The opening of the Los Angeles Children’s Museum has been delayed for a third time due to a lack of funds to complete the facility at the Hansen Dam. The cash-strapped museum needs to raise $26 million to build and install ecologically themed exhibits, the Los Angeles Times reported. The opening is now scheduled for the summer of 2010. Delays and rising construction materials costs have boosted the overall price for the new facility by 32% since officials announced the Hansen Dam location in 2002. The current estimate is $53 million, with $2 million required to operate the museum each year once it opens, the Times reported. The situation prompted Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to announce Friday that he’s joining with former Mayor Richard Riordan to recruit new directors for the museum’s 23-member board to begin a vigorous fundraising campaign to ensure the museum opens its doors, the Times said.
