United Learning Center ribbon cutting set for May in downtown Centralia

After ups and downs over the last several years, the United Learning Center will finally open its doors in downtown Centralia later this spring.

The United Way of Lewis County announced Monday that it will hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the United Learning Center at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 14.

Opening dates for the programs and organizations within the building — including the Discover! Children's Museum, the Boys and Girls Club and the Bezos Academy — vary individually, but each is expected to begin operating by the end of the summer.

“Together, we are creating a place where learning, growth and opportunity come together under one roof,” United Way Board President Angie Brown said. 

The announced ribbon-cutting ceremony completes the story of the United Learning Center’s development, which began as early as 2019 when the local United Way first received funds from the Washington state Legislature for the project.

In 2020, the City of Centralia, United Way of Lewis County, Discover! Children’s Museum and the Boys and Girls Club of Lewis County entered into a group agreement that detailed funding plans for the project. The United Way secured a lease of the property with the City of Centralia in 2021.

Construction of the building started in May 2024, with the first walls for the building going up in November of the same year. The project has faced a number of delays, with the most recent popping up last spring. Construction at the time halted while the project waited for approval under the National Environmental Policy Act, which was necessary to receive roughly $4 million in federal funding.

To solve the cash flow issue, the City of Centralia in April 2025 approved a motion to provide $1.5 million in funding to the project and retain other funds it had planned to contribute to the project at a later date.

Ultimately, the agreement left the city’s financial commitment to the project the same as before, but provided the funds a critical moment to keep construction moving forward.

For the most recent reporting by The Chronicle on the United Learning Center, visit https://tinyurl.com/2etzrvb2.