Forty-two years after it opened, it may be time for a major overhaul of the planetarium at Bettendorf High School. Monday night the school board discussed the possible cost of the project.
Planetarium director Pete Bruecken says it first opened in 1974, one year after the high school. And each year it hosts hundreds of programs and thousands of people.
He received five bids for the planetarium project, ranging from $220,000 to $320,000.
bruecken2.mp3
It would be easier to train people in the future on digital equipment.
Bruecken has been working on this for several years, and says the cost of the new digital equipment has been falling steadily.
If approved by the board of education, he hopes the planetarium can be finished by the fall.
