A leaner Leonardo moving forward

The Leonardo is hosting a limited engagement of Gunther von Hagens' "Body Worlds 3" at the site. The exhibit has exceeded Leonardo officials' expectations, with attendance so far topping 130,000.

In addition to being financially profitable for The Leonardo, "Body Worlds" also has provided the center's leadership team with "valuable experience," said Susi Kontgis, part of the city team working with The Leonardo.

The success of "Body Worlds" also has The Leonardo seeking more cost-effective programming for the center. An agreement with San Francisco's Exploratorium reportedly is in the works, which would bring exhibits to The Leonardo that already have been successful in other cities.

Partnerships with the University of Utah also are planned to showcase inventions, research or breakthroughs in areas such as biomedical technology.

The Leonardo plans to finalize its business plan and present it to the city by Dec. 5. The city has hired an out-of-state consultant familiar with arts and science centers to evaluate the plan. The consultant's assessment is expected by mid-January.

That evaluation will go a long way toward determining whether the Salt Lake City Council releases the $10.2 million in voter-approved bond money The Leonardo needs to move forward.

City attorneys say the City Council is not obligated to issue the funds because the two sides never agreed upon the scope of building improvements for the former library.

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