Vancouver’s Science World aiming for spring return of dome lights
Posted December 15, 2022 4:02 pm.
Last Updated December 15, 2022 4:03 pm.
The dome lights at Science World in Vancouver haven’t been on since July, but an executive says they could be turned on again by late spring 2023.
Science World President and CEO, Tracy Redies, says she’s committed to making the lights a priority.
“The dome is an iconic landmark in Vancouver. The lights are part of the dome and I don’t think anybody wants them on faster than we do,” she said.
There were numerous attempts at quick fixes to get the lights going again over the summer. But the reality of the situation soon became apparent to the team at Science World — the dome lights needed to be replaced.
Global supply chain issues and the need for specialized work done around the geodesic dome are chalked up as reasons for the delay.
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October saw the federal government come to the table and help get things started by giving Science World $10 million under a tourism relief fund.
Redies says the government funding is just the beginning, as there’s much more work to be done to keep the iconic tourist attraction running for years to come.
“The lights frankly are symptomatic of a much bigger issue with our infrastructure. Science World was built for Expo 86 and so it was actually a structure that was only meant to last six months. We are dealing with a lot of critical infrastructure issues,” she explained.
“Overall, it’s about a $110 million issue. We have a leaking dome as well and have to upgrade technology in the dome. So, it’s a significant investment that is required,” outlined Redies.
Conversations with various levels of government continue to take place in an effort to get Science World back to running at 100 per cent.
While late spring is only set as a tentative date for the dome lights to shine again, Redies says it’s important to her and other executives that the goal is met.
