High hopes for planetarium; Restoration should be done by year’s end

As published in the Record Journal Friday June 14, 2013
By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235Twitter:@ericvoRJ


WALLINGFORD — The Wallingford Education Foundation expects to restore the Mahan Planetarium and Learning Dome at Sheehan High School by the end of the year, according to David Baker, the foundation’s chairman.

“We’re hoping to have it done by the end of the fall or by the end of the calendar year,” Baker said. “I’m very optimistic we’ll get it done by the end of the year.”

The WEF has been working for 2½ years to raise money for the restoration. As of Thursday, $43,000 has been raised.

 

The organization originally thought it would need $300,000, Baker said, but after finding a cheaper projection system, the amount needed was cut to $100,000.

 

“The new system is a more portable unit and costs $78,000 for the projection unit alone,” Baker said. “We can also buy preprogrammed shows with it. So with the $100,000, we can buy extra shows.”

 

The foundation has also been approved by the Town Council to be part of the Neighborhood Assistance Program. The state program provides a tax credit to business firms that make cash investments in qualifying community programs conducted by tax-exempt or municipal agencies.

 

The other organizations approved for the program are Gaylord Hospital, Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven, Meriden-WallingfordChrysalis, MidState Medical Center, Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club and the Wallingford Family YMCA.

 

If a business donates money to one of these organizations, it’s eligible to receive up to $150,000 in a state tax credit. The only exception is Meriden- Wallingford Chrysalis, for which the largest tax credit available is $10,000.

 

“It’s essentially a state program that a municipality helps facilitate,” said Don Roe, state and federal program administrator for the town’s Program Planning Department.

 

The WEF has been on the list for the past two years, Baker said. Being approved by the Town Council to participate in this program “is incentive for (businesses) to keep the funds locally,” Baker said.

 

Although businesses receive a tax credit for their contributions, Baker said, it is unclear if participating in the NeighborhoodAssistance Programyields more donations.

 

“It’s hard to say. We’ve been raising (money) for 2½ years,” he said. “It’s hard to say if that’s relatable. It could very well be, but we just don’t know about it.”

 

Baker said he is waiting to see if the organization will receive a number of grants it applied for.

 

Once the new system is purchased, restoring the planetarium will be a quick process. The old projector simply has to be removed and replaced. Baker said it will only take a day to train teachers on the new equipment.

 

“The system is really easy to install. It’s very mobile and the control panel is like an iPad,” Baker said. “It takes a day to get it installed; it’s very simple.”