Indiana Michigan Power is proud to partner with Fort Wayne’s Science Central as they start the museum’s Demonstration Theater remodel project.
Science Central kicked off the project with a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 18 with the project’s supporters which are the American Electric Power Foundation, on behalf of Indiana Michigan Power, and the AWS Foundation.
Katie Davis, Indiana Michigan Power’s vice president for External Affairs and Customer Experience, noted that the Demonstration Theater has been a popular attraction in Science Central and looked forward to seeing the space able to accommodate visitors of all abilities.
“The AEP Foundation and Indiana Michigan Power have long been supporters of Science Central, and many of our employees and their families have enjoyed and learned from the various presentations in the Demonstration Theater over the years,” Davis said. “With this $51,000 grant, Indiana Michigan Power and the AEP Foundation are pleased to support Science Central’s project to make the Demonstration Theater accessible to more children and families.”
Thanks to the financial support, the Demonstration Theater will be made more accessible for everyone through this project. The theater will see a variety of enhancements to the physical structure and supporting technology including:
- Moveable, bleacher-style seats added to theater’s front row
- Steps built on one side of theater
- Safety handrails installed on each side of theater
- Portable seat backs will become available for visitors’ use
- Redesigned microphone and speaker system
- Acoustic tiles added to ceiling
- Bluetooth attachments for hearing aids will become available for visitors’ use
- Talk-to-text system installed capable of providing live captions
The project is being overseen by Mosaic Building Solutions, which is working off designs by Bona Vita Architecture.
Martin Fisher, executive director of Science Central, expressed his gratitude to the AEP Foundation and AWS Foundation for making the project a reality. “We could not do this without them,” said Fisher. “Their support is transforming the Demonstration Theater into a space where all people of all ages can get excited about science.”
The project is anticipated to be completed by the end of this year.