Construction on the York County Children's Museum in downtown Rock Hill is under way.
The York County Council is paying Southside Constructors of Charlotte $384,900 to begin renovation of the first floor of the old People's National Bank building on East Main Street in downtown Rock Hill.
The contractor will complete the first phase of construction, preparing the building for occupancy and installing some of the base features of the museum.
Meanwhile, the county's Culture and Heritage Museum Commission is using a Preserve America Grant from the state Department of Archives and History to help preserve some of the building's historical features.
Owen Glendening, deputy director for interpretation for the Culture and Heritage Museums, said the $1.2 million project is moving along on time and on budget. It is scheduled to open Dec. 2 - in time for the annual ChristmasVille celebration.
Last year, the project started out with a $900,000 price tag, paid for with public money from the York County Council and the Rock Hill City Council.
In May, supporters said they planned to raise an additional $300,000 to cover some extra costs.
Southside should be done with its work by Oct. 29, Glendening said, at which point the museum will begin installing exhibits and other decorative elements.
The exhibit committee is currently reviewing 21 possible exhibit fabricators.
Designed for infants to 6-year-olds, exhibits will include a climbing tree, a ship, a small house and garden, a small castle and a dressing room in the former bank's vault.
The museum's theme will be inspired by the drawings of the late Vernon Grant, the Rock Hill artist best known as the creator of the iconic characters "Snap," "Crackle" and "Pop" to advertise Kellogg's Rice Krispies.
