Jim Richerson holds onto the hope there will be a groundswell of support for the proposed downtown museum Tuesday in voting booths all over Peoria County.
Peoria County voters will find a question on their ballot asking if they support a quarter- cent sales tax increase to fund the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
Richerson, executive director of Lakeview Museum, has for several years been working on bringing a new vision to Peoria County residents concerning a museum in Peoria — one with a more than $70 million price tag.

Big numbers
It is that price tag that has caused a backlash against Richerson’s vision.
The Block is a $136 million development. It includes a $41 million Caterpillar Experience, paid for entirely by Caterpillar. But, it will be built only if the rest of The Block is fully funded.
The $71-million Peoria Riverfront Museum would be funded through private and public sources. Richerson said more than 86 percent of the private funding has been pledged, including $13.5 million from Caterpillar.
The Museum Collaboration Group, which supports building the museum, is working to secure $35 million in public funding through a Peoria County sales tax increase of one-quarter of 1 percent, which works out to 25 cents on a qualifying $100 retail purchase. 
But, according to two Bradley University professors of economics, there are also big numbers when it comes to economic benefits from the museum.
Drs. Bob Scott and Joshua Lewer said after an examination of figures, they determined the museum will result in a project with a high positive economic impact with low economic burden for taxpayers.
“Forty million will get you $525 million in return,” said Lewer. “We will get tremendous economic stimulus from this.”
Scott said, at the most, the sales tax to benefit the museum project will cost a Peoria County resident $17 per year.
“This is far from the large numbers people have had in mind,” Scott said.
“I have never seen anything in my third of a century here with the return this has.”
He said that for every $1 invested, the county will see a $14 return.
“It’s something that happens maybe once in a lifetime,” Scott said.

Big vision
Richerson said he hopes Peoria County residents will see this as an opportunity. 
“We use taxes as an investment. Roads and schools are an investment. So is a museum. I don’t want to pay more taxes, but we pay taxes for the public good,” Richerson said.
“This is a great investment, especially during this economic time. Here’s a way we can help ourselves. We will put people to work. How often do the ducks line up like this.”
Richerson said a December survey commissioned by Peoria County gives him hope. The phone survey sought to determine voter support of a sales tax increase to help fund the museum.
The survey questioned 1,002 registered voters: 660 within the City of Peoria and 342 in Peoria County, outside the city limits. Respondents were asked whether they’d be likely to support:·       
• a sales tax increase to help fund the museum project·       
• a sales tax increase to help fund the museum project and other public facility needs·       
• a temporary sales tax increase to help fund the project and other public facility needs.
Forty-eight percent of the respondents said they would support a sales tax increase, with 8.2 percent undecided. The number of respondents in favor of a sales tax hike rose to 57.3 percent if the increase had a sunset clause.
“I think the public represents a lot of different groups — young families, seniors, business groups and cultural groups,” Richerson said.
“There’s a lot of different groups. We have to slice the bread a lot of different ways to show how it serves them. Our mix of messages is appealing and powerful.”
Richerson said that mix is needed because the museum is designed to appeal to a broad range of interests.
“We need experiences that are going to challenge people,” he said. “This museum will be about discovery.”
Richerson said what he finds maddening about the opposition is that all their concerns are in the moment, which he and the supporters are looking into the future.
“This project is about an investment in the long-term,” Richerson said. “We are in tough economic times, no doubt. This is a time for decision ... Saying no because we are now in tough economic times is short-sighted.”