Merced business leaders have big plans for science museum

The Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce showed off its early plans for a hands-on science museum during a gathering Friday.

The chamber is calling the museum the International Science Station, which they hope can fill the void left by the closing of the Challenger Learning Center, which was shuttered in 2012 because of funding problems.

A meeting in downtown Merced’s Gateway Gardens highlighted the plans for interactive displays that would focus on water, agriculture, energy, technology and space.

“Primarily local kids would participate with their schools,” said Shawn Dwyer, president of the Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce.

Dwyer said the center could also become a tourist destination or a place corporations use for “team-building.”

Plan A is to put the science museum in a multistory building at 335 W. Main St. The main floor is 15,000 square feet, and the second story is 3,500 square feet. Planners said they have hopes for virtual reality machines that highlight technology used in this region – like tractors and drones – as well as one for space travel.

There are also other potential sites for the museum.

Daniel Kazakos, president of Merced Main Street Association, said getting children interested in science is important. It’s particularly important as local children are growing up a stone’s throw from UC Merced, a research university with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math.

The first hurdle, buying a building, is the most important to clear, he said. The other pieces should fall into place easily after that.

Kazakos said the building would need to be purchased using corporate and community funding. He said the chamber has commitments from several groups, but it remains unclear how much has been raised for the project.

One visitor who perused the displays on Friday was Vince Roos, who is the assistant director for community development at Merced Center, an extension of Fresno Pacific University.

He said the plans for the science museum looked interesting, and said anything that can promote the city and education would be a benefit to Merced.

This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Merced business leaders have big plans for science museum."