Ford Nature Center to Close for Renovations

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Ford Nature Center will be closed for renovations starting Feb. 1.

The closure marks the official start to the center’s redevelopment project, according to a release by Mill Creek MetroParks. The project is expected to take up to 24 months to complete with an anticipated reopening in spring or summer of 2022.

“We are thrilled to be able to announce the start of such a highly anticipated, and critically needed project,” says Aaron Young, executive director of Mill Creek MetroParks.

Since launching the capital campaign for the redevelopment of Ford Nature Center in July 2018, the Mill Creek MetroParks Foundation has raised $2,530,262 of its $3 million goal, according to the release. It also received a signature gift of a $1 million matching challenge grant from the Sand Hill Foundation, Menlo Park, Calif.

Once complete, the project will allow the Ford Nature Center to continue serving the community as a primary resource for nature-based education through the use of 21st century classrooms, learning labs, exhibits and outdoor environment. The center serves more than 40,000 annual visitors, including 15,000 school children.

“We appreciate the support the community has provided through the campaign and look forward to the successful completion of the project,” Young says.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.