With Governor Doug Ducey recently signing off on Arizona’s budget for the next fiscal year, the community of Fountain Hills has a little something extra to get excited about. Of that $12.8 billion total, a $2.5 million slice has been set aside to benefit the proposed International Dark Sky Discovery Center. You can read all about it in our reporting on page 1A.

This project got rolling a few years back and quickly gained momentum, touted as a state-of-the-art, science-based facility celebrating the night sky with educational attractions including the largest telescope in the Greater Phoenix area, a Hyperspace Planetarium, Inspiration Theater and Immersion Zone.

Then, of course, 2020 happened and fundraising/planning for this ambitious project had to be throttled back.

And that’s exactly why this latest news coming out of the state budget is so exciting. Not only will a $2.5 million shot in the arm help re-spark interest and fundraising, but it will give the team an opportunity to enter its second phase of planning by getting the architectural design off the ground.

This is a big project that will take a lot of time, effort and funding. The International Dark Sky Discovery Center is aiming for the stars, and we’re looking forward to watching its journey continue.