FORT SMITH -- Design changes and reduced site preparation work cut in half the estimated cost of building the U.S. Marshals Museum.
Museum board members were told during their quarterly meeting Tuesday that costs have been reduced from $33.5 million to $16.5 million.
President and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Weeks said streamlining the museum building design and eliminating the need to replace soil under the museum's footprint have accounted for the reduction in the cost estimate.
"By implementing a few design changes, we'll now be able to reap significant cost savings in both construction and future operations," Weeks said in a news release.
Construction was estimated to cost $25.3 million in 2009 but it ballooned to $33.5 million last year, mostly because of inflation, Weeks said at the time. At that cost, Weeks said, the site and facility costs would raise the overall project cost from $58.6 million to about $70 million.
The facility and site cost reductions take the total project cost back to the $58.6 million level, Weeks said. The project cost includes the building; exhibits; an endowment; furniture, fixtures and equipment; contingencies; and first-year operating expenses.
Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects updated the museum's design to reduce the complexity of construction, the news release said.
The 102-foot-tall roof that was to tower over the Arkansas River was lowered to 40 feet, changes were made to the design of the roof that had been configured to let in light, and more 90-degree angles in the building were added in places outside the public's view to simplify the design and reduce the cost.
Engineers also had estimated that soils 16 feet deep under the museum were found to be unstable and would have to be removed and replaced at a cost of $600,000. Weeks said a more recent testing of the soils showed them to be more stable than first thought and able to support the structure without being replaced.
The soils contain wood, concrete and steel debris from the 1996 tornado that struck the Fort Smith area and were used as fill along the river.
The news release said construction is expected to begin next spring. Weeks announced in October that the museum will open Sept. 24, 2019, the 230th anniversary of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Fundraising for the project continues. According to the museum website, $34.4 million has been raised, with $24.2 million remaining to be acquired.
The proposed 50,000-square-foot museum with its collection of 700 items will be built on the banks of the Arkansas River near downtown Fort Smith. It will include three permanent exhibit galleries, a temporary exhibit gallery, the Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor to honor those killed in the line of duty and a National Learning Center.
State Desk on 06/16/2017