Saskatchewan Science Centre gets a major refresh
For 33 years the Saskatchewan Science Centre in Regina has been a family-friendly attraction, and now the facility has been revitalized with several renovations already completed and more improvements on the way.
“We gratefully were the recipient of some funding through the Canada Infrastructure Program,” says Sandy Baumgartner, Saskatchewan Science Centre chief executive officer. “During COVID, they opened a stream of funding through that program for projects like ours that needed to be done coming out of the pandemic.”
About $2 million was provided by the federal and provincial governments, and the centre hopes to bring the total amount close to $3 million with its own funding-raising contribution.
Baumgartner says after 33 years as a very hands-on facility that gets a lot of wear and tear, “We have a long list of to-dos.”
The first series of improvements started in January which included areas of new flooring, better accessibility, a re-do of the major Richardson Ag-grow-land exhibit, and a renovation of two bathrooms that is already being highly anticipated by Science Centre goers.
“It sounds crazy but I want to talk about bathrooms,” Baumgartner says with a laugh.
She says back in 2017 the centre renovated a second floor bathroom and the designer of the project came up with an idea to have the interior designed to look like a boreal forest in Northern Saskatchewan.
The floors and walls were covered with an image of a forest scene with bird and other sounds piped through speakers.
Baumgartner says the designer, who was a big fan of the facility, told her: “I always thought that when you go to the bathroom at the Science Centre your experience shouldn’t end.”
The bathroom was a hit with visitors and actually won an International Toilet Tourism Award in 2018. The two bathrooms now being renovated will have their own themes.
“We want people to feel like they are having an experience at every turn in the facility,” says Baumgartner.
Following completion of current projects by the busy summer season, “We’re going to pause a little bit and let visitors enjoy the things that are here,” she says.
Projects will resume in the fall including a redo of the main entrance, changes to the Wild Saskatchewan nation gallery and an addition to the Building Connections exhibit.
Baumgartner says the final renovations will include the Kramer Imax Theatre including a technology upgrade and bathroom re-do, again with a special theme.
With summer fast approaching, the Saskatchewan Science Centre is ready to showcase the improvements so far along with special events and visiting exhibits.
Baumgartner says Indigenous Ingenuity – Timeless Inventions is at the centre until the middle of September.
“This exhibit is amazing and very interactive,” she says. Visitors experience hands-on the scientific principles that Indigenous nations used in their everyday lives — from building an igloo to balancing while paddling a kayak.
The centre’s popular summer camps are back with a variety of topics.
“Camps are based on years of experience knowing what children want,” says Baumgartner. “And the beauty of a science centre is that the topics are really endless.’
One very popular offering has been a coding camp for girls.
“We want to make sure that science is accessible for all, but we also want to highlight some things for girls,” she says.
Since the Saskatchewan Science Centre is meant for everyone in the province, it maintains a large outreach program.
“We are not just here in Regina, we are active throughout the province. So our outreach teams bring the science centre experience to places outside the city.”
Baumgartner says it’s gratifying to see the Saskatchewan Science Centre improvements taking place and a busy summer season on the horizon, especially after the darkest days of the pandemic.
“In March of 2020 we closed our doors and laid off all our temporary staff. Those were really scary kind of days,” she says. “But when I reflect now back on those two years, we learned a lot about not just ourselves as individuals but also as an organization.”
Baumgartner says since about 70 per cent of the centre’s budget comes from admission and programming fees from people coming through the door, the funding it received was crucial to getting to this point.
“So we’re going to make the best of those opportunities that came to us and move forward into the future.”
For more information on events and activities, go to sasksciencecentre.com.