Even before opening, cutbacks at science museum

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The doors opened Friday at the sparkling nine-story, $165 million Connecticut Science Center, a dramatic addition to the riverfront and the latest project aiming to breathe to life into the capital city.

But the bold project faced financial troubles even before it opened, thrust into being during a rocky economic climate that science museums across the country are facing.

Payroll at the Connecticut Science Center has been slashed about 8% and as many as 10 jobs were eliminated, some before they were filled. The 144,000-square-foot center expected to get about 15% of its annual budget from the state, but Gov. M. Jodi Rell's most recent proposed budget eliminates all state funding for the center as it copes with a deficit of as much as $8.7 billion.

"We had certainly hoped to open with a bank account that would help us in difficult times like these, and that account is not what we expected," said Matt Fleury, the center's CEO and president.

But officials are pleased that none of the center's colorful interactive exhibits — including a Mars flyover, a helmet crash test and Connecticut River insects — were altered because of the cuts. Fleury said the center also anticipates gathering all the donations pledged during the center's $165 million capital campaign.

Advocates say science centers are a powerful tool for fostering an interest in math and science. Globally, science centers attracted 81.2 million visitors in 2008, with 60.3 million of those visits taking place in the U.S., said the Association of Science-Technology Centers.

Joan Ferrini-Mundy, a division head at the National Science Foundation, said science centers and museums are a necessary component in creating a "science-savvy" public.

But the recession is having an impact on centers in Connecticut and elsewhere. The New York Hall of Science in Queens cut its $14 million budget about 15%, and the St. Louis Science Center imposed cutbacks on staffing and travel.

"We recognize that in order to have a future we need to make sure we're being responsible today," said Brad Nuccio, senior vice president of business for the St. Louis center.