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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad precedent
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If anyone cares, I sent a lengthy letter to Mr. Koster about all the problems associated with the Liberty Science Center I uncovered just by looking at their tax returns (tax returns for mid-sized and larger non-profits are generally available at www.guidestar.org) and simply by looking at the prices they charge for admission, parking and IMAX back in December. I re-stated many of the things I have stated on this thread, including a top-heavy administration with numerous six-figure salaries, none of whom will be laid off while lower paid and part-time workers without benefits are laid off; fees paid to an expensive law firm in Morristown and a Big 4 accounting firm (both typically used by Fortune 500 corporations, while for the LSC, local law and accounting firms would do just fine), excessive travel expenses for something that is a one-building entity, etc, all of which make me feel that the Liberty Science Center is mismanaged and undeserving of the $2.5 million bailout, especially given that not many Jersey City residents have full-time jobs there and LSC's problems should fall on the backs of the state and federal governments, not us local residents. I cc'd this letter to several members of the city council, Mayor Healy and the LSC's own public relations staff.

More than two months later, I received a fairly toothless response from them addressing none of the specific issues in my letter, essentially saying that they are trying to cut back on expenses and are seeking new funds from all levels of government. I would be more than happy to scan a copy of the letter here, as well as the letter that I originally wrote to them, if that is possible and someone with more tech savvy than me would explain how to do that.

Bottom line is though, they now have our local tax money from the local JC residents, they are not a government agency and thus don't have to answer to anyone, and I'm guessing therefore they have no reason to care what I think, and they don't.

Have fun lining your pockets with that $2.5 million of our tax money, Mr. Koster & company! Don't worry about using it wisely or paring down your expenses, because you don't care what us local taxpayers think.

Posted on: 2009/3/8 20:45
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad precedent
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It would be real cool, but what if the clientele that make watching a movie at Newport such an adventure decide to hang out at IMAX as well?

Posted on: 2009/2/27 15:24
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Mentioned previously here, they should open the IMAX portion up to Hollywood flicks during certain times.

How cool would it be to go see Watchmen in IMAX here in JC?

Posted on: 2009/2/27 2:08
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad precedent
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Liberty Science Center does not acknowledge its location in ads when it asked Jersey City for money.
Yvonne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blcWPzVdjxk&feature=channel_page

Posted on: 2009/2/27 1:59
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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I'm curious how many were middle/upper management and how many were lower workers. From everything posted here that place seems top heavy.

Posted on: 2009/2/26 20:21
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad precedent
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From nj.com today:

More than 25 percent of the staff at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City was laid off today, officials there confirmed this morning.

Today was the last day for 37 employees -- 32 full-time and five part-time workers, a spokeswoman for the science center said. Laid-off employees will receive a severance package of one week for every year they worked there.

"This is part of an adjustment and we have to live within our means," said Elizabeth Romanaux, vice president of communications. "We have been very careful about doing this the best way possible."

In November, the Jersey City City Council voted to approve a $2.5 million no-interest loan to the financially struggling science center. Mayor Jerramiah Healy, who brought the vote before the council, serves as an honorary trustee member to the museum by virtue of his office.

Romanaux said the science center would be able to pay back the loan and did not foresee any further layoffs.

The workers leaving the building on Jersey City Boulevard this morning refused to comment.

Posted on: 2009/2/26 19:58
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Hey caj,

I'll answer that for you. No, LSC has not cut any of the "big" people. Have they cut jobs, sure, but do they really impact, no. A couple of folks here and there, none of which were really making that much anyway. Although I should point out that a couple of those folks are Jersey City residents.

Hey, wasn't that one of Koster's "things worth noting" when "asking" for the "loan"???

Oh well... Welcome to LSC.

Posted on: 2009/1/26 6:56
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Quote:

SammyTheT wrote:
No one at the Liberty Science Center begged for money.
The LSC will receive a loan of Urban Enterprise Zone funds from the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation.
The loan will be repaid.
The LSC has drastically cut the staff to conserve funds.
Nearly every museum in the United States is short of funds and looking for new income streams.


Okay, it's a loan alright, at 0% interest. What a great rate in today's climate! Furthermore, if the museum happens to miss a payment, what happens? Does Jersey City get a lien on the building?

Finally, while the LSC has drastically cut staff to conserve funds, which staff did they cut? Were any of the seven vice presidents with there six-figure salaries let go?

None of these questions, Sammy, are rhetorical in nature. I would like to know the answers, especially to the last question. The answers will tell me and many others if LSC is truly putting its money where its mouth is, whether they are actually worthy of the $2.5 million or not.

Posted on: 2009/1/26 2:43
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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No one at the Liberty Science Center begged for money.
The LSC will receive a loan of Urban Enterprise Zone funds from the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation.
The loan will be repaid.
The LSC has drastically cut the staff to conserve funds.
Nearly every museum in the United States is short of funds and looking for new income streams.

Posted on: 2009/1/21 23:23
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Simple:

cost over-runs, mismanagement, they lost some of their top donors, and probably the worse; they failed to advertise 'before' they opened...

Add in increased costs, poor day-to-day management, and their unwillingness to cull their staff before there was an catastrophic budget crisis...

Basically they ran it like a non-profit till they realized the money wasn't coming in...

Posted on: 2009/1/21 22:18
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad precedent
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Why did they have a huge makeover of their building if they were broke - then ask the city for money? A city thats always running in the red. But its ok - the city will just raise our taxes again (for those of us homeowners who are not rich enough to have a tax abatement, that is).

Posted on: 2009/1/21 21:45
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad precedent
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In case anyone would like to know, I sent letters disapproving of this bailout and highlighted information of mismanagement from their publicly available tax returns to the Liberty Science Center CEO, Liberty Science Center public relations person, Mayor Healy, and the three at-large council members who voted for this (I myself can vote against these people; my councilmember, Fulop, sensibly voted against this stupid bailout).

That was over a month ago. Zero response so far.

I also cc'd the letter to Fulop but I would not want or expect a response from him as he did the right thing by voting against it.

I guess LSC's attitude is, they have the money, to hell with what I think. The at-large councilmembers and Healy probably don't care either but then I shouldn't be surprised about that, this being Jersey City.

Tax dollars hard at work! I love it...

Good job Emlyn, your job is safe for another year. Of course, despite the bailout, the same probably cannot be said for the people making less than $30,000 annually working at LSC, as many of their jobs will be cut. They can keep paying the $100,000+ people (7 VPs and Koster) there but the lower wage earners are out of luck...

Posted on: 2009/1/18 11:04
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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The LSC will run it's course and if in fact it's as ill managed as most of us believe, it will go under at some point. It won't really be as much of a shame as some think...it's just simply not that great of a museum. Yes, everyone agrees the kids need good schools and museums to promote there interest in science specifically, unfortunately this institution isn't up to the job. It's much more concerned with lining the pockets of it's higher-ups.
I think the state should take over control of the museum and bring in some professionals to run it correctly on a more modest salary. That would be doing the kids good!

Posted on: 2008/12/16 3:27
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Quote:

Ross_Ewage wrote:
"Fourth, I've learned that Liberty Science Center employs over 100 Jersey City residents..."

Above is the only conceivable justification for this loan.


Except that, it is my understanding that the lion's share of these jobs held are part-time with no benefits. The rest are among the lower paid jobs at the LSC that typically get pink-slipped whenever there are budget cutbacks. You see, LSC always seems to have the money to pay their $100,000+ Vice Presidents, but when times are tight, money to pay the $30,000 salaries is nowhere to be found.

Note that my understanding of the 100 Jersey City residents employed by LSC is purely based on hearsay. I can't readily back it up and I don't have access to LSC's payroll records. But I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to prove if we all made visits down there different days of the week and started surveying some of the peoples to get a representative sampling of the LSC's workforce, we'd have something to go on.

You know, while I'm glad all these facts and opinions about LSC are being brought to light - people need to know these things - this thread is kind of boring. Nobody has stepped up to defend LSC. There's no arguing, no debate here which always makes for more entertaining reading. But then again, what does that say about LSC?

Posted on: 2008/12/16 2:00
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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"Fourth, I've learned that Liberty Science Center employs over 100 Jersey City residents..."

Above is the only conceivable justification for this loan. LSC has always been an inferior attraction and Koster's "leadership" has made it worse. The exhibits are boring, the entrance fees excessive, and while the arrogance at not wanting to be part of JC has subsided over the years, it is still there. If it's not, then LSC needs to fire its public relations staff.

I would never point to "Destination Jersey City" as an achievement. More shallow rah-rah crap with ugly and ill-maintained signage.

Think how much that $2.5M could do if it went directly to the Boys and Girls Club, the United Way of Hudson County, and the Community Food Bank. Instead, a big chunk will go to line Koster's pockets and those of the rest of his management "team" - in short, those directly responsible for the mismanagement of LSC.

Fulop was right on this one.

Posted on: 2008/12/15 19:12
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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a worthy alternative perspective -

link: No, it's vitally involved in city

No, it's vitally involved in city

Monday, December 15, 2008

Letters to the Editor

From the Jersey Journal

As president of the Friends of Liberty State Park and a strong supporter of Jersey City and Liberty Science Center, I must respond to the Dec. 1 editorial, "City bailing out standoffish Liberty Science Center." Contrary to the editorial's title, Liberty Science Center has been the opposite of "standoffish" in its partnerships with Jersey City and Liberty State Park. I applaud Mayor Healy and our City Council, which voted 7 to 1, for backing the "bridge loan" of $2.5 million from UEZ funds to help Liberty Science Center in these rocky economic times. This loan is not a "bailout" and I know it will be fully repaid.

City mayors going back to Gerry McCann recognized the benefits of having a world-class science center here. Liberty Science Center is an important asset and has been an excellent and involved neighbor. The list of contributions it makes to the City may surprise you. First, thanks to a state program, it provides free access for all New Jersey "at-risk" schoolchildren and their families, which last year included 20,000 Jersey City students. Additionally, Dr. Koster is an invaluable member of the LSP Public Advisory Committee, persistently advocating for a high-quality, holistic completion of Liberty State Park.

Second, he has been praised by civic organizations, receiving a Christopher Columbus Foundation of Hudson County Award last year.

Third, under his guidance, Liberty Science Center helped spearhead "Destination Jersey City," which provided vehicular, pedestrian and historic signs around the city, launched a tourism Web site, and works closely with several government agencies, area hotels and cruise lines to help spark more tourism.

Fourth, I've learned that Liberty Science Center employs over 100 Jersey City residents and works with Jersey City workforce development and various social service agencies to provide displaced persons and young people with on-site job training opportunities. Liberty Science Center has volunteer and internship opportunities, educational partnerships with the Jersey City Boys and Girls Club and a couple of schools.

Finally, it investigates water quality in a contaminated water laboratory testing training program for students, sponsored by Pfizer, and supports local charities such as United Way of Hudson County and the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. I believe the Science Center is one of Jersey City's most dedicated and involved institutions.

The editorial says the Loew's Theatre needs city support. It is a vital part of Jersey City's identity and future as much as Liberty Science Center, and both very much deserve to be appreciated and supported.

SAM PESIN PRESIDENT OF THE FRIENDS OF LIBERTY STATE PARK JERSEY CITY

Posted on: 2008/12/15 11:29
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Quote:

Binky wrote:
I spent some time on the LSC website soon after this thread started because I wanted to check on the free admission policy for school students: I remember getting a pass some years ago from my daughter's school, but I only remember going for free that one time.
Well, it turns out that each child in the public schools in JC has been able to go to the museum an unlimited number of times for free. I'll paste the quote from the website here:


Abbott Family Pass

All students who attend public schools in New Jersey?s 31 Abbott school districts are eligible for a free Family Pass.

The Family Pass provides each student, and up to three guests (who must include one adult), unlimited free visits to Liberty Science Center. The Family Pass is also good for free parking and discounted theater tickets.

Family Passes are mailed to each school in October and are valid through June 2009.

For more information or to request a Family Pass, please contact:

Lauren Rose, 201.253.1259, lrose@lsc.org
Angeline Ebreo, 201.253.1492, aebreo@lsc.org


This has to have been the best kept secret in the city.
Has anyone else with kids in the system known about this?

And since the State is giving control of the district back to the school board, does that mean that we are no longer an Abbott district.?


They do this in NYC as well for the children in low-income areas and employees in those school districts. The pass is usually for many different places. I know in NYC it was for all museums and zoos.
Jersey City will still be an abbott district because of the income level.

Posted on: 2008/12/15 10:44
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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I spent some time on the LSC website soon after this thread started because I wanted to check on the free admission policy for school students: I remember getting a pass some years ago from my daughter's school, but I only remember going for free that one time.
Well, it turns out that each child in the public schools in JC has been able to go to the museum an unlimited number of times for free. I'll paste the quote from the website here:


Abbott Family Pass

All students who attend public schools in New Jersey?s 31 Abbott school districts are eligible for a free Family Pass.

The Family Pass provides each student, and up to three guests (who must include one adult), unlimited free visits to Liberty Science Center. The Family Pass is also good for free parking and discounted theater tickets.

Family Passes are mailed to each school in October and are valid through June 2009.

For more information or to request a Family Pass, please contact:

Lauren Rose, 201.253.1259, lrose@lsc.org
Angeline Ebreo, 201.253.1492, aebreo@lsc.org


This has to have been the best kept secret in the city.
Has anyone else with kids in the system known about this?

And since the State is giving control of the district back to the school board, does that mean that we are no longer an Abbott district.?

Posted on: 2008/12/15 3:36
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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I'd prefer that cityhall give a small interest free loan (with conditions) to 'seeker' on the other thread, to stall their foreclosure and give them 6 months to find a job.

Posted on: 2008/12/15 2:17
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Quote:

jc_insomniac wrote:
We had some free time this afternoon, so Mr. JCI and I decided to visit LSC to watch Mummies and maybe check out the exhibits (he hasn't seen the Skyscrapers exhibit yet).

We ended up staying just for the 45-minute film because it would've otherwise cost us $52.50 total for parking ($7) and the Imax + Exhibition combo ($22.75 each). That's just redonkulous!

I don't know if I'll be back there anytime soon, and certainly not with my nephews and nieces (who I think would most benefit from a visit there).


A mismanaged joke of an institution that probably should have never been built, and us local taxpayers who already pay enough property taxes, have to pay to prop up the damn place. Keep collecting your $310,000 a year Mr. Koster, and enjoy all the other perks they give you!

I have sent a letter to the museum outlining my outrage over this bailout, and cc'd it to the at-large members of city council who voted for this pork-barrel expenditure.

Posted on: 2008/12/15 1:37
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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We had some free time this afternoon, so Mr. JCI and I decided to visit LSC to watch Mummies and maybe check out the exhibits (he hasn't seen the Skyscrapers exhibit yet).

We ended up staying just for the 45-minute film because it would've otherwise cost us $52.50 total for parking ($7) and the Imax + Exhibition combo ($22.75 each). That's just redonkulous!

I don't know if I'll be back there anytime soon, and certainly not with my nephews and nieces (who I think would most benefit from a visit there).

Posted on: 2008/12/14 23:08
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Yea, rich and not rich people give money all the time to charities and people in the U.S. give far more to charity than other countries. Still, the trend in charitable giving is to pay close attention to how well the money is being spent. As much as I love that JC has a science museum the previous posts and LSC's low rating on charitynavigator.org are troubling. That the CEO makes $310K and costs 2.5% of their expenses yet received a bailout from the taxpayers of JC without conditions is ridiculous.

The unintended consequence of this bailout may be that even fewer potential donors will be inclined to donate.

Quote:

fasteddie wrote:
I always thought LSC was part of the state park system. I guess not. Anyway, rich people donate money all the time to universities, hospitals etc. 2.5MIL is peanuts to a rich guy(or gal). Doesn't LSC have a department that solicits gifts and donations? Yes, for big money you gotta name something after the gift giver but who cares? As long as it's not Trump. Ha, fat chance he would give anybody 5 cents.

Posted on: 2008/12/3 2:26
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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I've been to LSC twice and each time it was nowhere near as crowded as the NY museums, like Natural History. The families I know in NY also know about LSC but have yet to make the trip. Meanwhile they have rented cars, taken public transportation trying to shorten their 2 hour trip to the Bronx zoo multiple times. Somehow there is a much bigger psychological barrier in crossing the Hudson than crossing the East River.

If you have kids, you'll know that zoos and science museums are big attractions, there's no reason why LSC should not be flooded with visitors, hence money for improvements.

Posted on: 2008/12/1 13:03
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Its still true about the annual school trip to LSC. Not just that, the kids get a free pass every year that admits up to 4 people for free. Its the only way I'll go. But I must say, my kids favorite part is the gift shop....much more information in the books for sale. Not crazy about the renovations either, it seems darker in the exhibits and lighter in the stairwells...

Posted on: 2008/12/1 4:13
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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Quote:

bluehorse wrote:
The problem is that you 8 million people (not to mention the tourists) living across the river but not going to LSC. Unless they've been to JC, these people have no idea how easy it is to take the Path and then Light Rail. And they are certainly not going to make this scary trip with their kids.

What LSC needs to do, as IKEA already figured out, is to provide free shuttle from Manhattan.

Despite all your criticism, LSC is still nicer than any science museum NYC has (the one in Queens is a joke in comparison) and a lot of New Yorkers would go if it were easier.


I think you are wrong about New Yorkers. Most parents I know in the city are familiar with the Science Center -- even if it's basically the only thing they know about JC at all. And most of them have been there multiple times, via ferry, PATH, light rail and/or car.

Posted on: 2008/11/30 21:41
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad prece
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I don't think the queens museum is nicer to look at than LSC it just teaches in a much more effective manner.
My whole point is the LSC is all Flash and Fancy exhibit and no substance. It's like the people in charge of the money never bothered to see if the exhibits make any sense, they just walked by saw that it looks good and were happy with it.
The Science of Survival exhibit is particularly badly designed, the target card things that they hand out before you go in don't work with most of the machines they are meant to work with. I didn't get mine to work once. The machine meant to show what you eat, effects world food supply was pointless, it failed to connect the interaction with an illustration of the lesson goal. I could go on and on.

Posted on: 2008/11/30 19:53
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad precedent
#36
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The problem is that you 8 million people (not to mention the tourists) living across the river but not going to LSC. Unless they've been to JC, these people have no idea how easy it is to take the Path and then Light Rail. And they are certainly not going to make this scary trip with their kids.

What LSC needs to do, as IKEA already figured out, is to provide free shuttle from Manhattan.

Despite all your criticism, LSC is still nicer than any science museum NYC has (the one in Queens is a joke in comparison) and a lot of New Yorkers would go if it were easier.

Posted on: 2008/11/30 14:32
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad precedent
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Quote:
They have indeed priced themselves out of Hudson County, which is sad because the children in Jersey City probably need it more than the suburban children who do get to go there.


Kids in Jersey City get to see more of Liberty Science Center then they can stand. Any kid in the Public School system has been to LSC at least 5-7 times by the time they reach high school because each year for science class you get your yearly school trip there for free. (I always thought that the Public Schools had some kind of contract or whatever with LSC). I don't know if this is still done but I'm sure it is.

JC kids are not being deprived of anything that suburban kids are getting except maybe going there with their own parents and siblings...but I doubt they are interested cause they are sick of that place.

I'm born and raised in JC and I've been to LSC at least 4 times but never with family. 3 times in grammar school that I can remember and once as a freshman in High School. I don't plan on ever going back there of my own free will.

Posted on: 2008/11/30 3:00
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: 'Bailout' by city would set bad precedent
#34
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Where do I even begin. LSC has been plagued by these problems since they opened. Exhibits have always been broken and they did not always make sense (even to a science dork like myself). The expansion was poorly executed, took to long and didn't accomplish what it should have. They have indeed priced themselves out of Hudson County, which is sad because the children in Jersey City probably need it more than the suburban children who do get to go there. I am Girl Scout leader and I refuse to bring my girls there for an overnight trip because it is so expensive. They've slept on the Battleship New Jersey and admission to the aquarium for the same price! Another problem is their hours. They are never open later than 6:00. When is a family with working parents supposed to bring their children if they work until 5:00?

Posted on: 2008/11/27 19:30
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Re: Liberty Science Center begs Jersey City for $2.5M - Fulop: \'Bailout\' by city would set bad precedent
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Okay, maybe I sound like a big conspiracy theorist, but I'm telling you right now, that those annual salaries are definitely wrong. They are much, much higher.

The fact that one VP is listed as making $40,000 a year is a joke. Exhibit Floor Supervisors are making about $30,000-$35,000 a year. The graphic designers and exhibit designers in the building are clearing over $50,000 a year, so there's no way that any VP is making less then people under them. Not to mention every department in that building has it's Director, (they are next in line under the VP's), I have seen the lowest paid Director's pay stub, and they were clearing $50,000, and they told me they were getting about $30,000 less a year than all the other Directors.

This is all sad when you consider that all of the floor staff, (the one's that deal directly with the public) really only pull in MAYBE an average of $18,000-$20,000 a year.

And those travel expenses are to pay for things like Koster flying to India to discuss a potential science museum there. Gotta love it. I'm sure a couple of trips to visit his family in England are lumped in with travel expenses.

I'm telling you, that building is corrupt as hell. There needs to be some serious auditing happening there.

Posted on: 2008/11/27 15:33
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