F.F.A.M.

The Museum Project – July 2017

For those who were not able to attend the FFAM meeting in Sedalia this past June the board of directors re-approved their pledge of $100,000 toward construction of a museum. This pledge plus foundation funds as of that meeting put our price point at $415,000 plus any additional donations received between now and final construction bills are paid. We are now moving forward with project development to see how far $415,000 will take us. I do not believe this is enough to fully finish and open the museum but should get all site work completed and a fully secured building shell up, while we finish raising the required balance. One never knows for sure until the bids are in. We will be requesting bids on two phases plus a couple of options. Phase I is described as a shell only for now, and Phase II being fully finished. Phase III involves being fully furnished and ready to open.

Greg Wright has been doing miles and miles of preliminary work while Doc Kritzer has arranged for a couple of meetings with an architect for possible professional services. We have contacted and are communicating with four builders that would be interested in this project and working within our various restrictions. We have a construction group within the foundation that is ready to move forward with final planning and development once we have some final details established, which I am projecting to be completed by end of July. Allowing two months for project refinement, final documents, final review and bidding, it is possible we could be moving dirt by mid to late October. This is likely the very earliest and as these things go, it could be a later start. The key is that unlike the past five years we are now actually moving forward versus being on hold. Revising the vision and original plan, downsizing for now, recent cost savings in construction technology, and the willingness to move forward in a phased process, has finally moved this project forward.

The “Foot in the Door” campaign is now stepping forward but we may find ourselves needing that other foot to finish what we are about to finally get started.