Freshwater Research & Innovation Center On Track for Spring 2027 Opening
By Art Bukowski | Oct. 23, 2026
Matt McDonough is thrilled to watch it all come together.
The “it” in this instance is the Freshwater Research & Innovation Center, which over the past several months has steadily taken shape in Elmwood Township along M-22 across from Discovery Pier.
The $29 million, 38,000 square foot facility is on track to be ready for tenants by March of 2027, with a public ribbon cutting sometime in April. Crews broke ground in September of 2025 after years of planning and earlier work on Discovery Pier to set the stage for a comprehensive freshwater campus.
“Things are moving along, and I’m feeling pretty good,” McDonough, CEO of Discovery Pier, …
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