LEHI — Thanksgiving Point now has better prospects of building the Museum of Natural Curiosity.

The Utah County Commission unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday to give the organization $7 million to help fund the museum.

The money, which will come from restaurant and hotel taxes, is conditional upon Thanksgiving Point receiving money from the state, as well as raising $10 million from private donors, said Commission Chairman Steve White. Lehi also gave the nonprofit $1 million.

In return for the money, Thanksgiving Point will give free tours to school children on field trips with Utah County schools.

White said the commission had several reasons for passing the resolution, one of which was to make Utah County more livable. He said many people will move to larger areas seeking the amenities that come with a larger metropolitan area.

He added that Utah County lags behind Salt Lake County and helping Thanksgiving Point is a step toward fixing that.

"This is not something we're doing because we want to give a whole bunch of money to the Ashton Family Foundation," he said. "We want to get the county on the map as far as culture and arts go."

White mentioned other construction throughout the county that will help people want to stay, such as commuter rail, the Xango remodel and the Provo Center for the Performing Arts. He said he hopes other opportunities will happen, like a regular venue for ballet, theater and symphony.

Adam Petersen, chief marketing officer for Thanksgiving Point, said the organization was excited and happy and the commission decision. He said the approval gave Thanksgiving Point a "huge momentum booster" in campaigning for money from private donors. Petersen said that although private donors had already contacted them about giving to the museum, they wanted to see how the county supported the effort.

"It (the approval) was the initial catalyst with the success of this project," he said.

Thanksgiving Point first approached Lehi, hoping that if the city provided money the county would, and if the county would, then there was more hope of receiving money from the state, said Erica VanAmen in a previous interview.

The Museum of Natural Curiosity will be next to the Children's Discovery Garden and will cost about $20 million. It will feature exhibits and hands-on learning about the environment, water power and other issues. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2009.

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E-mail: csmith@desnews.com