Sat Feb 11 2012
The opening of Kentucky State University’s floating science lab will be delayed because the company selected to build the pontoon boat went out of business.
KSU commissioned Sumerset Houseboats of Somerset, Ky., to construct and modify a floating science lab to meet U.S. Coast Guard standards, according to a press release Thursday.
“Although a purchase order had been completed, Sumerset had not begun work on the project, nor had KSU made any payments to the company,” the press release says.
“KSU will now begin looking for another company to work on the 52-foot boat.”
A call to the phone number listed on the company’s Web site was answered at Citizens National Bank of Somerset. A representative said Sumerset Houseboats closed in October.
Sumerset Houseboats announced in July its plan to halt manufacturing operations until November 2009, according to a July 2 report in the Herald-Leader. The company typically shut down for one to two weeks in the summer.
“Business is really, really poor and the margins are eroding, and I just don’t want to stay in business and then go out of business,” President and CEO Steve Lochmueller told the newspaper.
The company’s showroom remained open for spring and summer orders, which Lochmueller said would be built in November and likely delivered in February.
KSU President Mary Sias told The State Journal in October that the boat and exhibits at the old Paul Sawyier Library building could open by March. She said the boat would cost approximately $289,000.
KSU spokeswoman Felicia Lewis said she doesn’t know how long it will take to select a new company to build the boat, or when it could arrive in Frankfort.
Once completed, the boat will operate on the Kentucky River to teach children about plant and animal life. It will also be used in a master’s of environmental studies program and other university classes.
The university will create a downtown exhibit center in the old Paul Sawyier Library that will have displays and models of the plant and animal life in the river as well as information about the river ecology that students can visit after their tour.
KSU announced in April that it would purchase the historic building from the city of Frankfort for $500,000.
KSU has received a $1 million historic preservation grant from the National Parks Service, but that will not cover the entire project. Sias says the renovation could take between $3 million and $4 million.
Comments
By Posting to this site, you agree to our Terms of Service Be polite.
Inappropriate posts may be removed.
State-Journal.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.
Login above or Register to comment.
0 Total Comments Home | Back
Copyright Frankfort Publishing Co., LLC 1995-2011. All Rights Reserved.
Content may not be republished without the expressed written consent of the publisher.
Content may not be republished without the expressed written consent of the publisher.
Dix Communications