Science Station return to downtown is certain; details far from settled

When and in what form are yet to be decided, but the Science Station will return to downtown Cedar Rapids.

“The decision has been made to return downtown,” said John Swanson, executive director of the non-profit science and technology learning center. “We're moving forward on that.”

Slowly and carefully.

The 23,000-square-foot facility perched above the Cedar River at 427 First St. SE was as battered as any downtown site by the Flood of 2008. Recovery planning is complicated by as-yet-unanswered questions over government reimbursement and future flood protection.

“The board has made a strategic decision to move downtown if at all possible, to return to the current site if at a possible and to continue to operate as the Science Station operates today,” said board President Todd Bergen. As far as a solid plan goes, however, “there's really nothing yet we can hang our hat on.”

Bergen hopes to have most questions answered and a basic rebuilding strategy by spring.

“What's most important for the board and for the community (is) that whatever we decide to do is sustainable financially,” said Bergen, director of acquisitions for AEGON USA.

Bergen's caution reflects the institution's financial difficulties in the years before the flood. The 2001 construction of the McLeod/Busse IMAX Dome Theatre saddled the Science Station with debt it couldn't afford when pledged support failed to come through and attendance lagged. A former bookkeeper pleaded guilty to embezzling $222,000 from the Science Station over 10 years; the thefts were discovered in 2004.

The setbacks led to an October 2006 appeal for public help that raised

$1.3 million to retire the Science Station's debt. The widescreen IMAX was shut down before the flood.

After the flood, operations were moved to Lindale Mall, where Swanson expects to be for the next year or two. The flood also claimed the Science Station's membership records.

Swanson said sustaining membership dropped from a peak of 600 to about 250.

With the downtown buildings secure - heaters are installed to prevent winter damage - Bergen and Swanson are waiting to hear from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on potential reimbursement for repairs to the original Science Station building, the old fire hall. Owned by the city, the building is leased to the Science Station for 99 years.

“Once they're done with their calculations, we'll know what kind of damage is present and what kind of reimbursement the city is in line for,” said Greg Eyerly, flood recovery director.

Bergen and Swanson hope repairs to the other buildings will be eligible for money from the state's I-JOBS and Community Attraction and Tourism programs. No one has a good estimate of what how much it would cost to reopen the Science Station downtown.

The city's flood-protection plan will affect the Science Station's physical layout and finances, too.

“We're evaluating what the risk (of future flood) is and what the cost of insurance would be,” Bergen said.

Input from focus groups held last year will help guide the rebuilding, including the former IMAX theater. The cylindrical structure could someday house gallery and exhibit space downstairs, beneath a planetarium.