SOUTH FLORIDA SCIENCE MUSEUM BREAKS GROUND FOR EXPANSION
Public is invited to free community celebration on April 5
(West Palm Beach, FL) Launching the South Florida Science Museum on a path from good to great, Museum leadership and community leaders are inviting the general public to a free groundbreaking reception on April 5, 2012 at 10 a.m. Featuring entertainment, refreshments, interactive science experiments and more, the celebration will honor the Museum’s past 50 years as a beloved South Florida institution, and unveil plans to build the right foundation at the right time for the Museum’s next 50 years.
Earlier this year, the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a $2.4 million grant for the Museum’s newly revised expansion plan. Coupled with monies raised from the Museum’s staff and board members, the current $3 million in cash and pledges for the campaign is enough for the Museum to break ground on a 6,000-square-foot expansion and to renovate the current main exhibit spaces.
“For more than 50 years, the South Florida Science Museum has inspired families and out-of-town visitors with hands-on, minds-on experiences,” said Lew Crampton, Museum CEO. “Today with more than 150,000 visitors per year and an additional 45,000 students being served by the Museum, we aim to redefine the way we think, learn and interact with science in our lives. It’s important to note that the South Florida Science Museum is currently the second busiest science center in the country. This expansion will take the Museum from a good institution to a great one. This community deserves an incredible science center and the time is right to move forward with this next step.”
The South Florida Science Museum is the only public museum for science, technology and natural history education in Palm Beach County. The new Museum will feature state of the art, hands-on exhibitions, including a new travelling exhibition hall to showcase top new exhibits, an expanded aquarium, and an interactive Everglades Adventure. The expansion project is targeted for completion in December 2013, and the Museum will remain open during construction.
“After hosting 5 million visitors, the pressing need for this project is clear,” continued Crampton. “As the leading cultural and educational resource in Palm Beach County devoted to science and technology, the current facilities are too cramped and worn. Currently, we can’t even accommodate many really great traveling exhibits – we’re just too small. And the demand for the museum is growing annually as the region grows with the addition of new families. Our community’s school children deserve a state-of-the-art facility to engage them in learning about science and technology, so essential to securing good jobs and assuring our nation’s future in an increasingly competitive world.”
According to Crampton, the Museum will launch a $1.5 million capital campaign over the next 18 months to add quality exhibits and new visitor amenities to the current expansion plans. Additional plans for the capital campaign include: a new permanent interactive exhibit featuring “Science on a Sphere”, an exploration of our world’s climate and natural environment with particular focus on our region’s specialty, the hurricane; an Everglades exhibit including aquatic tanks, an outdoor interpretive display and a simulated airboat ride; and a newly expanded Science and Nature path.
Groundbreaking plans include presentations by County Commissioner Shelley Vana, City of West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio, Museum CEO Lew Crampton and Museum Board of Trustees President Matt Lorentzen. The Palm Beach Atlantic University dance ensemble will perform and guests are invited to tour the current Museum and participate in interactive science experiments for free. Advance reservations are required.
The South Florida Science Museum is located at 4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach. To attend the Museum’s free groundbreaking festivities or to support the capital campaign efforts, please reach Kristina Holt at (561) 370-7740 or kholt@sfsm.org, or visit the Museum’s website at www.sfsm.org.
