The Willamette Science and Technology Center decided to close Tuesday after 35 years of providing science and math to youths in Eugene.
The closure came as a result of Monday night’s Eugene City Council decision allowing the University to build a bus transit station on a parking lot that WISTEC currently uses to produce revenues, WISTEC Executive Director Meg Trendler said. WISTEC, a non-profit organization, depends on that revenue for a hefty portion of its operating budget.
University officials argue that the museum should be able to stay open with the compensation they offered for the next five years, an amount based on past revenue projections.
“We made a commitment to replace the parking revenue until the year 2006 when discussions began last fall,” said Dan Williams, vice president of administration for the University. “We were offering slightly over $200,000, and I have trouble understanding how this wasn’t enough to keep the museum open.”
Trendler argues that the amount offered by the University is not enough for the museum to stay open, and has officially rejected its offer. Trendler said the University’s offer should have covered costs through the year 2007, which would have amounted to $300,000.
The University began allowing WISTEC the use of the parking lot next to Autzen Stadium three years ago, and let the museum make money by charging people to park there during University football games. Now, the University wants the lot back in order to continue with its expansion of the stadium.
The expansion includes adding 12,100 new seats, which requires additional parking to be built in accordance with Eugene building codes. As an alternative to adding more parking space, the University will add a transit center to allow more fans to be bused to games, rather than drive.
Eugene City Councilor David Kelly said his goal during Monday night’s meeting was to find a way to move the Autzen Stadium development forward, while still keeping WISTEC open.
“We wanted to find a way that the University could provide compensation for the loss of WISTEC’s revenue,” Kelly said.
Kelly also said that the amount the University suggested could have been increased, had Councilor Bonny Bettman’s defeated amendment been passed by the council. The amendment also proposed providing other city lots as sources of revenue for WISTEC.
“If Councilor Bettman’s amendment had been passed, we wouldn’t need to close our doors,” Trendler said.
Three other locations for the transit station had been considered, but Kelly said the University and the City Council decided the lot next to Autzen was the most practical.
Williams argues that the lot is leased to the University, which let WISTEC use the lot in the first place.
“WISTEC has known since last fall that we wanted the lot back, and it’s not accurate or fair for them to make the University seem responsible [for the museum closing],” Williams said.
Regardless of where blame might lie, Trendler said it was the council’s decision to allow the University to go ahead with its plan to build the transit station.
WISTEC will decide Monday on a plan for closing the museum.