Sawyer Air Museum Moves
A local museum keeping the U.P.’s Cold War history alive moves into a new home.
The K.I. Sawyer Heritage Air Museum has been closed for 6 months, ever since the ‘W’ shut down.
Staff want to re-open the museum next summer.
Volunteers have been spending the last few weekends moving everything into the former Naval Reserve Building a block away.
And they wrapped up the last of that moving work on Saturday.
Telkite Industries owns the building.
Museum president Bob Vick says Telkite gave them a great deal on rent — 1 year free.
The museum will be responsible for utilities, but Vick says they have grant arrangements with UPPCO and SEMCO Energy worked out.
It’s more space than the museum needs.
They aim to rent out office space and other sections of the building to generate more income.
However, even if the new home doesn’t work out, the museum’s message will live on.
If the museum ever permanently closes, it has an agreement with the Marquette County History Museum to transfer any materials the county museum has space for to Marquette.
Vick hopes to eventually buy the building from Telkite and fix it up.
They’ll launch a fundraising drive in the near future to come up with the $400,000 they’ll need.