Trautman Associates' work on the Williamsville North Planetarium is a major catalyst for enhancements in science curricula at area schools. The renovation of the old dome was initated by a community non-profit who secured a $290,000 state grant for special projects with the help of State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer.
Dick Gehring and the Trautman Associates team of architects and engineers renovated the aging planetarium building at Williamsville North High School. Mark Percy, director of the Space Lab Planetarium, said "The old dome, it was just a thin aluminum skin. This is a big robust structure that's got a perfectly tuned reflective surface. You really noticed all those flaws in the old dome, and now it looks spectacular."