Bills Include $2 Million for Projects

NOVEMBER 20, 2003 -- The U.S. Senate approved $1 million in
funding for A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum.

The Senate has included $1 million to support the relocation of the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum in its version of the Department of Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. Members of the Senate and House will now meet in a conference committee to work out the differences between the two spending bills.

"We are deeply grateful to Senator Carl Levin and Senator Debbie Stabenow for their consistent support of this project," said Stan Dyl II, director of the mineral museum. "This appropriation, should we get it, will do a great deal to catalyze this project."

Museum planners hope to move the facility, located on the fifth floor of the Electrical Energy Resources Center, to the Quincy Mine Hoist site of the Keweenaw National Historical Park. The estimated cost of the entire relocation project is $17 million.

"If this appropriation passes, its impact will be felt immediately," Dyl said. "We'll begin rehabilitating the blacksmith and machine shop buildings to accommodate the museum."

"All of this is really, really good news for us," said Dale Tahtinen, vice president for governmental relations. "We owe a debt of gratitude to Senator Levin, Senator Stabenow and Congressman Stupak for their tireless efforts on behalf of Michigan Tech."

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Email: Marcia Goodrich
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