FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ — Crews are just months away from the start of construction on a brand-new educational center in the Valley.
The International Dark Sky Discovery Center will be built in Fountain Hills with a groundbreaking scheduled for late March, according to a recent update.
“This exciting STEM education project will include a large telescope observatory, a planetarium, a 150-seat theater, a classroom, and an interactive night sky experience zone,” the organization said in a social media post last month.
The 23,000-square-foot facility will be located across from the Fountain Hills Community Center.
Years of planning have gone into the project and, last year, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed over $10 million to help fund the center.
ABC15 talked with the president of the nonprofit organization in 2021, who said at the time that the Discovery Center would offer a destination for “astro-tourists” who already visit the state.
Watch ABC15's previous coverage in the video player below:
A past feasibility study predicted the facility could draw around 22,000 visitors annually.
Fountain Hills received the dark sky community designation in 2018. Around the world, there are 130 dark sky places around the world, 44 of which are communities. Other places include parks and preserves around the country.
