Of the $25 million the city of San Diego is getting from the state's $310 billion spending plan, more than $7 million will be spent largely on infrastructure projects inside two familiar places.
“We’re so excited and so grateful," said Chris LaZich, vice president for advancement at the Fleet Science Center.
The Fleet is getting the biggest piece of the pie. They’ll use it to transform a couple of spaces, including moving the museum entrance back to its original location near the IMAX theater.
“This gallery can be a space that is free to the public in front of what we call the paywall," LaZich said.
LaZich said the space will be filled with exhibits showcasing the science being done in San Diego County. The current entrance will be transformed too, making use of its 32-foot high ceiling.
“What we are planning to do is make (the enterance) into a gallery space where we can put a climbing tree that goes all the way up through that space rather than just using the bottom half," LaZich said.
A space in the basement that hasn’t been used in 20 years will become home to an exhibit called Science of the Impossible. Master magician Jason Latimer is designing it.
“So, invisibility, mind control — these kinds of concepts ... (and) how science is making that real," she said. LaZich added that the idea is to get children to think about science and the mind.
Across the way from the Fleet, the Natural History Museum is getting the second biggest chunk of funding — $1.3 million.
“We are really excited and grateful to be getting this money," said a smiling Judy Gradwohl, president and CEO of the museum.
Gradwohl said the museum will use the money for repairs and upgrades.
“We are looking at replacing our roof. We’ve got an air conditioning system that needs work and several other things that will all provide energy savings," she said.
The rest of the $25 million will be split among a wide array of projects; everything from funding the design of a new Lake Hodges Dam to the creation of a regional gun violence response task force and the construction of the Grant Park River Center in Mission Valley.
Five hundred thousand dollars will go to Balboa Park to keep the music playing. Specifically, the money will be used to refurbish the iconic Spreckels Organ.
