Fresno's discovery center getting a facelift

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- In East Central Fresno you can find volunteers laying the groundwork for transformation.

"Stepping stones here in the front doing mulch, pulling a bunch of weeds, laying some gravel, and doing some bedding all around us," said Jake Ramirez, Home Depot Store Manager.

The Discovery Center could soon be the premier children's museum in the Central Valley.

"It's phase one of our beautification. We're going to be working on this for the next couple of years," said Debbie Milla, Museum Director.

Milla said she is thankful to have a community that stands by the museum through thick and thin.

"Unfortunately we've had a few setbacks but this place has remained open and remained strong throughout that whole time thanks to a lot of volunteers and staff members."

Home Depot is pitching in as part of an effort to give back to local communities. It's doing so in Fresno-- by bringing a new look to an old favorite.

"Our signature colors are lime green, orange, and dark purple. So when you drive by the discovery center you're going to know you're driving by the Discovery Center," said Milla.

Volunteers spent hours revamping all three buildings and with a fresh coat of paint this Fresno hidden gem is going to shine a little brighter.

"We're just glad to help out and make this a good exhibit for the kids," said Ramirez.

Most of the volunteers you see here have children who enjoy the Discovery Center or have enjoyed it themselves.

"We heard about the Discovery Center and some of their exhibits that were a little outdated. They jumped on this project right away," said Ramirez.

Rolling out the remodel in phases, the hope is to have the museum portion complete by the end of summer 2017.