That the City Council approve the rental of the Dinosaur Safari Exhibit from Omaha Children's Museum for a fee of $47,000 to be paid over the period from February 1, 2024, to February 1, 2025.

Since the Children's Museum at La Habra (Museum) first opened its doors in 1977, it has provided interactive and enriching hands-on exhibits that serve to teach children and visitors about the arts, sciences, other cultures, and more. The Museum features seven galleries with dozens of hands-on exhibits, an outdoor dinosaur garden, a historic 1942 train caboose, and an exhibit space that allows for two new exhibits each year. In addition, the Museum serves as a community resource and is an education center for children, teachers, and their families. Not only does it attract local visitors and over 50 school districts each year, but it also has a large regional draw, bringing in visitors from all over Southern California. As such, the Museum continues to evolve and its goal is to bring new and stimulating exhibits and attractions to entice guests to visit on a regular basis. 

In order to achieve this goal, Museum staff researched potential new exhibits and determined a dinosaur-themed exhibit would not only promote the Museum's brand (new mascot and dinosaur garden), but would provide a completely new experience for guests visiting the Museum.  Staff contacted the Omaha Children's Museum to bring their "Dinosaur Safari" traveling exhibit to the City of La Habra for a six-month visit. The exhibit will allow children to dive into the prehistoric world of dinosaurs as they take on the role of a paleontologist, and offers fossil dig stations, animatronic dinosaurs, a model safari Jeep, and all the necessary equipment to stage these accessories, such as lighting, speakers, costumes, and electronic controls.  Furthermore, the traveling exhibit will be housed in the space of the changing gallery that is currently occupied by the "Empire on the Nile" exhibit. Staff measured the dimensions of the current changing gallery space and determined that the space will be able to accommodate the traveling exhibit. 

If approved by the City Council, this exhibit would open on March 4, 2025, and run until August 17, 2025, for a total rental cost of $47,000.

There is no impact to the General Fund if this rental agreement is approved. Funding for this agreement will be covered by Museum admissions, as well as membership subscriptions and donations from the Friends of the Children's Museum at La Habra and The Museum Guild. The total rental fee for the exhibit is $47,000, with $15,000 due at the time the rental agreement is signed. The remaining balance will be paid in installments of $10,000 due June 1, 2024, $10,000 due October 1, 2024, and $12,000 due February 1, 2025. There are sufficient reserves in the Children's Museum fund balance to fund the cost of this agreement.