miSci will stay in Schenectady

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- miSci, the only science museum in the Capital Region, was almost lost to the deteriorating conditions of the building. A new plan has been proposed to keep the museum alive for good.

"I am so excited that they will be here and stay. They are providing an invaluable service to our children. They come, they interact with science, they get excited. And I am just thrilled they are staying," exclaimed a second-grade schoolteacher.

Teachers and kids are not the only ones excited about the news… miSci Executive Director Gina Gould is right there with them. "Hopefully, we are going to be staying here in perpetuity," said Gould.

We told you back in January the museum was battling hydrostatic pressure issues in the basement, threatening archives and exhibits such as the General Electric archives, which date back to the late 1800s. “The reason we decided we needed to leave this building is we could not afford the minimum of 8 million dollars to fix the electrical, the plumbing, the HVAC, and the basement," said Gould.

Heavy archives of pictures, documents, and films can only be housed with a certain amount of pressure on the flooring. Most office buildings provide 100 lbs. of pressure per square foot. "And we need 400 lbs. per square foot, especially with the compact shelving here," said Chris Hunter, Vice President of Collections & Exhibitions.

There are other concerns with the outdated equipment. "This is the original transformer from the original construction of the building in 1968, so in the original distribution system, they were all done for the electrical standards of the time and today with a smart grid and more efficient energy systems. It is kind of antiquated and does not quite give us the voltage we need," said Hunter.

Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara says the museum is essential to the region. "The community supports this museum. The community was very happy to see this announcement that miSci is going to have a future here. I think that is what everybody wanted. It was our job to figure out how to make that happen,” said Santabarbabra.

There is one obvious player who could make a significant difference: General Electric. "If they want to be a partner, we welcome them and hope they will be. I think it is fitting, considering there are a lot of artifacts here. A lot of it has to do with G.E. A lot of things that happen to Schenectady, General Electric was a big part of that.

The museum will start the revamp with the planetarium, upgrading the technology used to run the show. The first project is expected to be completed just in time for summer.