First look
Public hears about discovery centre plans in Summerside
Growing up in Summerside, Andrew Reeves used to look forward to clear nights when he could look up at the night sky.
Now, maybe in a few years, Reeves won’t have to wait for a clear night to admire the heavens. He hopes he can just pop over to the Summerside Discovery Centre and take in a show at the planetarium.
Reeves was one of about a dozen people who attended an information session for the proposed Summerside science discovery centre Monday night at the Eptek Art and Culture Centre. He liked what heard. “I think they’ve kind of honed in on a sweet spot that makes sense for Summerside. It’s good for the community and I think the thing I like best about it is that it engages the public in science and the environment. That’s key, I think, to a healthy society,” said Reeves.
The discovery centre is an initiative being spearheaded by the Bedeque Bay Management Association (BBEMA) and the Y Service Club of Summerside. The groups have been working quietly on the project for years but in the past 12 months or so have made a lot of headway in making it a reality.
The City of Summerside has already agreed to lease the groups land at the end of MacKenzie Drive for the centre, at $1 per year for 50 years, in addition to tax incentives. The groups are also in the process of developing a business plan for the project.
Monday night’s meeting was the first in what will hopefully be a series of public information sessions to keep the community updated on the project’s progress, said Tracy Brown, executive director of BBEMA.
“We don’t want it to be something that’s made in a bubble,” Brown said. “This is for Summerside, and Summerside community members … should have some kind of opportunity to continuously have some kind of input into something that’s going to be in their backyard.”
Once the contractor comes back with a developed business plan the proponents will start looking at a capital campaign to raise the estimated $5 million required, barring some drastic changes to the design, to build the centre.
The two groups, in partnership with other community groups, will operate the centre via a board of directors.If all goes well, said Brown, the centre could be open for business within the next two years.
That sounds good to Roland Chiasson, another member of the public who came out to see the presentation.
He’s looking forward to volunteering where he can to make the project a reality.
“The community is going to benefit by it, no question,” he said.
Anyone interested in learning more about the proposal can contact either of the two proponent organizations.