Powers generally.

The commission shall be authorized:

(1) To investigate and select an available site for housing the exhibits, including the surrounding grounds, in cooperation with the Department of the Army and the community, taking into consideration all pertinent factors affecting the suitability of such site;

(2) To acquire by rent or lease agreement or otherwise the necessary housing facilities and to establish, improve and enlarge the available facility, including providing it with necessary equipment, furnishings, landscaping and related facilities, including parking areas and ramps, roadways, sewers, curbs and gutters;

(3) To enter into such contracts and cooperative agreements with the local, state and federal governments, with agencies of such governments, including the Department of the Army and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with private individuals, corporations, associations and other organizations as the commission may deem necessary or convenient to carry out the purpose of this article, such contracts and agreements to include leases to private industry;

(4) To borrow money from private sources or such other sources as may be acceptable to the commission under such terms and conditions as may be provided by law and, in order to provide security for the repayment of any such private loans, to pledge such future revenues from admissions and any other sources as may from time to time be necessary or desirable;

(5) To issue and sell, subject to the approval of the Governor, interest-bearing general obligation bonds not in excess of $1,900,000.00 in principal amount as authorized by constitutional amendment. Such bonds shall be general obligations of the State of Alabama with full faith and credit and taxing power of the state to be pledged to the prompt and faithful payment of the principal of the bonds and the interest thereon. The proceeds from the sale of such bonds shall be used exclusively for the purpose of paying the expenses incurred in the sale and issuance thereof and for the construction, establishment, improvement or enlargement and equipment of building facilities and related grounds, including the renewal or replacement of structural parts of such facility, but not including the purchase of the site for such facility;

(6) To issue and sell at any time and from time to time its revenue bonds for the purpose of providing funds to acquire, enlarge, improve, equip and maintain a facility and for the payment of obligations incurred for such purposes. The principal and interest on any such revenue bonds shall be payable solely out of the revenues derived from the project;

(7) To borrow money and in evidence of such borrowing to issue and sell at any time and from time to time its revenue bonds (in addition to those authorized under subdivisions (5) and (6) hereof) for the purpose of carrying out the commission's power to construct or acquire lodging facilities, as set out in Section 41-9-430, the principal of and interest on which shall be payable solely out of the revenues and receipts derived by the commission from the operation, leasing or sale of the lodging facilities. The resolution under which such revenue bonds are authorized to be issued and any mortgage and deed of trust or trust indenture securing same may contain any agreements and provisions respecting the operation, maintenance and insurance of the property covered by said mortgage and deed of trust or trust indenture, the use of the revenues and receipts subject to such mortgage and deed of trust or trust indenture, the creation and maintenance of special funds from such revenues and receipts, the rights, duties and remedies of the parties to any such instrument and the parties for the benefit of whom such instrument is made and the rights and remedies available in the event of default as the commission shall deem advisable and which are not in conflict herewith. Each pledge, agreement, mortgage and deed of trust or trust indenture made for the benefit or security of any of such revenue bonds of the commission shall continue effective until the principal of and interest on the bonds for the benefit of which the same were made shall have been fully paid. In the event of default in such payment or in any agreements of the commission made as a part of the contract under which such revenue bonds were issued, whether contained in the proceedings authorizing those bonds or in any mortgage and deed of trust or trust indenture executed as security therefor, said payment may be enforced by mandamus, the appointment of a receiver, or either of said remedies, and foreclosure of such mortgage and deed of trust or trust indenture may, if provided for in said instrument, be had;

(8) To make such contracts in the issuance of its bonds as may seem necessary or desirable to assure their marketability and to provide for their retirement by a pledge of all or any revenue which may come to the commission from the investment of the proceeds of the sale of such bonds or from any other source whatsoever;

(9) To accept public or private gifts, grants and donations;

(10) To acquire property by purchase, lease, gift or license, such power not to include the purchase of a site for the facility;

(11) To allocate and expend funds from all donations, income and revenue from any source whatsoever coming into its treasury for the fulfillment and accomplishment of its duties and responsibilities in such manner as may be necessary and appropriate for the perfection of the purposes of this article;

(12) To sell, convey, transfer, mortgage, lease or donate any property, franchise, grant, easement, license or lease or interest therein which it may own and to transfer, assign, sell, mortgage, convey or donate any right, title or interest which it may have in any lease, contract, agreement, license or property;

(13) To employ an executive director and such additional personnel as may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of this article. The executive director and such additional personnel as may be employed by the commission will serve at the pleasure of the commission. The commission shall fix the compensation of the executive director, and such additional personnel and such compensation shall be paid from the funds of the commission. The commission shall designate the duties and authority of the executive director and such additional personnel. The executive director and such additional personnel shall not be subject to the provisions of the state Merit System Act; provided, however, that they shall be eligible for participation in the state health insurance plan and benefits as provided in Sections 36-29-1 through 36-29-12, and they shall be eligible for participation in the State Employees' Retirement System under the provisions of Section 36-27-6 governing counties, cities, towns and other quasi-public organizations of the state;

(14) To make such rules and regulations as the commission may deem necessary and desirable to provide for the operation, management and control of the facility in cooperation with the Department of the Army and with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and

(15) To expend funds of the commission in the development, operation, promotion and expansion of the programs and activities of the commission including the franchising, nationally and internationally, of the United States Space Camp, a youth science program developed and owned by the commission; and

(16) To perform such other acts necessary or incidental to the accomplishment of the purposes of this article, whether or not specifically authorized in this section, and not otherwise prohibited by law.

(Acts 1965, No. 863, p. 1605, §3; Acts 1969, No. 280, p. 611, §1; Acts 1971, No. 2339, p. 3772; Acts 1983, No. 83-567, p. 868, §2; Acts 1985, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 85-987, p. 333, §1.)