A new visitor's center, a historically inspired restaurant and a balanced budget top the agenda of Larry Yerdon, Strawbery Banke's new president.

Yerdon, 57, took the top spot at the open-air museum last September following an 18-year stint at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Mass.

Strawbery Banke is "really unique, being part of the city," he said. "It has excellent potential. It's a very good museum with a long, respected history and tradition."

The most visible changes will be a new, 3,000-square-foot visitor's center. The center will host ticketing and orientation programs, and will be the new home of the museum's retail shop, the Dunaway Store. Yerdon expects the visitor's center to open in early summer.

Moving into the store's former Marcy Street location will be The Dunaway, a historically inspired restaurant that the museum is developing with Portsmouth restaurateur Jay McSharry. The restaurant is slated for a late spring opening. Yerdon said the menu is still under development, but will most likely offer a mix of historical and contemporary dishes.

Yerdon is also making changes to Strawbery Banke's financial operations. Since his arrival last fall, Yerdon said five staff positions have been eliminated, in order to improve efficiency. He said that some positions were combined, while other positions were left open after staff members left. The museum currently employs 30 people.

"We've done all the layoffs we're going to do," he said.

This year, the museum will get "pretty close to a balanced budget," he said, and he expects a fully balanced budget in 2006. Yerdon said he plans to step up fundraising and grant-writing efforts and build relationships with donors. Strawbery Banke has a yearly budget of $2.6 million, which comes from admission costs, retail sales, special events and outside contributions.

Strawbery Banke's first event of the year is "La Grande Fete," a charity fundraising event on Feb. 11. The event, themed around early 20th-century Paris, features gourmet food, a Vaudeville show, games and a charity auction. "La Grande Fete" will be at Wentworth by the Sea; tickets are $125 each. For more information, call 603-422-7501.