By Nicholas Filipas
Record Staff Writer
What began as ideas drawn across blueprints now is closer to reality as the expected expansion of the World of Wonders Science Museum finally has an identity.
The museum’s board of directors showcased artist renderings and additional information about the project during a meeting Tuesday.
Museum CEO Sally Snyde confirmed in 2017 about plans for its location in downtown Lodi to eventually cover the entire block of North Sacramento Street directly off West Elm Street.
On Wednesday, Snyde said the nonprofit museum is in escrow with five nearby buildings. Negotiations for several more are still underway.
Eventually, the rest of the block that has either been vacant or boarded up will be leveled and rebuilt.
“We’re looking at a five-year plan, and so much more money has to be raised,” Snyde said.
The planned expansion will look to serve hundreds of thousands of more students a year in neighboring counties like Sacramento, Calaveras and Solano. The price tag was first estimated to be around $19 million, but Snyde said it has since increased to $30 million, costs that will strictly be paid through grants and public donations.
The expansion will look to add 42,000 square feet of additional space toward a vast science and cultural center.
A media dome will present movies, 3-D videos, live video streaming and planetarium shows. Next door, an open-air amphitheater can host numerous live events, music and outdoor movie screenings.
There’s also a larger WOW bookstore, café and a carousel, featuring hand-carved and painted indigenous animals of San Joaquin County. Other highlights include four new classrooms, a pedestrian-only science boulevard and a larger science store.
While the museum currently is open for business from Wednesday through Mondays, officials said by 2020 the location will be open for seven days a week.
Since celebrating its 10th anniversary in March, the WOW Museum has seen considerable growth. Last year, officials said they accommodated more than 80,000 visitors at its location and through several outreach programs.
For more information on the WOW Museum, go to wowsciencemuseum.tecnotia.com/.
Contact reporter Nicholas Filipas at (209) 546-8257 or nfilipas@recordnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasfilipas.