A project in Grinnell that’s been on hold for years is now moving ahead. Iowa Transportation Museum president Gerry Schnepf says the money is in hand to begin phase one of the renovation of the old Spaulding Manufacturing Company. He says phase one includes the reconstruction of the administration building, the construction of an atrium and part of the facility to the south. Schnepf says that will give them a large amount of square footage for the museum.
The site once produced thousands of horse-drawn vehicles and motorcars in the early 1900s, and Schnepf says there’s funding to covert it to the museum use. Schneff says the buildings should be equipped and ready for exhibit purposes, but he says there’s a lot of work to do in the next 18 months to two years to be sure everything is in place. Schneff says some funding that had been promised is now in line and getting the first phase completed is important.
Schneff says it’s important as the other organizations that have an interest in transportation history now have an actual facility and place to invest in. Schnepf says the bid letting on the three-and-a-half million dollar phase one is planned for July. Construction would begin in late summer or early fall, with the construction taking about 14 months.
By Chris Johnson, KGRN, Grinnell