BISBEE, Ariz. (KGUN) — A $6 million project in Bisbee's San Jose neighborhood will transform an eight-acre lot behind a former middle school into an outdoor educational space.
The lot behind Bisbee middle school may look abandoned now, but the Bisbee Backyard Project plans to transform the space into a learning oasis, complete with a mini observatory designed to take advantage of the city's dark skies designation.
The $6 million project is a partnership between the Bisbee Science Exploration and Research Center, the local school district and the city. It will be completed in phases as the organization raises funds.
Thora Colot, executive director of the Bisbee Science Exploration and Research Center, said the observatory is just one piece of a larger vision.
"We want to celebrate that in a lot of ways, and part of that is getting the young people excited about what's up there and how to look at it," Colot said.
Early phases of the project will focus on more immediate community needs.
"We're going to focus on the baseball field and some of the other recreational areas so that the neighborhood can come and play on that, that we're going to slowly add in as of course we raise the money," Colot said.
Colot said the designs were shaped by direct input from the community.
"We found that they wanted areas where they could meet their neighbors, you know, where they could interact with their children. The children had safe places to play, to climb, but maybe also learn a little bit," Colot said.
The full design also includes walking paths, discovery gardens and STEAM-related activities.
"It was a STEM desert with us here. We hope that we can enrich students lives. We figure if we get them interested, they'll stay interested. Maybe they'll pursue careers in STEM and STEAM," Colot said.
Colot said the organization is close to finishing the design phase, which was paid for with federal dollars secured by Raul Grijalva.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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