ROGERS -- The City Council approved paying a contractor to oversee design for the Rogers Historical Museum expansion.
David Hook, Rogers director of facilities and development, said Tuesday the $11,000 will be used to contract with Nabholtz Construction. The contractor will work with architects during the design phase of the project.
The city closed on the former Rogers Morning News building in downtown Rogers in December. The building, also known as the Hailey Ford Building, will be renovated to house the museum's main exhibits. The facility is at 313 S. Second Street.
Another building owned by the city will be renovated to house the museum's collections, said John Burroughs, museum director. He said the renovation of the former youth center at 300 W. Poplar St. could start soon.
Betsy Reithemeyer, council member, said the museum expansion is important for the city.
"I think it is a great tribute to the community of Rogers to recognize the important heritage and create a project that honors the past while moving this progressive city into the future," Reithemeyer said.
Burroughs said the $11,000 was received through a matching grant from the National Endowment for Humanities in 2010. He said the total grant is for $500,000.
The grant requires the museum to raise another $1.5 million for the renovation by July, Burroughs said. He said the museum is still in the process of raising money to match the grant.
Work on the renovation also must be completed by 2018 for the grant, Burroughs said. He said it's likely the work on the former youth center will be completed by the end of this year.
The museum is out of collection space, Burroughs said.
"We will have to stop collection," Burroughs said. "This is a key part of our expansion."
Burroughs said the former youth center will be renovated for office space. It also will be renovated for temperature control and fire suppression.
The museum has about 50,000 pieces in its collection, Burroughs said. He said pieces are rotated through the museum.
"Not everything is on display," Burroughs said. "You have to make sure those objects continue to be around so that people can learn from them well into the future."
The Rogers Historical Museum Commission approved contracting with De Leon & Primmer Architecture for architecture designs of the expansion in December. The City Council also needs to approve contracting with the firm.
The museum received a $408,00o grant from the Walton Family Foundation for architectural needs in September. The grant is part of the foundation's Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program.
The museum also has received another $1 million grant from the Walton Family Foundation for construction, Burroughs said. The grant is contingent on a successful fundraising campaign to cover the remaining costs of construction, he said.
NW News on 01/27/2016