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ITM to break ground on Phase 1 this summer

Reprinted courtesy of the Grinnell Herald-Register, June 10, 2010

“Now the fun begins,” summed up Gerry Schnepf, president of the Iowa Transportation Museum (ITM), as a vote of the Grinnell City Council completed the work necessary to start the project toward construction later this summer. Schnepf appeared at the council’s Monday, June 7, meeting and reported everything ready to move forward with Phase 1 construction at the ITM site west of downtown Grinnell. He predicted groundbreaking could begin as early as this August with the first phase completed 14 months later.

“The partnership with the city has been critical.” Schnepf said, praising the city and its citizens for contributing the buildings where the IMT will be housed, countless volunteer hours to bring the project to the brink of construction and $1 million pledged by the council over the next ten years.

Schnepf estimates that the ITM currently has $5.7 million in federal, state, city and privately-donated funds. But the bulk of the money is in grants payable after construction is done and solely on a reimbursement basis. ITM construction has been divided into phases with plans for Phase 1 calling for $3.5 million.

“You have to have a construction loan just as a private individual building a home need to get a construction loan,” Schnepf explains. An Iowa City bank, MidWestOne, will be handling the construction loan in partnership with Grinnell State Bank, Schnepf reported to the council. Since most of the money pledged to the projects in the form of federal and state grants, the city will serve as recipient and project manager. Schnepf asked the council to send a letter to the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) administering the funds, assuring DOT the city believes the project is ready to move. The council unanimously voted to send the letter.

Requesting bids will be the next step, and Schnepf says plans are ready for requesting bids as early as July. Behrens reminded Schnepf and council members, that, when bids re opened, careful negotiations between the city and the ITM will need to occur to define the role of each in the coming construction.

“They won’t move forward until the city says we believe this project’s ready to move forward,” says Behrens, explaining the need for the council’s letter to the DOT. The city will be the contracting authority, he continues, doing contract administration and drawing down the grants as invoices are paid and reimbursement can be sought. Behrens adds the work on the ITM project by city staff will be substantial, managing a large construction project. While not as large a project as the recent city projects, Behrens expects the ITM to occupy a good deal of time for himself, Mayor Gordon Canfield, City Clerk Kay Cmelik and Director of Building and Planning Duane Neff.

“It will be a huge undertaking by the city,” Behrens s notes. “I think it’s worthwhile, but it will take a lot of time. We’re not the engine driving the project, but we will be behind the wheel, steering the thing. This is where we re-engage in a significant way, take over management activities of the construction aspect of it,” Behrens adds that he expects construction to be a partnership between ITM and the city, pointing out the city will be the contracting party and responsible for management as it was for the other recent projects.

“I’m excited about preserving those historic buildings,” Behrens concludes. “Grinnell has done as well as any community out there in preserving the physical, historical aspects of the community. There are so many communities that have not done that.”

Phase 1 will completely re-do the exterior and interior of the building on the southwest corner of Fourth Ave. and Spring St., Schnepf says, readying it for offices, museum exhibit space and public meeting rooms.

Phase 1 will also add the atrium, the new structure to be erected between the corner building and the L-shaped building to its south, slated for further exhibit space. The atrium will be largely glass and will add public restrooms as well as linking the two buildings for visitors. Schnepf notes that the atrium will have bridges, a transportation key, connecting the two buildings at the upper level and will likely have a plane suspended from its ceiling.

As the ITM builds up to construction, Schnepf says its oldest existing program, the Transportation Heroes program, is building to a fall induction of a second class of Transportation Heroes. “The Transportation Heroes serve as role models. They’re why we’re doing everything we’re doing in the museum,” he adds, predicting that the new class will be every bit as distinguished as the 2009 class headed by Iowa astronaut Peggy Whitson.

“This culminates a lot of effort by a lot of people in Grinnell and around the state for more than ten years,” Schnepf sums up. “Everything we’ve done in the past has been building up to the start of construction. Now the fun begins. I think the people of Grinnell will enjoy watching the construction and being a part of it.”