BBSC Planned Facilities

Back Bay Science Center
	Overview
	Current Facilities
	New Facilities
	Fundraising

The California Department of Fish and Game, City of Newport Beach, and Orange County Health Care Agency are jointly constructing a new multifunctional facility on Shellmaker Island that is scheduled to open in early 2008. The new Back Bay Science Center will include:

A state-of-the-art water quality testing laboratory

Teaching/research laboratories for high-school and college students and staff

Office space for Ecological Reserve, Science Center and other staff

Associated outdoor interpretive stations, aquaria, docks, etc.

There will be a total of roughly 13,000 square feet of building that will replace the current temporary structures that fulfill the same function on a limited scale. A photo of the architectural model is shown below.

The total bare project cost is roughly $7.5 million, which has been provided from a combination of city, county, state, federal and private funds. Additional funding is needed to equip the Center. This includes furnishings, equipment, exhibits, dock upgrades, etc. which are estimated separately at roughly $0.5 million.

The project was expected to be executed in phases. A contract for construction for the water quality laboratory building, teaching laboratory building and utility/storage wing and the slab for the administrative building was awarded in March 2006. The administrative building (top right in the picture above) was slated for the next phase, but has since been added to the existing construction contract and will be completed with the rest of the buildings. Outfitting will then take place.

For additional information go to http://www.city.newport-beach.ca.us/backbayss.html