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EPIC Discovery Center plans STEAM exhibits, programming for ages 0–18 and invites GIPS partnership
Summary
Scott Mazur told the board EPIC (formerly Grand Island Children’s Museum) will open in late spring with 25 STEAM exhibits, maker spaces and four South-End rooms oriented to older students, and he invited Grand Island Public Schools to partner on programming and tours.
Scott Mazur presented plans for EPIC Discovery Center to the board, describing a decade-long effort to transform the former Grand Island Children’s Museum into a broader STEAM-focused resource for ages 0–18. "So EPIC is is formerly Grand Island Children's Museum and it's been about a 10 year process from concept to actuality," Mazur said, outlining a 25-static-exhibit museum floor, a two-story climber, an airways exhibit, a construction zone with conveyor belt movement between floors, and inclusive design elements so children who cannot access certain features can have comparable experiences.
Mazur said EPIC will include maker spaces, four South-End rooms aimed at high-school and middle-school students (an art studio, a clean-technology room, a lounge and a classroom for programming), and planned programming that could support GIPS students through internships, curricular support and summer camps. He described an active youth advisory council composed of area students and invited individual board members and district staff to tour the facility.
Mazur estimated a late-spring opening for core exhibits pending fabrication timelines, with some programming rooms possibly opening earlier in the spring. He emphasized EPIC's goal of serving students across age ranges, assisting with hands-on reteaching or extension activities, and offering career-exploration opportunities with visiting professionals.
