Mecklenburg County commissioners sharply criticized Discovery Place on Tuesday, Oct. 6, after the museum said it could not repay $14.6 million in taxpayer funds set aside for construction of a new nature museum in Charlotte. County Manager Mike Bryant said he left successive meetings with museum leadership increasingly angry and lacked confidence that he would get answers from them. Commissioner Elaine Powell described the relationship between the county and Discovery Place as “parasitic.” Several commissioners said they want the county to declare Discovery Place in default and take control of the nature museum project. The available information did not specify the terms of the funding agreement, the museum’s reasons for being unable to repay the money or whether commissioners took action during Tuesday’s meeting. The dispute puts public accountability for the $14.6 million at the center of the project’s future. The county’s next steps, and any response from Discovery Place leadership, were not clear Tuesday.