For those of you that attended the AAA/APM Fly-in we hope you had the occasion to look over the APM Restoration Center.
The shell of the building was finished in time for us to utilize the facility for various functions during the AAA/APM Fly-in, including a reception on Tue evening where all fly-in attendees were given the opportunity to look/tour the new structure and to “Thank” those whom have donated their money, material and time in helping us get the APM Restoration Center built. We also utilized the Restoration Center for the nightly “Runway Cinema” (including a matinee on Sat) and the annual “Gone Home” awards meeting on Sun evening.
Throughout the week and during the aforementioned activities, all seemed pleased not only that the Restoration Center building is up but also with the quality, size and yes even the location of the structure.
Donations via our “Buy-a-Foot” campaign during and since the AAA/APM Fly-in continue to come in and we are very near our goal of raising $71,000.00. In fact there are currently only 82 square feet left to purchase in the “Buy-a-Foot” campaign. Put another way, we have raised $68,950.00 representing 2758 (97.11%) of the available 2840 square feet.
But now we move onto the next phase of construction, that of finishing the insides of the structure. At present, plans are being formulated and costs/bids being gathered to accomplish sealing the floor, insulating, vapor barrier, building of the interior wall and installing the interior steel which we hope to accomplish using mostly volunteer labor. With the successful completion of the “Buy-a-Foot” campaign we will have enough funds on hand to complete this phase of the project.
That will leave the installation of the mechanical systems (electrical, plumbing, heating/cooling etc.) to make the Restoration Center operational. While we do have a lot of the above-mentioned materials on hand (boiler & pump for heating, light fixtures etc.) there will still be the need to raise funds for this phase of construction. Stay tuned for an announcement about this future phase of fund raising and construction before the end of the year.
In the mean time, enjoy this video/slideshow of the progress and construction of the APM Restoration Center to date. If you haven’t yet joined with AAA members, APM donors, AAA & EAA Chapters, corporations, foundations, well-known aviation personalities and even a US Congressman or two in helping make the APM Restoration Center a reality, why not join with the above august group and help us “Pay off the Mortgage” by purchasing a square foot (or more) of the floor via the “Buy-a-Foot” campaign.
Brent Taylor
Treasurer APM
