King County’s 2006 budget, passed unanimously today by the Metropolitan King County Council, includes funding for three regional cultural and educational assets: McCaw Hall, the Pacific Science Center and the Seattle Aquarium.

“These three facilities draw citizens from next door and around the world,” said Council Chair Larry Phillips, whose district includes the Seattle Waterfront and the Seattle Center, home to the Pacific Science Center and McCaw Hall. “Investing in them is not only an investment in cultural enrichment for local citizens, but also an investment in the tourism economy that helps keep our region prosperous.”

King County’s 2006 budget includes $500,000 to help pay off the remaining balance on construction of Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, which is a performance venue funded through a public-private partnership. McCaw Hall is home to the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet, and hosts other concerts, lectures and gatherings.

“During the Seattle Opera’s first presentation of Wagner’s Ring cycle at McCaw Hall this summer, people came to our region from forty-nine states and nineteen countries,” said Phillips. “We should all be proud to have a world-renowned opera company and a new performance center worthy of the distinguished works and the talented artists it houses.”

King County’s $92,000 contribution to the Pacific Science Center will help pay the admission of low-income attendees, an expenditure that Phillips said, “will help keep the Pacific Science Center’s wonders available to all, regardless of income.”

King County’s 2006 budget also contributes $500,000 to the Seattle Aquarium’s capital campaign, which will pay for the renovation and expansion project that began in 2005.

“The Seattle Aquarium has served us well for many years, but the pier is getting old and our expanding population has outgrown the facility,” said Phillips. “I’m confident that King County citizens will get an immense benefit from a new expanded and improved aquarium.”