Friday, Feb. 1, 2002
The big nickel has been moved, the big pit has
been dug and surface construction is under way at Dynamic
Earth.
Soon to be Sudbury's boldest portrayal of
mining heritage and science, the $12.8-million project is rolling
smoothly off the drawing board and into reality in the west end of
town.
"Everything is proceeding on
schedule," said Nancy Griffin, a marketing assistant at
Science North, which will own and operate the city's newest
tourist magnet.
Dynamic Earth is intended to showcase
Sudbury's unique geology and celebrate its role in shaping
the community over the past century.
Its centrepiece, a 20,000-square-foot visitor
centre and gallery hall, is under construction and should be open
by summer, Griffin said.
Concrete for the structure has been poured and
structural steel will be erected throughout the winter, she
added.
The centre will hold an exhibit gallery and
theatre on each of its two floors.
It's being built around a 20-metre deep
cavern cut out of the rock. The walls of the chasm will serve as
the screen for a multimedia show of moving images and special
effects showing mining equipment, geological specimens and the
crashing meteorite that formed the Sudbury Basin millions of years
ago. Installation of an elevator to move people in and out of the
chasm has also started, Griffin said.
