THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610180183
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: IDA KAY'S PORTSMOUTH
TYPE: Editorial
SOURCE: IDA KAY JORDAN
LENGTH: 57 lines
The appearance of a merry-go-round at Coleman's Nursery for the holiday season resurrected a lot of citizen interest and inquiries about a proposal to ``fly'' a carousel over High Street in the second-floor atrium of the Children's Museum.
Much to my amazement, I discovered that the Portsmouth Museums and Fine Arts Commission voted in an unannounced meeting to put a mobile in the space. Just like that, leaving no opportunity for public discussion, a handful of people decided to go with the elaborate decoration described to me as a magnified baby crib mobile.
I hope their vote only signified approval of that design for consideration by a panel of experts who were supposed to examine the options and make a recommendation. But that's not the way I hear it.
The possibility of putting a carousel in the atrium definitely was the most universally accepted proposal last year when it was first made by City Councilman Cameron Pitts. The installation at Coleman's seems to have revived that enthusiasm.
As I recall some of the discussion months ago, the commission was going to get a proposal to be offered as a third alternative with a carousel and an antique lighthouse prism. The commission was agreeable, I understood, to naming a panel of experts to consider all the options.
However, the experts have not been called in. And the commission specifically voted to accept the mobile proposal. I just hope they haven't signed a contract with designer Jay Paulos to start working on it.
The discussion of the merry-go-round died down when Pitts didn't bring it up in his successful re-election campaign last spring. He said he made ``a gentleman's agreement'' not to make it a campaign issue ``because I truly do not want to do anything that would hurt the museum.''
``It is a wonderful thing for this city,'' Pitts said.
Part of his agreement was that the disinterested experts would make recommendations for the atrium based on what they believed would be more interesting and fun for the most children.
Like Pitts, I think the Children's Museum is wonderful.
However, I can't help but compare this recent hasty action by the Museums and Fine Arts Commission to another quick decision made by that commission to destroy the Middle Street Mall overnight and install some unattractive stuff that doesn't offer any interaction with children. The mall does not resemble what was described to City Council as an extension of the museum, and the construction succeeds in building a barrier between the museum entrance and High Street.
We don't need another expensive fiasco like that.
The last thing I want to do is hurt the museum, but avoiding controversy to keep the peace with a small group of commission members is not fair to the public that pays the bills.
I don't think we should give the final say-so to the commission, which not only seems reluctant to share the decision-making but also to consider the carousel. We should have some public discussion of the options. by CNB