After Governor Mary Fallin signed legislation authorizing a $25 million bond issue to finish the incomplete American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City, the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority’s board meeting celebrated the event.
Michael O'Neal and Shane Pate, attorneys for the American Indian Cultural Center Foundation and who drafted much of the language of the measure, presented an overview to members of the board and an extensive audience. Members were hopeful the legislation will help finish the construction of the museum after years of waiting.
The 173,000-square-foot structure is located along the banks of the Oklahoma River near downtown Oklahoma City. Supporters have said the plan is the best way to finally rid the state of a project originally conceived in 1994.
The measure signed into law by Fallin on Thursday was passed by the state House and Senate in the final week of the legislative session that adjourned May 22. It would help complete the decades-old project and turn it over to the city of Oklahoma City for operation and maintenance.
The state has already spent about $90 million on the project.
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