[ATM] A plea for assistance

[Richard Ozer <rozer@pacbell.net>]

A plea for assistance,

Many of you know that I have been a volunteer instructor at the Chabot Telescope Makers' 
Workshop (TMW) for about eight years.  I began volunteering a year or two before ground 
was broken for the new Chabot Space and Science Center, while others such as our 
director, Paul Zurakowski, and one of our associate directors, Dave Barosso, had been 
leading the TMW for decades at its old location at the Chabot Observatory. It is the 
volunteers who give the workshop its well-known character, its unparalleled expertise, 
and its international reputation among amateur telescope makers.

The workshop, maintained by the East Bay Astronomical Society, has been a part of Chabot 
for at least 50 years.  Literally thousands (if not tens of thousands) of students have 
passed through our doors to learn optics and the art of telescope making, while at the 
same time gaining an appreciation for hands-on science.  The workshop has always been 
free to the public, requiring no admission tickets or memberships.  Students pay for 
their glass and tools, and the workshop has done the rest, providing all other materials 
and instruction.  Organizations such as the AANC and the East Bay Astronomical Society, 
as well as some very substantial private donations, have supported us over the years; 
and so the workshop continues to have the financial resources it needs to provide this 
unique educational experience to our community.

What threatens our continued existence is not money, and is certainly not a lack of 
public interest.  Our workshop fills up nearly every week with telescope makers of all 
ages; if left to its own devices, the TMW could carry on indefinitely.  Ironically, what 
threatens us is the very institution that currently hosts us.

When the TMW moved from the old facility on Mountain Blvd. to the new Chabot Space and 
Science Center; significant funds were donated to give the workshop adequate space and 
to ensure the continuity of our program.  The museum's charter even states that the 
workshop is to have the space and support it needs as long as it remains active at 
Chabot.  During the move, we considered the loss of our machine shop as a moderate price 
to pay, but one which we were willing to accept under the "arms-length" promise that the 
machine shop would return after a few years.  The machine tools were put in storage at 
the Oakland Army Base in anticipation of their return to service, and they have remained 
there ever since.

Four significant things have happened in the last several months:

*	First, TMW has been told that its current space in the museum is slated for demolition 
and conversion into additional museum exhibit space.  .

*	Second, our proposals for a replacement workshop and machine shop, to be located under 
the 36" telescope, have been largely ignored (if not outright rebuffed) by the very 
committees that are responsible for our continuity.

*	Third, the Oakland Army Base is closing, and we have been told that the machine tools 
must be removed to another location.

*	Fourth, the Museum Director has told us that we cannot have a machine shop because 
it's too expensive and it can't be covered by the museum's liability policy; something 
that is far from certain and most likely untrue.

All of these items add up to a concerted effort by the museum's administration to push 
us out in a cynical and unethical manner.

I deeply believe that institutions such as the Chabot Space and Science Center have an 
obligation to the community; and not just to those who can afford $13 admission fees and 
$8 planetarium and megadome tickets.  Consider the fact that an Oakland working class 
household of four would have to spend around $75 to visit Chabot and take in a 
planetarium show.  The Telescope Makers' Workshop is unique in that it benefits the 
community without any regard to the students' financial means.  To put this program at 
risk is irresponsible and demonstrates a complete disregard for Chabot's history, the 
efforts of its volunteers, and the very community that continues to support the museum 
with millions of dollars of public bond money.

In light of these developments, I am requesting your assistance.  Please send letters of 
support for the Telescope Makers' Workshop to the Director of the Chabot Space and 
Science Center.  In addition, if you live in the East Bay, please copy those same 
letters to your county supervisor.

Your assistance in this matter will make a difference. We will not give up without a 
fight!  Families who learn about telescopes inevitably join astronomy clubs, promote 
science, support parks, and improve our hobby.  I thank you in advance for your support 
and welcome your comments.

Richard Ozer
Associate Director -- Chabot Telescope Makers' Workshop
rozer@pacbell.net

Letters can be sent to:

Alexandra Barnett, Executive Director / CEO
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland, CA 9461

Dick Spees
Chairman of the Board
Chabot Space and Science Center
10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland, CA 9461

Supervisor Nate Miley
Alameda County Supervisor – District 4
County of Alameda
Administration Building
1221 Oak Street, #536
Oakland, CA 94612



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