With plans for permanent building, Kidzu seeks input from public

Kidzu Children's Museum is seeking input from the community as it works on plans to potentially build a 20,000 to 30,000-square-foot permanent museum on the edge of Southern Village.

Posted 5:52 p.m. Jul 12, 2018 — Updated 5:52 p.m. Jul 12, 2018

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

, Go Ask Mom editor

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Kidzu Children's Museum is seeking input from the community as it works on plans to potentially build a 20,000 to 30,000-square-foot permanent museum on the edge of Southern Village.

In the late spring, Chapel Hill's town council agreed to take a deeper look at Kidzu's request to assess and discuss the potential location of the new Kidzu on the town-owned land. Town officials will take a closer look this fall.

In the meantime, Kidzu is working to build its case for a bigger and more permanent children's museum in Chapel Hill.

The museum has scheduled three listening sessions, which are open to the public. During the free events, Kidzu will share its plans and then listen to the public's ideas about what Kidzu is doing well right now in its space at University Place and what more the museum could offer.

The listening sessions are scheduled 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., July 21; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., July 25; and noon to 2 p.m., Aug. 5. Refreshments will be provided. You can RSVP on Kidzu's website. Starting July 18 through Aug. 5, Kidzu also will have an area in the museum where the public can share their thoughts at any time.

"We've jumped from place to place, trying to grow and give more and be more for our community's children," said Candace King, Kidzu's communications manager. "This is our opporunity to be the best we can be and be that large, permanent space to serve our community."

Triangle's nomadic museum

Kidzu has been a bit of a nomadic museum over the past dozen years. The museum first opened on Franklin Street and then moved to another spot on Franklin. It's been in a couple of spots at University Place. Plans to build atop a parking deck in downtown Chapel Hill and, later, in another location in Carrboro, fell through.

Despite the moves, Kidzu has been able to build a strong following. A dozen years ago, no more than 15,000 people walked through its doors each year. Last year, 100,000 people visited the museum, which offers activities for babies to tweens.

Durham has its Museum of Life and Science and Raleigh boasts both Marbles Kids Museum and the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences. King said Chapel Hill's children and families deserve a permanent museum.

"That's something that's missing when you look at Durham and Raleigh," she said. "Even the one in Alamance County is double our size. And Chatham County doesn't have any children's museum. ... We think it would be a great cornerstone to get families up from Chatham County."

Plans only preliminary

Right now, any plans are preliminary as town officials consider Kidzu's request for the land, which sits right next to the park-and-ride lot off 15/501 at Southern Village.

Kidzu has a few sketches mocked up that feature a two-story building with a waterfall-like water recycling system along one side and lots of windows to look out on nature and in at the play inside. If Chapel Hill approves Kidzu's plans, the museum would launch a campaign to raise money for the project.

King encourages people to come out to the listening sessions - or share their input at the museum if they can't make it to one of the scheduled gatherings.

"We're encouraging the community to tell us what they've enjoyed about Kidzu so far," King said, "and what they hope to see."

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