GWIZ to close permanently

Representatives for Gulfcoast Wonder and Imagination Zone (GWIZ) have informed the city that they will be vacating their building, shutting their doors for good after almost a year of inactivity.

On Aug. 22, City Manager Tom Barwin sent a letter to GWIZ indicating they were in default of their lease with the city, and that the city could terminate the lease after 30 days if improvements were not made. City Purchasing Manager Mary Tucker said a termination will be issued Sept. 21.

According to the contract with the city, GWIZ will have 30 days to remove their items from the building, although Tucker said they will request an additional 30 days to complete that process.

The children's science museum's main gallery has been closed to the public for repairs since September 2012. Tucker told the commission that nobody has been in the building since Aug. 12, when the building's Fab Lab closed. The Fab Lab had only been operating 22 hours per week, according to Barwin's letter.

Tucker said the building can currently only be used for not-for-profit or government use. Commissioners said they were sad to see GWIZ leave, but expressed excitement for what could become of the area with the adjacent Quay property also recently hitting the market.

Contact David Conway at [email protected].