The Discovery Center, 438 E. St. Louis in Springfield, will receive a $1 million previously restricted allocation from the State of Missouri for infrastructure improvements. The funding was included in House Bill 19 and was released this week.
The project includes construction of the Discovery Center’s Building Kids gallery, which will introduce children to possible future careers. The interactive exhibition will be "designed to promote upstream workforce development by inspiring children ages 5 to 10 to engage with construction and skilled trades through hands-on learning," the Discovery Center said in a statement.
The Discovery Center's CEO Tyler Moles explained more at a Monday afternoon press conference.
The gallery "will be a three-story structure within the building and point kids toward trades, architecture, engineering, manufacturing, inspire kids toward careers that use STEM that are going to be careers tomorrow post AI revolution," he said.
His team has been visiting science museums around the country for ideas. He pointed out one exhibit that showed plumbing from the wall to a sink and to the bathtub that showed how everything hooks up and water flows. "And the kid could actually hook that up and see how it flows in a way that's kid friendly and tactile for a kid," he said. "Additionally, cutaways of tools where kids can see how they actually work and what they do all the way down to building design, introduction to drafting through hands on activities. These are the types of things that will inspire kids to go home and learn more about it."
He said there might be a welding simulator "that's toned down and accessible to a younger age demographic than the standard welding training module." And he pointed out that the Discovery Center does in-house fabrication, so they can design and build pieces that will bring their vision to life.
They recently acquired a 30,000-square-foot fabrication facility warehouse, and Moles said it will serve as a sustainable funding mechanism as they build for other science centers and museums that don't have that capability.
More than 40 area businesses and trades groups have come together to form a committee to further the idea of a kids' gallery focused on workforce development. "To be able to push kids toward the careers of tomorrow, that is going to be fantastic," said Moles.
The building improvements are needed to keep up with demand, according to Moles.
The museum has seen significant growth since the community supported a 30,000-square-foot expansion two decades ago, which has increased demand on the building and its infrastructure, according to Discovery Center leadership.
Moles said the improvements will help them meet the needs of a growing community.
Besides the gallery, they will include:
- A new HVAC chiller to keep the building cool, with an anticipated service life of more than 20 years.
- Electrical and plumbing upgrades to modernize the facility and accommodate a full-scale commercial kitchen capable of serving hundreds of meals to students and summer camp attendees, as well as opening additional revenue streams to make the investment fiscally sustainable.
- Replacement flooring in areas that have seen millions of feet in traffic since the center's founding in 1991.
- Replacement of all windows across the front façade to beautify the downtown building as well as to help with heating and cooling costs.
Moles said they still need to raise funds to be able to complete the project, but the $1 million from the State of Missouri will allow them "to be able to hit the ground running a lot faster than we'd hoped."