The Community Garden was turned over to the contractor, Echelon, last week for the major reconfiguration project taking place.

Garden manager Rita Applegate said garden members were on site over the weekend and cleaned up plant material and removed personal items. The garden is giving away much of the planting box material for others to use, which was being removed later in the week.

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 library, Community Center and Town Hall.

The reconfiguration is to allow for future development of the planned International Dark Sky Discovery Center at a site adjacent to the Centennial Circle.

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.

The Discovery Center is a $25 million project that is being privately funded. A contribution from recent state budgets has allowed for design and engineering to proceed. However, construction will not begin until there is adequate funding.