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 Contributed rendering | Daily Herald An artist's rendering shows the schematic design of Phase II of the Roanoke Canal Museum. |
The city is currently waiting on supplemental funding from the state Department of Transportation in the amount of $136,360, City Parks and Recreation Director Chris Wicker said Wednesday. “We should find out about that in early November.”
Once that is done, a request will be made to approve construction contracts, Wicker said. Phase II is expected to be open by next summer.
Plans for Phase II include a new first floor interactive display of plasma screens which will present a 200-year history of the Roanoke River, including what it was like before development, what it was like during the canal years, what it was like during power generation years and what it's like now.
“What we have learned is how much the river has changed,” Wicker said. “Our area changed when our forefathers decided to take advantage of that (the river). That was the interstate highway of the time.”
Transformation
Plans for the basement include an elevator to make that portion accessible. There will be an interactive power generation display, which is being financed by Dominion Power. There will also be a scaled-down bateau model on display, showing the loads of goods carried down the canal in these vessels, which would navigate to the Albermarle Sound and the Great Dismal Swamp.
On the porch of the museum will be another interactive display showing how the boats negotiated the locks.
The Phase II plans are not limited to the museum, Wicker said. There will be new interpretive rails placed along the trail from Roanoke Rapids Lake to River Falls Park, explaining different things such as wildlife that can be seen on the trail.
In addition, there will be new kiosks placed on the trail, including one that describes the aqueduct and its architecture and one that discusses Weldon's railroad history.
Wicker said Phase II will make the museum and trail a much better attraction. “We want people to see the rich history we have. The more we see, the more we understand we have an amazing treasure from Roanoke Rapids Lake to Weldon.”
Wicker said attendance has been good in the year the museum has been open. Last quarter, attendance was more than 700 a month. “It's about what we expected.”
Hugh Bazemore, co-chairman of the Canal Museum, said Phase II will be a big boost to the facility.
“First of all, we are very pleased with what Phase I has done and the number of people,” he said. “We feel the plans we have now will wow the people. We're real proud of what the designers have put together.”
Bazemore believes there will also be a better understanding of what the canal meant to the area. “I think Phase II will do a lot better job of letting the people understand the history of power generation and show more clearly what the canal did.”
He has also been pleased with attendance. “I think it has done as well as we expected it to. We hope to use the educational pieces to educate the children. We hope to have more space to teach them of that history.”
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