The International Dark Sky Discovery Center reached an important milestone when it signed a deal with Fountain Hills-based Echelon to begin reconfiguring its community gardens.
This is the first step in preparing the construction site for the Discovery Center. A kickoff event for the Gardens project was celebrated on Thursday, January 5, with officers from both the Discovery Center and Gardens, Mayor Ginny Dickie, members of the Town Council, town officials, State Senator John Kavanagh, former Mayor Linda Cabana, and the Chamber of Commerce. and other community leaders.
“This is an example of an extraordinary partnership,” said Dickey. “They are hardworking, dedicated people and this brings us closer to our goals.”
Kavanagh said he was pleased to pass Congress to appropriate state funds for the project.
“(Discovery Center) serves as a research facility for higher education, a tourist attraction, and educational opportunities for children. When we lived in the city, our children loved trips to the planetarium.”
Approximately five months, the Community Garden Reconstruction Project utilizes recently made available space at the southern end of the garden area to enhance the existing site. The project includes 124 garden rental beds, several new sheds, toilets and improved access for delivery vehicles. After the gardens are completed, the location of the future Discovery Center will be available for everyone to see.
Fountain Hills Community Garden is celebrating its 6th anniversary. A gathering place where residents can learn to garden, grow healthy produce, connect with nature, stay physically active, and build social interactions. The garden is located in the heart of Fountain Hills, adjacent to the Town Library, Community Center and Town Hall.
Community Garden Manager Rita Applegate said: “Thank you to everyone involved in a very successful garden redesign project. It has been a wonderful experience working together and achieving our goal of having a garden that continues to thrive in this wonderful community.” ”
The 22,000-square-foot Discovery Center is billed as a world-class destination for STEM education with a planetarium, 150-seat theater/auditory, and observatory. It also features an immersion zone where patrons learn about dark sky protection and the effects of excessive artificial light at night on humans, animals and plants. Additionally, the Einstein Exploration Station provides students with hands-on opportunities to experiment with the properties of light and serves as a classroom for other teaching and research activities.
Discovery Center President Joe Bill said: “With the detailed design of the Discovery Center nearly complete and the garden reconfiguration underway, we hope to reach the level of funding needed to begin construction of this spectacular facility that will benefit Fountain Hills and the state of Arizona as a whole. , we will continue to work on it.”