​Our Board of Trustees has been working hard on securing designs, permits, and funding for our new building, the Wichita Carriage Works. This new exhibit will house pieces from our rolling stock collection, such as buggies, carriages, wagons, and coaches. The exterior design of the building will resemble the actual early Wichita business of the same name.

With architectural drawings and engineering complete, the Building Committee has been concentrating on permits and funding. Regarding permits, the most recent focus has been the need for a site plan. The Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD) requested a site plan from us before issuing a permit for our project. We have hired civil engineers for this step.

An additional change comes with the HVAC system. We will have split systems with an exterior condenser and an interior furnace. The furnace will only use ten square feet of space in the shop area. A county reviewer’s comments included adding a dust collection system, but since our building will not be a functioning factory, thus not making anything, this is a non-issue.

Once all the permits are complete, we can again get some pricing bids. Items like lumber, sheetrock, concrete, and rebar are on the list. The committee is also looking at finding sponsorships these items. Additionally, two more sponsors have pledged funds for this construction: the DeVore Family Foundation and Steve Overstreet.

Because of the fundraising efforts by our board and the very generous donors, we have officially reached our goal of $200,000! Once permits are granted and bids selected, construction can begin.