MENASHA (WLUK) — One of the busiest stand-alone planetariums in the Midwest is making its cosmic comeback in the Fox Valley.<\/p>\n
Complete with a ribbon-cutting, the Barlow Planetarium held its grand reopening Wednesday after a two-month closure.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI was a little worried to start, because we\u2019ve never been shut down for two months before, except for COVID. And so, starting from zero and coming back up, I was really worried people might forget about us because it had been two months. But we have reservations coming in, we have some birthdays,” said Barlow Planetarium Manager Teri Gee.<\/p>\n Gee said it’s been quite a ride, and Winnebago County has been extremely supportive of their re-opening efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s different procedures, different rules that they have in place that are not the same. Education and government are not the same thing,” Gee explained. “Generally speaking, our transition over from [UW-Oshkosh] to Winnebago County is as smooth as it could possibly have been.\u201d<\/p>\n The Barlow was closed to the public while it worked to transition to a county-owned facility<\/a> following the closure of UWO-Fox Cities.<\/a><\/p>\n The planetarium’s move to a county-owned property came with a hefty price tag, according to Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz.<\/p>\n \u201cThe labor cost associated with the building is slightly, it\u2019s about $294,000. We estimate right now revenue is coming in at about $190,000,” he said.<\/p>\n Hintz said the county is working to rebuild interest and get new equipment for the Barlow to keep funds flowing, as well as grow the tax base.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see this as an opportunity, but we are challenging the community to help come up with resources. County taxpayers can\u2019t be on the hook,” Hintz said.<\/p>\n Hintz added the Barlow is an economic cornerstone of Winnebago County, and the county will keep supporting the Planetarium for as long as it can.<\/p>\n