The State House is endorsing a bill to renovate the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. House Bill 1047 passed with unanimous approval.
The bill allocates nearly 20 million dollars for the project. The money would go to fixing structural issues on the aging building and expanding artifact storage. The renovation would also include more interactive exhibits.
Republican Representative Chris Karr of District 11 sponsored the bill. He says the center is more than just a museum.
“So the proposed renovation will ensure proper preservation, exhibition, interpretation of the photographs, the records, the documents, the historic artifacts will enable the historians, researchers and museum professionals to be able to properly store them, archive them and make them available for the public so the public can understand South Dakota's great history.”
The measure would go into effect immediately upon the Senate passing it and the governor signing it.