July 12, 2005 Standard Times
SeaLab moves into new home
By BECKY W. EVANS, Standard-Times staff writer

NEW BEDFORD -- After being displaced from its home three times over the past 30 years, SeaLab has a permanent address at 71 Portland St.
Yesterday, teary-eyed New Bedford Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr. snipped a red ribbon, signaling the opening of the $8.4 million, 30,000 square-foot marine science education center that sits on the former site of the city's poor farm.
Construction of the building -- which includes 12 large classrooms outfitted with lab tables, sinks and microscopes -- was funded by the city, with assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"This is the formalization of an institution in our city," the mayor said during the outdoor dedication ceremony.
With the one-story brick building as a backdrop and the scent of new pavement lingering in the air, the mayor spoke passionately about the potential of the new facility and the students who enter it to "unlock the mysteries of the sea."
The facility could help place New Bedford at the center of a marine science and technology corridor that runs from Woods Hole in Falmouth to Kingston, R.I, he said.
"It all begins with SeaLab. Through this new facility and the expanded educational programs, we will be able to identify and support marine science aptitude in our children."
SeaLab is a year-round school program that teaches New Bedford students about ocean and marine science. During the summer, approximately 500 middle school and high school students from the area participate in a six-week intensive program.
The New Bedford school system is cooperating with UMass Dartmouth to create a seamless SeaLab curriculum that will give students from kindergarten through the post-graduate level hands on marine science experience.
The mayor also announced yesterday that SeaLab will participate in the Boston College educational seismology project, giving students and teachers an opportunity to work with scientists to collect data on earthquakes.
"We see endless possibilities," said New Bedford School Superintendent Michael E. Longo. "Regardless of their economic status, kids will get an opportunity to use a state-of-the-art facility ... and work with world-renowned scientists."
When tensions flared after SeaLab was pushed out of the Naval Reserve Center in the South End last year, Mayor Kalisz promised frustrated parents and students that the city would build a permanent home for the program.
The project faced several hurdles, including a doubling of the original cost estimate of $4 million in bonding.
A historic blizzard in January threatened to delay the nine-month construction project, but Suffolk Construction Co. of Boston finished two weeks early and stayed on budget, the mayor said yesterday.
"Things don't happen overnight, and this did," Mr. Longo said.
As she roamed the wide, air-conditioned hallways of the new building, ninth-grade student Jane Pimental of Dartmouth grinned with approval.
"It's just amazing," she said. "There are new classrooms. It's really cool."
The public is invited to tour the new building at an open house from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday.