St. Petersburg City Council members will hear a report next week on a project meant to bring the St. Pete Science Center back online, providing educational programming for kids across the city.

The Science Center, shuttered in 2014, is located on the west side of the city at 7701 22nd Ave. North. The city of St. Pete currently owns the facility but has been considering selling it to St. Pete for STEAM, a group working to reactivate the Center.

Now, however, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch is considering keeping the site under city ownership to facilitate future water storage to add capacity for the city’s water and stormwater resources. That consideration makes next Thursday’s meeting a critical next step in reactivating the long-shuttered educational facility.

Sources expect the project report to lead to a proposed resolution supporting the sale, which would then bump the issue to Welch.

The decision will be consequential.

St. Pete STEAM and the coalition behind the project have already raised more than $9 million for the project, expected to total $25 million. With pledged financial commitments, the fundraising total is about $15 million. Funding will come from a mix of private and public sources, but the city is not being asked to contribute. Instead, the coalition has agreed to pay $1.6 million to purchase the current property.

But the location has been under consideration for a new water reclamation facility, and was identified as one of two sites most feasible.

Welch said last month he is no longer considering selling the property based on feasibility report results. But a resolution from the City Council supporting the sale could sway his position.

The feasibility report at issue examined nine sites within the Northwest St. Pete geographic area to build new water storage tanks, including the Science Center.

The study included nearby Raytheon property, but that is no longer available. The existing Northwest water reclamation facility was also under consideration, but it too was eliminated from consideration after a determination that there were better uses for the space. That left the Science Center and an existing brush site as the most feasible locations for the water project.

Both sites ranked similarly, with the brush site ranking better for ease of construction.

The difference came down to demolition costs. Because the brush site amounts to basically cleared land, except for some brush and debris piles that would need to be cleared, the Science Center’s demolition costs would be about four times as expensive.

The city’s feasibility center further looked at land acquisition costs. Because it already owns the Science Center property, no cost would be associated with acquiring that property. However, if the brush site were to be used, the city would have to acquire new land to establish a new brush site. It estimated that cost at $2.9 million, far more than the $1.6 million the St. Pete STEAM has agreed on to purchase the Science Center site.

But a presentation Florida Politics obtained points to flaws in the cost estimate included in the city’s feasibility report for new land acquisition. It used a specific address — 2401 72nd St. North — as a comparison for property value. That property includes a well-maintained warehouse that includes 7,000 square feet of office space.

That, the presentation posits, is not an accurate representation of the cost to purchase vacant land. The presentation includes an alternative estimate totaling $1.3 million — less than the $1.6 million to purchase the Science Center site. That assumes a price of $650,000 per acre for land at highest and best use, for two acres to accommodate a brush site.

“The Science Center’s mission to provide quality wraparound education to the future leaders of our county dates back to 1959. Unfortunately, it has been shuttered for the better part of a decade,” said former City Council member Robert Blackmon, who has long championed the project.

“With diverse support for the project reflecting all walks of life and political party, it baffles me that negotiations have dragged on this long. If long term, theoretical relocation of a brush site is the only obstacle, let’s work together to get it done.”

Blackmon ran unsuccessfully against Welch in his first mayoral election. Reimagining and reopening the Science Center was one of his top campaign priorities.

While the City Council is likely to discuss cost and feasibility, that’s not the only factor to be considered. The City Council will also likely discuss the inherent value an education facility would bring.

The reimagined Science Center would focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education for local students, including in public, private and charter schools. It would serve as an emerging technology hub, including a focus on artificial intelligence.

The proposal includes an AI village, which would include modular stations complete with the latest breakthrough in AI technology, offering year-round programming to immerse kids in AI topics ranging from ethics to data and computer applications.

A Cityverse Hybritorium would serve as event space for up to 220 people, with room for 100 more virtually through the use of 100 screens and cameras, giving virtual participants an experience that rivals being there in person.

The original Science Center’s planetarium would be reimagined to keep pace with today’s technology, and the plan calls for robust workspace to offer amenities beyond the classroom, as well as an idea portal and a café.

There would also be a Star Garden, an outdoor rooftop event space that doubles as a stargazing opportunity.

The plan also would preserve the site’s historic mosaic trail, a centerpiece of the original Science Center that features hand-blown and hand-painted tile work celebrating the American experience.

Ironically, St. Pete STEAM was prepared to break ground on the project two years ago. But the plan was held up because the city declared the site historic eligible, causing the coalition to work through issues with the state historic preservation board. Now, the city is contemplating ripping the mosaic trail up itself, to make way for eventual water tanks.

The project also has broad community support. Letters of support have been received from various professors at the University of South Florida, the Tampa Bay Rays, Orlando Health, state Rep. Michele Rayner, Pinellas County School Board member Caprice Edmond, and more.

And local officials have worked diligently to draw down public dollars in support of the project, including former U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, state Sen. Darryl Rouson and state Reps. Linda Chaney and Berny Jacques.

As it currently stands, the City Council is only scheduled to hear a report on the Science Center proposal, so there’s no guarantee that a resolution would be on offer, or that it would pass — though sources suggest the numbers are there. But at the very least, it will open dialogue on a community amenity that has been lost for the past 11 years.

Next week’s City Council meeting is Thursday, Sept. 25, and begins at 3 p.m. The Science Center report is so far slated as the first and only report of the meeting, which will likely draw significant attention as the City Council is also slated to issue final approval of the 2026 fiscal budget and millage rate.

Post Views: 0