GEMS Planetarium Opening Delayed Again

The Glastonbury East Hartford Elementary Magnet School’s new planetarium has been delayed yet again, and is now set to open by late February, according to school officials.

Despite hopes that the state-of-the-art planetarium would be opened by the end of this month, continuing design and construction issues have delayed the project. So far the project has been postponed due to a steel beam that connects the facility to the school, as well as insulation that needed replacement.

The current problem involves side panels for the facility, which need to be ordered and created, officials said.

Despite the delays, the town is continuing to plan for the use of the facility. The Glastonbury school system will oversee the operation and use of the planetarium when GEMS is not using it. The current school budget for 2013-14 calls for a funding for a planetarium coordinator, and is planning for a programming specialist in 2014-15 when the planetarium is opened to the public.

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