Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry announced Wednesday that it will cut 20 staff and reduce its expenses by 10 percent. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.

OMSI president, Nancy Stueber, says the economic crisis has reduced attendance, but only slightly. More importantly, she says, when people do turn up, they’re not spending as much in the gift shop and the restaurant.

They’re also not buying as many tickets to the IMAX theatre or submarine.

Nancy Stueber: “What we did is say, if things don’t improve, let’s project forward to the end of our fiscal year and take pro-active measures to close what an anticipated gap would be.”

She says the cuts will come from every level of the organization and staff will be offered severance pay and help finding new positions.

OMSI has dealt with much of its debt, mostly from the financing of its building in the early 1990’s.

But this month, it just announced a $500 million expansion plan, which it hopes to begin in 2012.