The Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium is one step closer to building the first major expansion on the historic building dedicated to natural sciences.
The Museum Trustees voted earlier this month to move forward with the nearly $2.5 million addition that will create a 6,000 square foot, 3-story Science Annex on the rear of the museum. If all goes according to plan, the new space that will house hands-on exhibits for astronomy and meteorology will be open to the public before the Earth completes one full orbit around the sun.
The plan was first publicly revealed in September, at which time Executive Director Adam Kane expressed hope and optimism that a $2 million grant the museum applied for would fund the lionâs share of the project. In the intervening months the museum learned that particular application for CARES Act money from the federal Economic Development Administration was denied. While the loss of that grant raised challenges to the project, an unexpected influx of $500,