Much-needed dollars have arrived as construction starts for the International Dark Sky Discovery Center in Fountain Hills. The trucks and crews arrived just days after the conclusion of the Summer Solstice fundraiser, which raised $433,500, International Dark Sky Discovery Center in Fountain Hills. The trucks and the crews arrived just days after the conclusion of the Summer Solstice fundraiser which raised $433,500 thanks in part to several donors who stepped up to match donations from May 6 to June 20th.
Separate from the matching program, Fountain Hills residents Rob and Jennifer Flick have committed to donating $500,000 to claim naming rights to the facility’s Event Horizon Lobby. Other naming rights are available, including $8 million for the entire center.
The donations come just as construction for the 23,000-square-foot facility gets underway in Fountain Hills. This facility will become a center of learning and knowledge as it celebrates and makes the most of the dark skies over Fountain Hills. The IDSDC will include a planetarium, an observatory, an exhibit hall, a theater, and much more. The project is being built by McCarthy Building Companies. Construction crews are setting up perimeters ahead of rerouting utilities. After that, work is expected to begin on the foundation and slab. The building should be finished by the fall of 2025.
Because of light pollution, 80% of Americans cannot view the Milky Way from where they live. But Fountain Hills is a rare exception. Thanks to its location and town ordinances that fight light pollution, Fountain Hills is the 17th community worldwide to have been designated an International Dark Sky Community. There are only a handful of such communities near an urban center like Phoenix.
“We continue to get closer to our goal of establishing a facility that will be enjoyed by all of Arizona and beyond, as well as being a resource for school children and college students. Indeed, the IDSDC observatory will be one of the few in the United States that is blessed with dark skies while being a short distance away from a major metropolitan area. “As we watch crews build this dream from the ground up, we wish to thank our current donors such as Rob and Jennifer Flick, and seek future donors for this amazing science-based facility,” said IDSDC President Joe Bill.
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