Then fate played a cruel hand. The planned visitor center burned to the ground.
But the City of Independence came to the rescue quickly, and offered the Federal Government the use of the historic Fire Station #1 on Main Street until the NPS could find another alternative.
We're still there in 2023!
But the park, together with a wonderful network of partners, is now embarking on a project that will create for the park, and its wonderful visitors, a new visitor services facility and administrative headquarters. This new building will be fully Americans with Disabilities Act accessible, which is not possible in the present building. The new facility will tap (literally!) into the City of Independence's utilities, which are becoming more energy sustainable all the time.
It will be located almost across the street from the current building, along Truman Road. It will be adjacent to the Harry S Truman Historic District National Historic Landmark, and will be adjacent to the forthcoming Truman Connected trail.
The land upon which it will be built was graciously donated to the American people by the City of Independence. There is just no way to fully calculate how wonderfully supportive Independence has been over the last forty years. We are truly humbled.
So here is the latest:
*The funding for the project was included as part of the "line item construction" section in the National Park Service's portion of the fiscal year 2023 appropriations from Congress.
*A local architectural and engineering firm was selected for this project.
*This firm, plus park staff, staff from our regional office in Omaha, Nebraska, our Denver Service Center, our Harpers Ferry (West Virginia) Center, and the City of Independence met last week to start the pre-design of the facility, discussing the priority of needs.
*An interdisciplinary team is working to ensure compliance with all National Environmental Protection Act and National Historic Preservation Act rules and regulations. A significant number of Native American Tribes are being consulted to ensure their involvement, as many Tribes have historic and cultural roots in Independence.
*As part of the above, in the near future, the public will be invited to contribute their input.
And we're just getting started.
Since the park's creation in 1983, the American people have been tremendous supporters of this park. So have the citizens of Independence, Missouri. They have invested in us, so we are honored to invest in them!
We will use this blog to update everyone on this project...up to the time that we open the new building in 2026!
