‘Sun Dome’ Project Designed To Help Educate
A map showing where the ‘Sun Dome’ Education Center will be located.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – There are lots of changes taking place at MCRF this year, most of it is the paving of roads that connect the facility to town. Another that will be helping to bring a spotlight to the facility is a recently announced project that will help to educate students and adults about the solar system.
The ‘Sun Dome’ Education Center will feature a 3-foot high geodesic dome as a representation of the sun. Scale models of the planets will be installed around the sun, and an outdoor viewing deck will be constructed east of the dome.
The dome will be located at the south end of the parking lot between the 5-plex fields and the Babe Ruth fields.
Bob Drost presented the project to the city council during their regular meeting on Monday night, on behalf of Joe Crookham and MCRF. Drost said the project has been a dream of Crookham’s for approximately 15 years.
Besides the dome, there will be a display of the planets just east of the dome. “And those planets in that display will be scaled to size. So the Sun is 86 feet in diameter, that makes Jupiter about 8 and a half feet,” said Drost.
If you’re interested, the Earth will be about 9 and a half inches in the display.
A walking path and viewing platform for the display will also be built, and kiosks will line the parking lot heading north, putting to scale how far away each planet is from the Sun.
Pluto will be well past the soccer fields to the North and will be in the middle of a current cornfield. The distance will be approximately 2600 feet from the Sun. “Perspective for how big our solar system is,” said Drost.
Current plans will have the dome installed in the early fall of 2018.
In other work:
The council tabled approval of a professional services agreement with McClure Engineering Company regarding a Creative Placemaking proposal.
The board approved a resolution of appreciation for 2nd Ward City Council member Tom Jimenez.
The council also approved a resolution providing for notice of intent to fill the seat vacated by Jimenez by appointment.
