Report, funding shortage leads Cedar rapids Science Center to 'retrench'

A five-year operating plan drafted by a Boston consultant and lack of access to critical I-Jobs funding has prompted organizers of a proposed Cedar Rapids Science Center to “retrench” before taking a next step.

The Science Center's board in February hired White Oak & Associates of Boston, an expert in museum planning, to develop the operating plan for a $16 million educational science center.

Dan Thies, chairman of the Science Center board, said Thursday that White Oaks's more than 100-page operating economic model calls for a larger capital investment than the $16 million that had been envisioned. Thies said the plan also includes annual underwriting of the science center's operating budget.

“After reviewing the White Oak document, we are retrenching and scaling back our plans,” Thies said. “We also saw that non-profit organizations did not have access to the latest round of I-Jobs funding, which will go to the city and county.”

The I-Jobs funding was seen as key to leveraging community and corporate financial support for the Cedar Rapids Science Center.

When plans for the Cedar Rapids Science Center were disclosed in March, Thies said financial sustainability was key to whether such a facility would be built.

“If we get any ounce of deviation from ‘this makes good business sense,' we're just not going to do it,” Thies said.

Proponents of a Cedar Rapids Science Center saw the facility replacing the flood-damaged Science Station in downtown Cedar Rapids. Plans called for the former IMAX theater building, the adjacent former Cedar Rapids fire station and a new two-story structure - all in the 400 block of First Street SE – to form the 52,000-square-foot Science Center.

The Paxton building, adjacent to the old fire station, would be demolished to make way for the new building.

The Cedar Rapids Science Center would focus on programming and exhibits that local and regional educators could use to teach science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, as educators term the concept.

Todd Bergen, chairman of the Science Station board of directors, said Thursday that the Science Station continues to operate in leased space at Lindale Mall.

“We have had a very successful run of exhibits and our science camp this summer has attracted a lot of young people,” Bergen said.