After 20 years, Paterson school planetarium may now be rented by outside groups

PATERSON — The titles of the shows are enough to give stargazers goosebumps.

Worlds Beyond Earth, Moons of the Solar System, and Sky Stories are some of the program offerings at the planetarium at Paterson’s P-Tech High School. For the past 20 years, access to those shows was pretty much limited to students in the Paterson school district.

But city education officials are embarking on a celestial journey that will expand the use of the planetarium, one that will allow outside organizations and community groups to explore the universe by renting the 46-seat theatre and its a 36-foot-diameter, sphere-like screen.

The Board of Education last week adopted a resolution setting the fee structure for the rentals, with the base price being $200 for groups of up to 40.

Story continues below photo gallery

“This was a way for the district to give the people of Paterson a place of real magnitude at their disposal,” said Manny Martinez, the school board president.

Board Vice President Kenneth Simmons said collecting extra money is a side benefit. He noted that the planetarium — which state officials included in the new high school when it was built a little more than 20 years ago — had undergone a $2 million upgrade.

“We’re trying something new,” Simmons said. “We’re always talking about finding different ways to generate revenue.”

Exactly when the planetarium will become available to the public remains unclear. District officials said they are still working on policies regarding outside groups’ payments. They also said the building needs elevator repairs for accessibility.

Board members said the initial plan is to limit outsiders’ use of the planetarium to non-school hours. But eventually, they said, they would like to make arrangements for groups to visit the planetarium on weekdays as well, which would allow non-district schools to schedule trips there.

Eventually, officials said, organizations will be able to schedule their sessions at ptechplanetarium.com .

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: After 20 years, Paterson school planetarium may now be rented by outside groups