L.I. Science Center, with new sponsorship from BNB Bank, will return to downtown Riverhead this summer

The Long Island Science Center is returning to downtown Riverhead.

The science center, which in 2016 moved to Rocky Point after selling its West Main Street building to developer Conifer Realty, has signed a lease on ground-floor space at Summerwind Square.

The organization is working on the space and hopes to open there by September, L.I. Science Center president Laurence Oxman said Thursday.

BNB Bank, which occupied the Summerwind space before opening its new full-service branch on West Main Street, is substantially subsidizing the lease for the nonprofit science center, BNB vice president Claudia Pilato said in an interview Friday.

The lease runs through December 2019, Pilato said.

Oxman said the science center continues its search for a permanent home in downtown Riverhead or possibly Riverside. The group is looking to either buy an existing building or construct a new one, he said.

Pilato said the bank is embarking on a major partnership with the science center and the lease subsidy is part of BNB’s commitment to the organization.

“We will be helping them with marketing and programming too,” Pilato said.

“It’s one of the innovative ways that we work with nonprofits where opportunities come up that make sense,” she said. “As a community bank, it’s important to us.”

Oxman said the move would not be possible without BNB’s help.

The group is now designing new exhibits for the approximately 2,000 square feet of exhibit space in the Summerwind location, Oxman said. They will include “a lot of high-tech exhibits.”

Plans are underway to coordinate with other downtown attractions, such as the Vail-Leavitt theater, Oxman said

The science center will operate in both Rocky Point and Riverhead this summer with everything consolidated into the Riverhead location as of September, Oxman said.

The L.I. Science Center, a tax-exempt nonprofit, is a “learning museum with a mission to prepare young people for the challenges of a 21st century economy built on advanced technology and innovation,” according to its website.

Oxman said last week the organization is seeking volunteers.

“We are looking for members of community who share a passion for STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) to become involved,” he said. “We are looking for people to join our advisory board, sit on committees, help with exhibit design and modeling, volunteers, educators, and many other areas.”

More information on how to volunteer can be found on the group’s website.