City to Help Fund Wildlife Museum

Fillmore officials have agreed to spend about $100,000 to bring a natural history museum to downtown Fillmore.

The City Council voted 4 to 1 this week to approve the financial package that will help the nonprofit Wildlife Educators of America open the museum by June 1 in a former grocery store building on the 400 block of Central Avenue.

“We’re going to fill it with dioramas and rare and exotic animal species,” said Mayor Roger Campbell, who spearheaded the effort. The museum is expected to offer animal shows on the weekends.

Only Councilman Don Gunderson voted against approving the agreement, though he did not oppose the idea. Gunderson wanted more information on the museum’s municipal financing.

The agreement calls for the city to contribute $100,000 to help open the museum and to forgive the entire loan after 10 years should the museum remain in operation.

The city, however, expects to make the money back in about 8 1/2 years by receiving a portion of ticket receipts, Campbell said.

Also, the city will install surplus air conditioners in the 6,000-square-foot building.

The air conditioners were used to cool large tents that businesses operated from during the Northridge earthquake.

Municipal officials view the museum as another attraction to lure tourists. The marketing could start immediately, they said.

A lynx and other animals from the Wildlife Educators of America collection are scheduled to appear Friday on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.”