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GRAHAM — A group focused on building a new place in the Piedmont Triad for children to play and learn is well on its way to seeing that dream realized.

Almost half of the $3.9 million needed to build the nonprofit Children’s Museum of Alamance County has been raised.
In 2007, the Hayden-Harman Foundation gave momentum to the fundraising efforts by offering a $1 million matching grant.

“We wanted to do something that would stay in Alamance County for years and years,” said Phoebe Harman , who helps run the family foundation and is president of the museum’s board.

Residents, businesses and groups have responded by donating $700,000.

Alamance Mommies and the Alamance County Arts Council are among the groups that have raised funds for the facility.

The 13,500-square-foot museum could have a huge impact on Graham and Alamance County, Harman said.

“Plus it’ll be fantastic for the children,” she said.

That includes children in wheelchairs or who have special needs. The museum was designed with them in mind, too.

“We want every child to be able to go ... to feel like this is theirs,” said Carla Miller, an employee of the Hayden-Harman Foundation.

Haizlip Studio, based in Tennessee, is designing the building. Haizlip has designed and built children’s museums across the country.

The museum will be designed for children up to 10 years old, with children in the 5- to 7-year range being the most frequent visitors. Eventually the museum will add science camps and science days targeting older children.

The Children’s Museum of Alamance County will be on Main Street downtown, next to the Graham Police Department. The city has agreed to provide a long-term lease of the property to the museum for $1 each year. It will demolish two buildings on the site, prepare the land for construction, and maintain the parking lots and some landscaping.

The board hopes to break ground on the museum in 2010 and open to visitors 10 to 12 months later.

For information, go to www.cmofac.org.

Contact Jamie Kennedy Jones at jamie.kennedy@news-record.com or 449-4610