The group behind a new agricultural science center being planned in the Huron-Perth region has offered two major updates on the project.
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First, the group has secured a location in North Perth, reserving four hectares (10 acres) of land at Binning Street West and Road 165 near Line 86 in Listowel that will be leased.
Secondly, what was once known as the Huron Perth Agricultural Science Center will be known as the Ontario Agri-Food Discovery Center when its doors finally open.
“It’s exciting news,” said Steve Dolson, chair of the group leading the efforts to bring the center to the area.
North Perth, he said, has been part of the project since the campaign was launched, helping the group when it submitted its first feasibility study.
“In 2020, they basically had said, ‘If you guys can raise the money, we’ll find a place for it,’” Dolson said.
Having an actual location, Dolson added, will help the group raise funds for the next project’s stages, including feasibility studies on fundraising and concept drawings, as well as what will actually go inside the buildings. Most of what will be housed at the science center will be “more expensive than the buildings themselves,” Dolson said. These next steps, he noted, are expected to cost about $100,000.
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The group will eventually look at starting a capital campaign for about $20 million. Dolson said he hopes to raise half that amount from various industry partners while pursuing provincial and federal grants for the balance.
“We need some people who feel this is very important, and are in a position of life that they have access to some significant dollars that could make this thing happen. This campaign hasn’t officially started, but if there’s anyone out there that feel that they want to support us to the tune of a million here and a million there, that certainly would help us move this whole process on quicker.”
The idea of bringing the center to Listowel has been in the works for several years, originally starting with a group of residents looking to build a children’s museum in the area. The group then engaged Toronto-based Lord Cultural Resources to do a feasibility study, but the firm quickly suggested a pivot to the science center. The group has once again pivoted with the recent name change. After looking at similar institutions in the US, the group found the term “discovery center” was more inviting than “science center,” Dolson said.
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“Discovery center is the term that we’re using, but the focus is still the same. . . a fun activity center where you learn about modern agriculture. And I can’t stress that enough, it is about modern agriculture and food production,” he said.
The center, he emphasized, will reflect how the agricultural sector extends far beyond the farm, using the Gray Ridge Eggs processing center in Strathroy and Erie Meat as examples.
“I think one of the things we want to do is get young people excited about the many different job opportunities that are out there in the agriculture and the food industry at large,” Dolson said.
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