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Public Act 099-0003
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| HB0373 Enrolled | LRB099 05633 JLK 25672 b |
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AN ACT concerning State government.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Park District Aquarium and Museum Act is |
amended by changing Section 1 as follows:
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(70 ILCS 1290/1) (from Ch. 105, par. 326)
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Sec. 1. Erect, operate, and maintain aquariums and museums. |
The corporate authorities of cities and park districts having |
the
control or supervision over of any public park or parks, |
including parks located on formerly submerged land, are hereby |
authorized
to purchase, erect, and maintain within any such |
public park or parks under the
control or supervision of such |
corporate authorities, edifices to be used
as aquariums or as |
museums of art, industry, science, or natural or other
history, |
including presidential libraries, centers, and museums, such |
aquariums and museums consisting of all facilities for their |
collections, exhibitions, programming, and associated |
initiatives, or to permit the directors or trustees of any |
corporation or
society organized for the construction or |
maintenance and operation of an
aquarium or museum as |
hereinabove described to erect, enlarge, ornament,
build, |
rebuild, rehabilitate, improve, maintain, and operate its |
aquarium or
museum or museums within any public park now or |
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hereafter under the control
or supervision of any city or park |
district, and to contract with any such
directors or trustees |
of any such aquarium or , museum or museums relative to
the |
erection, enlargement, ornamentation, building, rebuilding,
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rehabilitation, improvement, maintenance, ownership, and |
operation of such aquarium or museum. Notwithstanding the |
previous sentence, a city or park district may enter into a |
lease for an initial term not to exceed 99 years, subject to |
renewal, allowing a corporation or society as hereinabove |
described to erect,
enlarge, ornament, build, rebuild, |
rehabilitate, improve, maintain, and operate its aquarium or |
museum, together with grounds immediately adjacent to such |
aquarium or museum, and to use, possess, and occupy grounds |
surrounding such aquarium or museum as hereinabove described |
for the purpose of beautifying and maintaining such grounds in |
a manner consistent with the aquarium or museum's purpose, and |
on the conditions that (1) the public is allowed access to such |
grounds in a manner consistent with its access to other public |
parks, and (2) the city or park district retains a reversionary |
interest in any improvements made by the corporation or society |
on the grounds, including the aquarium or museum itself, that |
matures upon the expiration or lawful termination of the lease. |
It is hereby reaffirmed and found that the aquariums and |
museums as described in this Section, and their collections, |
exhibitions, programming, and associated initiatives, serve |
valuable public purposes, including, but not limited to, |
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furthering human knowledge and understanding, educating and |
inspiring the public, and expanding recreational and cultural |
resources and opportunities and operation thereof. Any city or
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park district may charge, or permit such an aquarium or museum |
to charge,
an admission fee. Any such aquarium or museum,
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however, shall be open without charge, when
accompanied by a |
teacher, to the children in actual attendance upon grades
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kindergarten through twelve in any of the schools in this State |
at all
times. In addition, any Any such aquarium or museum, |
however, must be open to persons who reside in this State |
without
charge
for a period equivalent to 52 days, at least 6 |
of which must be during the
period from June through August, |
each year.
Notwithstanding said provisions, charges may be made |
at any
time for
special services and for admission to special |
facilities within any
aquarium or museum for the education, |
entertainment, or convenience of
visitors. The proceeds of such |
admission fees and charges for special
services and special |
facilities shall be devoted exclusively to the
purposes for |
which the tax authorized by Section 2 hereof may be used. If
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any owner or owners of any lands or lots abutting or fronting |
on any such
public park, or adjacent thereto, have any private |
right, easement,
interest or property in such public park |
appurtenant to their lands or lots
or otherwise, which would be |
interfered with by the erection and
maintenance of any aquarium |
or museum as hereinbefore provided, or any
right to have such |
public park remain open or vacant and free from
buildings, the |