The Zoo-Museum District board is giving the Saint Louis Science Center a greatly improved bill of health. In the past five years the institution has reduced its debt from millions to a few hundred thousand dollars.
“There’s been a vast improvement,” said ZMD board member Charles Valier.
Previously Valier was an outspoken critic of the Science Center’s financial state. The institution’s financials were reviewed during a ZMD Board meeting held at the Science Center on Tuesday. The tone was light and jokes were made during the meeting, contrasting with many of the board’s meetings throughout the year. Valier cites Douglas Yaeger’s work as chairman of the board of commissioners for the Science Center as a significant cause of improvement.
“They were running deficits every year and what’s occurred, it’s taken three or four years for that to happen, they’ve turned that around,” said Valier.
ZMD Board Chair Thelma Cook agreed with Valier’s assessment.
“They have made great strides from a budget perspective, and they are to be commended,” she said.
The institution projects its 2015 attendance budget at 915,000 and maintains being on budget halfway through the year. The meeting also examined the Science Center’s last year in terms of attendance, which improved in one area, The Discovery Room, a full 25 percent.
Science Center President Bert Vescolani also discussed physical updates including the renovation of 4,700 square feet of space, the continued success of the institutions Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program, and possible improvements to the center’s Omnimax technology.
Note: This article has been updated. The number 915,000 reflects an attendance number not a dollar amount as previously stated and 4,700 square feet previously is for renovated space not additional space.
