Days after crews peeled the Body Worlds wrap, Salt Lake City leaders appear ready to grant The Leonardo the money it needs to plant roots, grow and possibly flourish.

"We're no longer asking for a leap of faith," City Councilman Luke Garrott says. "This is past taking a risk."

But releasing a voter-approved $10.2 million bond to renovate the old Main Library into a science and cultural center must not portend future subsidies, insist council members who are loath to give the museum any additional cash in this cratering economy.

The council could vote Tuesday on the lifeline for The Leonardo, which has slimmed its staff and scope now that it is five years behind schedule. The action follows several fundraising extensions, an executive shake-up and an independent report deeming the center's business plan solvent. Mayor Ralph Becker, who threatened last year to pull The Leonardo's plug, now endorses the bond release.

To run smoothly -- with rotating exhibits, school outreach, a seismic upgrade, catering service and rental space -- The Leonardo must collect an additional $5 million over the next 16 months. Officials also need to raise $1.5 million every year (mostly through public partnerships) to cover costs.

Executive Director Peter Giles expects a "conservative" average of 170,000 patrons a year, plus a major exhibit every other year. "It will catch people's attention," he says.

If the bond is released for the renovation, museum officials hope to energize Library Square by opening its southern half to students and science lovers of all ages by summer 2010.

» WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CITY SAYS YES?

A lease agreement would be negotiated and contractors sought. Terms to decide include yearly cost, who pays maintenance and utilities, and what contingencies exist if Leonardo folds, explains David Everitt, Becker's chief of staff. The city also wants the seismic upgrade and silver certification under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

Giles would rush to "energize our network" of donors to amass the additional $5 million needed to open next year.

What would it take for the museum to succeed?

Beyond the $5 million "ramp-up," $1.5 million in annual subsidies. Giles would plow the county, state, school-district and federal-grant fields for the dough, along with private donors. Individual exhibits also would be offered for naming rights, he says, but not the building itself.

"Nobody is denying this is going to be a workout," Everitt says. "They're going to have to be very creative."

Even so, the consultant's report that turned the museum's ominous tide, says The Leonardo is "poised for success at a level unimaginable 12 months ago."

What would the museum look like?

An airy, interactive, three-level space -- open seven days a week -- featuring everything from 40 science-technology exhibits, galleries, workshops and a theater, to a main-floor cafe. Tickets would run $8.50 for adults, $6 for kids.

Special showcases would spring up every other year -- perhaps the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit from Florence or another of the four Body Worlds tours.

Giles says the "beauty" of the plan is the building's flexibility. And Giles expects to connect the programming across Utah's schools as well as with the University of Utah's Research Park. "That's the thing the community can get excited about," he says. "They're going to see behind the curtain."

Body Worlds, which sold 290,000 tickets over four months, helped sway Councilwoman Jill Remington Love. "It was a good test period to show what an appropriate use is for that building."

Everitt calls the 2010 opening "aggressive but realistic."

Could the city permanently refuse future subsidies?

Lawmakers can't bind future councils, Everitt notes, but can outline the point in the lease. Giles says his team gets the message. "We hear that loud and clear," says museum spokeswoman Lisa Davis.

» WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CITY SAYS NO?

It's back to "square one," says Everitt, who points out the 2003 bond cannot be tapped for anything else. The city could seek new proposals about what to do with the building. If City Hall agreed on a winning bid, it could go back to voters for a new bond but "that would be a daunting task."

As for The Leonardo, it wouldn't necessarily be sunk, but its future would be murky.

In fact, Giles is so "bullish" after Becker's nod that he hasn't even considered losing the bond. "We don't know how many yeses we're going to get [from individual council members]," Giles says, "but we're going to get a yes."

Either way, the city would complete the seismic upgrade with its federal grant "because it's going to need it anyway," says Councilman Carlton Christensen.

What would happen to the building ?

It would sit vacant until the city could find renovation money and bring it up to building code.

Could it be used for a public-safety headquarters?

Everitt says the city explored that but realized the building is not configured properly and lacks the necessary parking. "For what it takes to get in there … it probably wouldn't be worth it," he says.

Could the old library be razed?

Everitt and Christensen, the council chairman, highly doubt it.

"That's not on anybody's radar," Everitt says. "The mayor is interested in historic preservation. The highest and best use of that facility is to make it a science center to help activate Library Square."

djensen@sltrib.com