Huntsville gives $250,000 to help with U.S. Space & Rocket Center debt

From Blog.al.com: Huntsville gives $250,000 to help with U.S. Space & Rocket Center debt
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The U.S. Space & Rocket Center's efforts to dig out of debt just got a boost from the city of Huntsville.

At the urging of Mayor Tommy Battle, the City Council voted Thursday night to give the Space Center a one-time emergency appropriation of $250,000.

Battle said the money, which is on top of $75,000 earmarked for Space Center operations in the city's 2012 budget, will come from cash left over when the fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

"We're doing what we can," Battle said Friday. "Obviously, we can't (give extra money) to every outside agency. But in the case of the Space & Rocket Center with the amount of tax dollars they return, this is a wise investment of the city's money."

The council's action follows the Space Center's second round of layoffs this year as new CEO Deborah Barnhart attempts to bring expenses in line with available operating money.

Barnhart cut 16 employees in February and five more on Sept. 30, including positions in museum and camp operations, merchandising, special events and food services. The layoffs are expected to reduce the Space Center's payroll by about $1.7 million.

Seven more full-time jobs at the museum were turned into part-time or temporary positions.

The Space Center owes about $19 million related to construction of the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, the Saturn V rocket and other projects. It is required to make a $500,000 debt service payment every six months, Barnhart said.

With the city's financial support, plus efforts to attract more international students and corporate Space Camps during the slower fall and winter months, Barnhart said the museum is "well positioned" to make the next scheduled payment in March.

Also, the Space Center has received a partial insurance payment of $293,000 to help offset operating losses in the aftermath of the April 27 tornadoes.

"I thank the mayor and the council," Barnhart said Friday. "It's just a sign of their confidence in our future and our ability to manage the problem and become a financially healthy organization again."

"We're really attacking the financial issue on all sides."

The Space Center drew about 550,000 visitors last year, making it Alabama's most popular single tourist destination. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is the state's top attraction.

In recent weeks, both FEMA and the Federal Aviation Administration have flown senior executives to Huntsville for Space Camp team-building activities, Barnhart said.

She has high hopes for a new exhibit starting Friday featuring the history of space pioneer and Huntsville icon Dr. Wernher von Braun, who would have turned 100 on March 23, 2012.

Called "100 Years of Von Braun: His American Journey," the exhibit includes detailed rocket drawings made by von Braun as a teenager, hunting trophies, doctoral robes and other personal items culled from the Space Center's archives.

Another traveling exhibit, "Mammoths and Mastodons," is scheduled for next summer.

While Battle said Huntsville cannot afford to help every cash-strapped agency, he noted that the city gave $70,000 to the Arts Council earlier this year to cover Panoply Arts Festival losses. Panoply was canceled because of the tornadoes.

"You don't want to see this on an ongoing basis," he said. "But for help through extraordinary times, I think it's a wise move."