Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Museum expansion, renovation on time, on budget
ROGERS — Contributions to the Rogers Historical Museum Foundation and its capital campaign for the Hailey building renovation are in a good place, said John Burroughs, executive director of the museum.
“We’re in just about the best shape ever,” Burroughs said during a Museum Commission meeting Thursday. “There’s almost no way we wouldn’t hit our goal by July.”
The museum, which has been in the middle of an expansion and renovation with a price tag of roughly $5.5 million, is now within $300,000 of that goal. Much of the money for the project came
from the Walton Family Foundation, National Endowment for Humanities grants and private donors. The Rogers Historical Museum Foundation board will meet Jan. 19 to establish the capital campaign’s close-out plan.
When the process is complete, the museum will have expanded from a single building to a campus of buildings that includes the major renovation of the Hailey-Ford building, which once housed The Rogers Morning News.
Next on the Hailey building renovation is removing its exterior insulation, which will allow a better look at the brick facade and original windows, Burrough said. The Vitrolite tiles will also soon be replaced.
“To sum up, things are on time and on budget,” Burroughs said. Renovation of the museum annex is nearly finished. Construction workers are focusing on roof repairs and the annex parking lot, which has long been off limits and will once again be available for use.
Expansion to the museum collections building is also on target, Burroughs said. Following a demolition process,
a couple of new walls were put in place, as well as new mechanical and plumbing systems, fire sprinklers and lines.
The museum collections will likely be moved into the expanded and updated building this summer.
“Our collection used to be a lot smaller than that,” said Terrilyn Wendling, assistant director. The museum received 87 donations, or about 1,000 items last year. About 4,000 items were donated in 2014 and another 1,200 in 2013.
“Since I’ve been here, we haven’t had a small year for donations,” Wendling said. “We are growing. We have at least 4,900 objects between (all) our storage spaces, but there’s probably more because we’re not done cataloguing.”
Commissioner Jerry Hiett expressed concern for how the many historical items will be protected during the move to the new building and in the event of an emergency, such as a flood.
Burroughs said sensitive items will be placed in sealed boxes with a special wax coating that sheds water. A fire vault will further protect sensitive documents, said Richard Calloway, curator of exhibits. A gun safe for firearms and other items needing extra protection is also a possibility, Burroughs said.