AKRON, Ohio – Akron City Council has approved a 10-year lease with Akron Children’s Museum to increase the museum’s space in the O’Neil’s parking deck next to Lock 3 in downtown.

The museum will pay $26,247.50 the first year, and rent will increase by 2.5% each year, starting in 2021. Under the terms, the museum will have an additional 999-square-feet, for a total of 10,499-square-feet on the ground floor of the deck at Main and State streets.

When it opened in 2016, the museum had a year-to-year lease with the city to occupy 6,500-square feet of space in the parking deck. That expanded to 9,500-square-feet over the years.

“I’m pleased to report that our partnership with the Akron Children’s Museum continues to bear fruit,” Deputy Mayor James Hardy told the Planning Committee earlier this month. “If anyone has been down there with kids or grandkids, it is an incredible asset, not just for downtown, but for the entire city.”

Hardy said the museum is expanding and in need of additional space, and that a long-term lease could bring a sense of stability for both the museum and the city.

The museum may request a rent credit from the city for certain improvements to the space, including remodeling bathrooms, improving the HVAC system for the entire deck and installing doors accessible for people with disabilities.

Traci Buckner, executive director of Akron Children’s Museum, told cleveland.com Tuesday that Akron’s decision to enter into a 10-year lease with the museum sends an “important message” to area families: “City officials recognize the value the museum brings to our city and support our efforts to provide fun learning experiences for children and families.”

Buckner said the expanded space will include more interactive exhibits, a sensory room, a family restroom and a STEAM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Learning Lab that will also function as a community meeting room and party space.

Akron natives Betsy and Ryan Hartschuh worked to make the museum a reality for more than four years. They designed the museum based on resources from the Association of Children’s Museums and conducted a $350,000 fundraising campaign.

“Just a few years ago, ACM was a dream in the heart of our founders,” Buckner said. “Today, it is a play destination of choice in Akron and beyond. We look forward to the many imaginative possibilities that are on the horizon.”

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