New wing opening at museum

Part of the newly constructed wing at the UA Museum of the North will open Sept. 10 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon followed by a community celebration. The final completion date of the now $42 million renovation and expansion project is still unknown and the project is about a year behind schedule.

"I don't have a completed schedule," said Communications Coordinator Kerynn Fisher, who along with nine of her museum coworkers was relocated to the old Tanana Valley Campus building on 2nd Avenue so contractors could start remodeling the original museum space. "We've been told to be prepared to stay (at TVC) though Christmas," Fisher said.

Project Manager Carol Adamczak confirmed that the university does not have a date for completion of the museum.

The university is currently involved in a dispute with the contractor, Alaska Mechanical Inc., over the delays in construction and payment to subcontractors working on the museum. A half-dozen subcontractors have had trouble getting paid on time, one has even filed for bankruptcy, and the university is blaming AMI. Officials for AMI have pointed the finger back at the university, citing delays and numerous changes requested by the university. Last December, the UA Board of Regents approved a $3.5 million loan to keep the operation moving along.

Despite the delays, many agree that the new building looks incredible with its sweeping curves and open ceilings. The building's size has more than doubled, from 40,820 to 84,611 square feet and will be able to better showcase the museum's collection of 1.4 million pieces.

"Yes, it is more expensive, but we know that an architecturally impressive building will bring more people and generate more revenue," said Aldona Jonaitis, director of the museum, in an interview last spring.

Traveling exhibits, like "Light Motifs: American Impressionist Paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," which comes to UAF Sept. 18 from New York, will be housed in the upper level of the addition. "It's the first time we've been able to bring an exhibit of this stature to Fairbanks," Fisher said."

The Alaska Classics gallery will be open for the Sept. 10 ribbon cutting, as well as a new coffee stand serving sandwiches and baked goods. Entertainment includes the UAF Steel Drum Band, the Tanana Highlanders, the Suzuki Strings and the Pavva Inupiaq dancers.

New entrance to campus

The completion of Morris Thompson Drive establishes a new main entrance to UAF, from Geist Road to the roundabout at Tanana Loop, and allows for the closing of the Fairbanks Street Bridge to vehicle traffic.

The Department of Transportation held an official ribbon cutting ceremony Aug. 23, but the new road was not opened to traffic until Aug. 25 because workers still needed to finish painting lines.

"For a complex project, it went pretty smooth," said John Pfeffer, a project engineer for DOT. Pfeffer said they had some trouble with the pilings for the bridge. DOT eventually had to settle on driving the pilings only 70 feet instead of a planned 120 feet. Several million dollars over budget, the entire project cost $12.7 million.

The new road is named in honor of Alaska Native leader Morris Thompson, his wife Thelma and daughter Sheryl Thompson who died in a plane crash in 2000. Speaking at the ceremony was Thompson's daughter Nicole, Governor Frank Murkowski, UAF Chancellor Steve Jones and DOT Commissioner Mike Barton.

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