Board advances plans for Henderson Space and Science Center

By Erin Dostal

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 | 4:19 p.m.

In an effort to continue to promote the Henderson Space and Science Center years before its completion, the center's board is advancing its design plans and organizing a speaker series at local libraries.

Board member Jim Frey also announced Tuesday that the first speaker, Henry Sun, assistant research professor at the Desert Research Institute, will present at Galleria at Sunset Mall, outside the library on the first floor, he said. The event is free to the public and will begin at 7 p.m.

Sun will speak on the topic, “The Search for Life on Mars,” Frey said. The speech is expected to last about 40 minutes, plus a question and answer session. Frey said the center’s board hopes to host quarterly speakers until the museum opens, although no other speakers have yet been scheduled.

Frey said that Sun’s speaking engagement won't cost the board anything. But he didn’t rule out the fact that some money might be spend on speakers in the future.

The space and science center board already has an exhibit at Galleria at Sunset Mall: “Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins.”

Nearly 15,000 visitors have seen that exhibit since its debut on May 22, bringing in nearly $52,000, according to Project Manager Ray Shubinski. At its inception, Shubinski said he hoped the approximately $60,000 exhibit would garner about 20,000 visitors during the its 12-weeks at the mall.

“The exhibit and lecture series are programs that the space and science center can run without a building,” Frey said, adding that these events will help keep the public’s interest in the project as plans and building are completed.

The board also initiated a plan Tuesday night to select an architecture firm to design the museum.

“A lot of us would like to keep the work local,” said board member Larry Carroll during his presentation about the future museum. Several architecture firms have already expressed interest, Carroll said.

The board will select a committee of its own members to choose the most viable candidate. The board did not present a concrete timetable about when the final architecture firm would be chosen.

The final building is planned to be 87,000 square feet, Carroll said. He said 35,000 square feet will likely be dedicated to rotating exhibits, 7,000 square feet will likely be for permanent exhibits and 15,000 square feet should be dedicated to common areas where people can walk and gather.

The Henderson Space and Science Center is estimated to cost $63 million. It is expected to be completed during the next five years.