Transportation museum bids could come in late winter
, Staff Writer
11-20-2009
Bids for construction of the town’s new 10,000-square-foot transportation museum could be sought as early as late winter.
John Hawley, Pulaski town manager, said he sees no reason at this point why the Raymond F. Ratcliffe Transportation Museum couldn’t go to bid in late winter. He noted that a recent meeting with Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), which is providing funding for the project, was “really good.”
Although he wasn’t aware of it earlier, Hawley said a VDOT official indicated the town could request additional funds later to help “finish out” the museum, if needed.
“I hadn’t heard that before,” he told members of Pulaski Town Council.
Council, Tuesday evening, gave its stamp of approval on concept plans for the museum building so that drawings could be finalized.
More than $600,000 of the construction cost is being supplied by VDOT’s Enhancement/Byway Program. The museum project has been on the town’s list of projects for more than 10 years, Mayor Jeff Worrell said during a December 2008 meeting. The town received a letter from VDOT in 2008 indicating the project would have to move forward or the funds would go to a project in another part of the state.
Tuesday, Tye Kirkner presented plans to town council.
“A lot of the ideas and concepts have come from my mind,” Kirkner said, noting that he would like to get some feedback on those plans from council members.
The plans call for a 125-foot by 80-foot metal structure that would essentially be divided into three sections: small item displays up front, large item displays (antique hearse and fire truck) in the middle and Dr. Milton Brockmeyer’s train set and replica of Pulaski in the back third.
The train set would be installed on an elevated display to allow for maintenance.
Kirkner said the building’s 26- to 28-foot height allows for a second floor consisting of about 2,000 square feet. In addition to providing space for heating and air conditioning equipment, the second floor could be used for future storage or office space.
Worrell said he doubts the town will have sufficient funds to finish the second floor at this time.
The building will have a sprinkler system throughout.
“I’m not building this thing unless it’s fully sprinkled,” said Kirkner.
Many items in the old Raymond F. Ratcliffe Museum were destroyed or heavily damaged by fire when the museum’s former home, the Pulaski Train Station, was gutted by fire in November 2008. The train station was not equipped with a fire suppression system.
Current plans call for the front of the museum building to match the train station. The other three walls would match the design and brick of the Maple Shade Shopping Center.
Councilman Morgan Welker questioned whether any thought had been given to making the front match the design of the old Maple Shade Inn, which was torn down in 1963 to build Pulaski’s first shopping center.
“It’s probably too late for that, isn’t it?” Welker asked.
Kirkner said it may be too late to construct the front façade in the image of the old inn, but “we still have three other walls.”
The museum is being designed so that it “won’t cry metal building” when it is completed, Kirkner added.
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