Clover

Clover, SC · Municipal
The Star
WBTV
Rock Hill Herald
Rock Hill Herald
thecharlotteweekly.com
Charlotte Observer
Mecklenburg, Discovery Place reach ‘tentative' nature museum deal, manager says
Mecklenburg County has reached a tentative agreement with Discovery Place to settle a dispute over a revamped south Charlotte nature museum. But some county commissioners still have reservations. County Manager Mike Bryant told commissioners at their Thursday meeting the nonprofit museum group is now able to pay back almost $14 million owed to the county within five years. The debt stems from about $14.6 million the county agreed to lend Discovery Place in early 2024 to help cover the construction of a revamped nature museum in Freedom Park . The county owns the property and facility on Sterling Road near the Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods. Discovery Place has long operated the museum. The money was due to the county in late October, but Bryant informed commissioners at an Oct. 6 meeting that Discovery Place couldn’t make the payment. Commissioners expressed dismay with the situation, threatening to take control of the museum’s operations and hold Discovery Place in default for the money. Board chair Mark Jerrell formed an ad hoc committee to figure out what the county was willing to agree to, and that group asked county staff to explore an independent financial review of Discovery Place’s operations, assets and