The future development of the Fairview Museum of History and Art will be determined by the town's voters at a special bond election held in conjunction with the primary election in September.
Bonds would raise $800,000 in two non-interest loans granted by the Community Impact Board, contingent upon the outcome of the election.The money would provide for expansion of the museum into an elementary school building that the North Sanpete School District has turned over to Fairview City.
The expansion would provide for space for a panorama featuring a replica of the Columbian mammoth skeleton uncovered three years ago in the Huntington Reservoir area.
The extra room would also allow for a room to house several Avard Fairbanks castings that the Fairbanks family is donating to the museum.
Landscaping, sidewalks and other improvements are also included in the development plans.
One CIB $400,000 no-interest grant provides that a portion of the money be invested in an interest-bearing account, which would repay the $400,000 at the end of 20 years.
The grant is contingent upon the passage of a bond election that would raise $20,000 annually to pay off the CIB loan over a 20-year period.
The City Council approved holding the bond election unanimously. Councilman Reed Mowet said that by sponsoring the election, the city is taking on the responsibility for the museum.
The museum's main exhibits, including hundreds from the pioneer era, are now kept in an even older elementary school building and in outdoor areas.
The Fairview Museum attracts several thousand visitors each summer, including busloads of school children who come to learn about Utah history firsthand.
The development of the mammoth panorama, which will be accompanied by slides and other representations, will enable visitors to learn something of the state's pre-history, too, museum officials said.