Fermilab in Batavia to temporarily close to the public

Fermilab, a particle physics and accelerator laboratory in Batavia, will be closed to the public from Aug. 26 through Sept. 8 before reopening Sept. 9, spokeswoman Tracy Marc said.

The temporary closure is not about funding, Marc said, but about balancing the budget, as the lab’s fiscal year ends Sept. 30.

“It will not be completely nonoperational,” Marc said. “Experiments and research will be continuing to happen. Those are the high-priority, mission-critical support projects.”

Fermilab’s operational budget already has allocated for employees’ vacation time, so having them take their time off during the closure aligns spending with the end of the fiscal year, Marc said.

The areas that will be closed to the public include the Lederman Science Center, all outdoor areas and Wilson Hall, according to its website at www.fnal.gov.

Visitors who need access to nonpublic areas must submit an access request form, according to the website.