General Arts and Culture News

[ludo643]

Cambridge's library system is returning the word 'Library' to it s name. https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news...nd-9345372

It rebranded a decade ago to the 'Idea Exchange'; a dynamic and aspirational name, sure, but also a confusing one.

Ah, good call! 'Idea Exchange' was a bit of a mouthful. 'Library' is straightforward and tells you exactly what it is. Glad to see them going back to simplicity

[westwardloo]

A new $52million science centre?



Nearly four years after a charity formed in Guelph with the goal of building a new largescale science centre in Ontario, visions of what the location could look like and where it could be built are now coming into focus. Many important steps remain, but with the Ontario Science Centre now closed due to safety concerns, and a new push to invest in more creative STEMtourism initiatives, the group may soon be moving on to more concrete plans. The team of University of Guelph professors and science enthusiasts behind Royal City Science formed in 2020 with a goal: to build a physical science centre in southwestern Ontario. After four years of research into possible locations, the group has set its sights on Puslinch, and are inquiring about a gravel pit owned by the University of Guelph. The site has its complications, and initial projections peg the cost at about $52 million to finish the first phase of construction, but the ball is now rolling as the charity continues to fundraise for the final piece of its feasibility study. After forming during the height of the COVID19 pandemic, the charity has been working on three main fronts: fundraising, programming and planning. It has secured more than $250,000 to support operations, the purchase of a mobile planetarium for community based programming, and the first step of its feasibility study; this has been largely through grants and donations, with some revenue from programming.


“Our goal is to build on a former gravel pit in the Township of Puslinch, so that the facility and surrounding lands are a living laboratory where every visit is different,” said Royal City Science cofounder Joanne O'Meara.

And what would a Royal City Science Centre look like?“Citizen science projects and academic research taking place side by side on rewilding lands, with a building that pushes the boundaries of sustainable design and operation,” she said. “We will be guided by the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals in all that we do, and we are focusing on making the space highly multipurpose.” In August, the group unveiled its Visioning Exercise, a report created in partnership with ZAS Architects + Interiors, funded by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Sport, with matching funds from Wellington Waterloo Community Futures.

The report gives a first look at what a science centre in the area could look like, straddling two lakes, and growing over time through a phased building approach. The plan is to build on an existing or former gravel pit in Puslinch due to its quick access to Highway 401, making it accessible for about eight million Ontarians living within 90 minutes. The firm focused its design on the Mill Creek Pit owned by the University of Guelph, but the designs are applicable for other sites as well.

While the Mill Creek Pit appears to be a workable location for the science centre's construction, the university has not been able to commit to a partnership, despite a proposal from the charity to rent and rehabilitate the existing pit when it is decommissioned in 2028.

“U of G is aligned with the mission and vision of the proposed science centre,” said Guelph spokesperson Jessamine Luck. “The land in question is currently under a preexisting lease agreement for the next several years and U of G is unable to commit to a partnership for future use of the lands until a comprehensive review of their potential use is undertaken.”

The plan is to build the science centre in stages, with 40,000 square feet for indoor programming in the first phase, and an additional 60,000 square feet built through the next two phases. This includes a convertible Imax theatre and planetarium in Phase 2, and the creation of a nature and ecology centre in Phase 3.

To get there, the team is now fundraising for the final piece of the feasibility study, which involves forging relationships with Indigenous communities to seek guidance on land rehabilitation alongside landscape architecture consultants, a market analysis, creating a detailed business plan and financial modelling, an exploration of the exhibit space, and advancing the architectural work toward being shovel ready.

“Some of this will only be possible, however, after we have a site identified, and we are working hard on this right now,” said O'Meara.
She said they are actively seeking corporate and private donations, and are continuing to apply to various grant streams, including the Commonwell L.E.A.F. initiative.
Comments from the public are encouraged, and will be accepted online until Nov. 15.
Once funds have been raised for the final piece of this study — approximately $175,000 — and provided there is a clear business case to be able to operate responsibly, O'Meara said they will move on to a major capital campaign."

Source The Record 

Seems like a great Idea, but horrible location. Wish they had looked at sites within the urban boundaries of k-W-C-G.

[panamaniac]

Seems like a good idea, but without the direct participation of the UofG and the Province, this risks being a white elephant, if it can even be built.

[ac3r]

Nothing says "sustainable development" like building a 52 million dollar science centre in an extremely remote, rural location where aggregates are mined, only accessible by driving on North America's busiest highway.

[bravado]

Nothing says "sustainable development" like building a 52 million dollar science centre in an extremely remote, rural location where aggregates are mined, only accessible by driving on North America's busiest highway.

and there’s an existing science centre sitting empty for no rational reason

So environmental!