HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Shoreline Amateur Astronomical Association member Frank Rodan says club members are campaigning to raise the $65,000 to build an observatory at Ottawa County’s Hemlock Park.
The building would have a rotating dome with the best-quality amateur telescope they can afford, said SAAA member Peter Burkey. Park employees would be trained in how to use the telescope and the building would be open to the public, he said.
With donations including a club member’s $20,000 pledge for the telescope and $2,500 from the Friends of Ottawa County Parks, the total is already near $30,000.
Frank Roldan, another club member, said the observatory will be a way to inspire children to think about a science career.
Holland SAAA members hosted night-sky viewing parties at Holland State Park last year, which drew more than 2,000, Burkey and Roldan said.
West Michigan currently has no public observatory. The club has a donor page on its website, holland-saaa.org.
Check back on this story for updates.
