Article content“We’re really waiting to officially open to the public until the accessibility measures are put in. Because basically, the observatory is built on a big rock.”Article contentTheir biggest event this year, he said, was a program to train Grade 6 and Grade 9 science teachers on how to teach astronomy.Article content“We haven’t decided what the cost structure is going to be (to support the observatory), but the belief is that the stars belong to everyone … That’s sort of the idea behind it that everyone should have a place where they can come and experience the joys of the night sky.”Article content John Read adjust the telescope at the Abbey Ridge Observatory at his Stargaze Nova Scotia property off Prospect Road in Big Lake on Thursday. Photo by Ryan Taplin /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentThe visionArticle contentThis week, HRM’s North West Community Council gave first reading to a development agreement Read submitted, which includes plans for:Article contentrental cabinsbunk house observatory rentalswalk-in tent sites and possibly recreational vehicle (RV) sitesa caféa boathouseA Stargazers Lodge, which would have washrooms, a community hall and kitchen, and a craft shop.Article contentArticle contentRead said he doesn’t have the funding in place for this yet, but was advised by his architect Charles Freeman, to include all of his hopes and dreams in the application.Article content“The vision would be ultimately to build out what’s called the Stargazers Lodge, which would effectively be a public space education centre where people could come and learn about the night sky.”Article contentFreeman has done some preliminary design work on the project, and he said he sees it as an opportunity to create a unique outlet for entertainment and tourism.Article content A preliminary design for the Stargazing Park in Big Lake. Photo by Charles FreemanArticle content“And the fact that this could be like a short bus ride or a car ride, 30 minutes more or less, it just presents an opportunity that gives more people more ready access to dark skies, and just get you outside which I think is a great thing.”Article contentFreeman said he’s pulling from the surrounding area for aesthetic inspiration, like local beaches with their boardwalks and Peggy’s Cove. Freeman said the idea is that people would be driving around the bend “and then all of a sudden, this observatory would just pop up over the horizon, because it’s pretty much the only thing you would see.”Article contentArticle contentBoardwalks would guide people up the hill to the Stargazing Plateau, where they could gaze up at the Milky Way.Article content“That’s kind of the experience, is that primordial being in the dark with the stars. And what’s nice about the landscape is so rough in you know, there’s vegetation, but it has this otherworldly kind of (feel). It’s not a practical place to build, but that’s what makes it special.”Article content The Abbey Ridge Observatory in its new digs on the Stargaze Nova Scotia Property in Big Lake, off of Prospect Road. Photo by John ReadArticle contentTaking it slowArticle contentThe lodge would have a planetarium for something to do in the daytime, Read said.Article content“Because we have 26 acres, so there’s enough room for everything. So currently we don’t have financing or anything for that, just sort of taking things slow, taking things one day at a time. “Article contentJust getting an agreement with the city is a “massive undertaking,” one that has been riddled with delays.Article content“We have a plan for where we’re going. We don’t quite know how to do that yet.”
Stargazing Park proposes a unique opportunity for Halifax: a dark sky
