Supporters of the proposed U.S. Olympic Museum in Colorado Springs have "signed a 30-year agreement" with the USOC that will "allow the venue to showcase Olympic artifacts and displays," according to a front-page piece by Rich Laden of the Colorado Springs GAZETTE. Supporters said that the agreement will "lend credibility to efforts to raise millions in private donations to help build the project." The museum's cost is estimated at $59.4M, with nearly $28M to "come from private sources." Museum BOD President Richard Celeste said that he hopes to raise $70M, which would "help create an endowment to help cover operating costs in the museum's early years." USOC Senior Dir of Communications Mark Jones said that the museum deal was "approved last month by the USOC's board and signed Tuesday" by USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. At the "conclusion of the 30-year deal, both sides could renew it for 10 years at a time." The agreement also "gives the museum authority to create a logo that incorporates" the USOC's logo or a "composite Olympic/Paralympic design." The museum would be near the USOC's HQ and "backers hope to open it" in '17. The museum would "include a U.S. Olympic hall of fame, a theater, a 20,000-square-foot exhibit hall, retail space and an outdoor plaza." Along with Olympic artifacts, it would "have interactive displays, temporary exhibits and permanent collections all relating to the U.S. and global Olympics and Paralympics" (Colorado Springs GAZETTE, 7/18).
