After opening just a year ago, an observatory at the Headlands International Dark Sky Park has been closed to the public.
A recent inspection made it apparent that the observatory didn’t meet codes for public use. The observatory isn’t accessible to handicapped visitors and doesn’t meet Americans with Disabilities Act qualifications.
John Calabrese is the Emmet County Administrator. He said everything else in the Headlands building is still open.
“The event center is still open and you can still view the night sky and stars through other telescopes on the ground floor and also through television monitors.”
Calabrese said an elevator or chairlift would need to be installed in order for the observatory to reopen to the public.
He said it’s still unknown if accommodations will be made to reopen the observatory.