The International Dark Sky Discovery Center reached a significant milestone when it contracted the Fountain Hills-based Echelon Company to begin reconfiguration of the Community Garden.

This is the first step in preparing the construction site for the Discovery Center. A kickoff event for the garden project was celebrated Thursday, Jan. 5, with board members of both the Discovery Center and the Garden, Mayor Ginny Dickey, members of the Town Council, Town staff, State Senator John Kavanagh, former Mayor Linda Kavanagh, the Chamber of Commerce and other community leaders.

“This is an example of extraordinary partnerships,” Dickey said. “These are hardworking dedicated people, and this brings us closer to our objective.”

Kavanagh said he is pleased to be able to work through the legislature to get the state funding budgeted for the project.

“(The Discovery Center) serves as a research facility for higher education, a tourist attraction and educational opportunity for kids. When we lived in the city the kids loved a field trip to the planetarium.”

The approximately five-month Community Garden Reconfiguration project will enhance the existing site by taking advantage of space recently made available at the south end of the garden area. The project will include 124 garden rental beds, several new sheds, a restroom and improved access for delivery vehicles. After the Garden is completed, the site of the future Discovery Center will become more visible for everyone to see.

The Fountain Hills Community Garden will celebrate its sixth year in existence. It is 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 in the heart of Fountain Hills, adjacent to the Town Library, Community Center and Town Hall.

“We have been pleased to be able to work collaboratively with the Discovery Center to develop a win-win outcome,” said Rita Applegate, Community Garden manager. “I want to thank everyone involved in the very successful Garden reconfiguration plan. It has been a wonderful experience working together and achieving our goals to have a Garden that will continue to thrive in this amazing community.”

The 22,000-square-foot Discovery Center is being billed as a world-class destination for STEM education, featuring a planetarium, a 150-seat theater/auditorium and an observatory. It will also feature an Immersion Zone where patrons will learn about dark sky protection and the effects of excessive artificial light at night on humans, animals and plants. Additionally, the Einstein Exploration Station will offer students hands-on opportunities to experiment with the properties of light and serve as a classroom for other educational and research activities.

“We are very excited to have reached this milestone and look forward to continued collaboration with the Garden,” said Joe Bill, Discovery Center president. “With detailed design of the Discovery Center nearly complete and reconfiguration of the Garden underway, we will continue working to reach the funding level needed to begin construction of an amazing facility that will benefit Fountain Hills and the entire state of Arizona.”