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CANYON, Texas (KFDA) - West Texas A&M University officials have announced the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is closed to the public until further notice due to fire and safety concerns.

WT President Walter Wendler made the decision to close the building following a recent inspection by the state fire marshal's office, which identified numerous and ongoing safety issues.

"We cannot ignore the seriousness of the fire and life safety risks posed by the existing museum buildings," said Wendler. "Since my arrival, I have been working to find solutions and address the ongoing challenges with the museum building. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a workable solution."

Assistant State Fire Marshal Chuck Allen said the violations pose significant safety risks and must be addressed promptly.

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CANYON, Texas Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is closed to the public until further notice to address fire and life safety concerns, West Texas A&M University officials announced today.

WT President Walter V. Wendler made the decision to close the building following a recent inspection by the state fire marshal's office, which identified numerous and ongoing safety issues.

"We cannot ignore the seriousness of the fire and life safety risks posed by the existing museum buildings," Wendler said. "Since my arrival, I have been working to find solutions and address the ongoing challenges with the museum building. Unfortunately, we have not yet found a workable solution."

The violations pose significant safety risks and must be addressed promptly, said Chuck Allen, assistant state fire marshal.

"We have spoken with President Wendler about the ongoing violations and problems with the existing museum structures," Allen said. "President Wendler's decision to close the museum while corrective action is taken is in accordance with the State Fire Marshal's Office recommendation."

Some of the fire marshal's findings already have been corrected. However, other building issues will require substantial funding.

"The museum staff has worked diligently to address immediately solvable issues," said Heather Friemel, interim executive director of the Cultural Foundation of the Texas Panhandle, which oversees the museum under the umbrella of WT.

Other issues like sprinkling the facility, eliminating dead-end hallways and ensuring that all building areas have immediately accessible exits require more extensive and costly renovations to the facilities.
WT, which owns the buildings in which the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society's collection is displayed and stored, hired an engineering firm to present solutions and costs to address the fire marshal's report and other deferred maintenance issues. The total cost for needed renovations and repairs totaled almost $100 million.

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