Organizers of the long-anticipated Discovery Space children's museum have scaled back and relocated their plans to West Foster Avenue, group Chairwoman Marty Starling said Wednesday.

She said the hands-on, science-oriented museum could be open by late December, depending on how quickly exhibits can be finalized and assembled. The facility is expected to occupy about 4,200 square feet of leased, first-floor space at 112 W. Foster Ave., State College.

"We've done some preliminary looks at our business plan, and we believe we can manage this," Starling said. "The key to everything right now is getting it open."

The Discovery Space organizers had tentatively planned for several years to launch the nonprofit museum at 224 S. Allen St., a former Verizon building. But they have determined that the venue "was just too expensive," Starling said.

She said opening the museum there, in a roughly 8,400-square-foot space, would have cost nearly $4.2 million, including $750,000 to buy the building from the borough government. (The borough acquired the building for the same price in 2007, largely with the intention to sell it to the Discovery Space group within several years.)

Discovery Space did not disclose its current fundraising totals, but Starling said starting the museum on a smaller scale will cost less than half the price of the original plan. She said lease details and total expenses are still being determined.

Renovations at the building are expected to cost around $50,000. Discovery Space fundraising has seen "some success, yes, but nearly as much as we would have liked for the project that we started out doing," Starling said.

She said fundraising began in earnest in 2008, just as the national economy began to tank. She acknowledged that some local residents have questioned whether the museum can really materialize.

Work to solicit donations will continue, and the group believes support will swell once it opens the museum doors, Starling said.

"We feel so lucky that the (Foster Avenue) facility became available," she said. Its proximity to the downtown is critical, she said, because organizers want museum visitors to use downtown amenities, too.

To that end, she said, no in-house cafe or retail space is planned as part of the museum. Starling said admission may cost roughly $5 per person on each visit -- or $80 for a family-size annual pass -- though prices have not been set.

Exhibits are expected to be multidisciplinary, with some focused on subjects of local interest, such as weather forecasting and water-resource management. The museum will target two- to 12-year-olds, helping to ground them in science at an early age, Starling said.

Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said the effort has strong support from the borough government.

"I think, in the long run, they've made a very good decision to get this project off the ground and get this thing started," Fountaine said.

A formal memorandum between the Discovery Space group and the borough had called for the nonprofit organization to buy the former Verizon building. But that memorandum has expired, Fountaine said, and "the borough will begin to look at alternatives for that building.

"In all likelihood, we'll be asking the Redevelopment Authority to look at potential options," he said. "I do not anticipate that the borough would continue to own that building in the long term."

Current tenants in the former Verizon building include the Centre County Democratic organization and the U.S. Senate campaign of Democrat Joe Sestak.

Meanwhile, Discovery Space supporters have organized a fundraiser event for 7 to 10 p.m. June 19 at the Gingerbread Man, 130 Hiester St., State College. The gathering will feature performances by local musician Jason O., beer from Otto's Pub and Brewery and a variety of raffles and prizes, organizer Jen Rand said. 

"Obviously, the museum has been so many years in the making, and people are very excited to see this come to fruition," Rand said. She said the fundraiser will be held in memory of the late State College Mayor Bill Welch, whose "vision was an inspiration for this (museum) project."

Organizers hope to raise $10,000 through the event. They are asking people to RSVP by Saturday through the website www.mydiscoveryspace.org.

Tickets cost $75 apiece. They will be available at the door on the 19th, as well.