequently.

One of the biggest challenges the museum faces before its opening is displaying enough signage to guide visitors to the right area. The winding road leading to the museum parking lot is unmarked, but Millman said staffers are working to fix the problem.

"This is a real positive, not just for us, but as a community. This will add to cultural tourism, the economic diversity of our city and future growth," Millman said.

Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.