Selfridge Air Museum Plans Take Flight, But There's a Catch
Apr. 4—The Selfridge Military Air Museum wants to increase public access to what officials believe could be "a new tourist destination" — but it needs the public's help.
The museum is located on the Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which is a secure military installation. Anyone who wants to get on the base must have proper government ID or a mandatory security background check involving a valid driver's license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance.
Without those things, which can require several days notice, admission is not allowed. For casual visitors to the museum, that's a heavy lift just to visit a museum.
"It was very well-intentioned," said Doug Slocum, an Air Force veteran who is on the board for the museum, of the decision to put the museum on the base itself. "But I think we can do better now."
Officials considered a variety of options for making the museum more accessible to the public, including moving it off the base entirely. They settled on the current plan: Install a new entrance off of Rosso Highway.
The road would require a bridge to be built across the canal that runs alongside the base, said Steve Mrozek, the museum's executive director. It then would require new fencing to isolate the museum from the rest of the base.
Approval has already been granted by local and federal authorities, officials told The Detroit News. The price tag is about $3.5 million, up from $2 million a year ago, thanks to inflation and the rising cost of materials.
Mrozek said the museum was seeking a variety of funding, including private donations and potential support in the form of grants and other fundraising options. A link to donate is on the museum's website.
"Large donations are certainly attractive and will help us reach out goal, but we've had several individuals make contributions as well," Mrozek said. "This is really grassroots support.
Selfridge is one of the oldest continually operating air fields in the country since Henry B. Joy, president of the Packard Motor Car Co., leased his airfield to the military in 1917. It's named for Lt. Thomas Selfridge.
When people wanted to preserve the base's history, starting in 1975, the Air Force offered land on the base for the museum at no cost, Slocum said. The location wasn't an issue at first, but the museum has grown significantly since it first opened. It now includes examples of many of the aircraft that have been assigned to the base, as well as photographs, records and more.
The museum now sits on 11 acres, Mrozek said. Construction is underway for an aviation education center, which, when complete, will be a space for children to learn about aviation technology.
"It's the perfect crossover of STEM learning, with science, technology, engineering and math," he said. "It's going to be a great place to apply that in-classroom curriculum."
Roughly 2,000 people visited in the last year, Slocum said. If they can build a public access entryway, he said that number could grow tenfold. The museum is mostly run by volunteers right now, limiting hours to just weekends from April to October, but that could change too.
"The possibilities here are limitless," Slocum said. "We're looking at more indoor displays, maybe even becoming an event venue. It could serve as a tourism destination and an economic driver for the area. It's so many win/win/win situations."
Twitter: @Hayley_Harding
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