BRISTOL, Va. – Motorsports executive Kevin Triplett was introduced Friday as chairman of the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance’s fundraising campaign, and he believes it’s a challenge that should be met.
The Twin City-based BCMA has set a goal to raise $3.5 million to help pay for its proposed $10.5 million cultural heritage center. Friday’s announcement – at the BCMA’s downtown office – also served as the formal kickoff for the fundraising effort.
"The building is not the mission. Preserving the legacy of this music for future generations is the mission," Triplett said.
A former NASCAR official who now serves as vice president of public affairs of Bristol Motor Speedway, Triplett said his passion for the music and history helped him decide to chair the campaign.
The organization needs to raise $12.5 million to open and operate the building. They plan to use the $3.5 million as leverage to secure state and federal grants and provide matching funds for them. Any leftover money would go toward the total cost, said Fred McClellan, president of the BCMA board of directors.
The proposed center would celebrate the city’s musical heritage, especially the 1927 Bristol Sessions, regarded by historians as the "big bang" of commercial country music.
"Communities everywhere are looking for an identity – something to build on. We have that identity. Nashville is the home of country music, but Bristol is the birthplace," Triplett said, comparing to the birthplace of golf in Glasgow, Scotland, or Cooperstown, N.Y., as the birthplace of baseball.
He characterized the task of raising $3.5 million in a year as "daunting," but believes the campaign will be successful.
"Asking people to give is the hardest part. It’s challenging, but you have to show people a benefit – to the region and to downtown Bristol," Triplett said.
An economic impact study by the University of Virginia’s Weldon-Cooper Center predicts the center would attract 75,000 visitors annually, generate $1 million in direct tax revenue and have a five-year regional economic impact of $43 million.
BCMA officials considered more than 20 people before selecting Triplett to oversee the campaign, McClellan said.
"We wanted someone from this area with an understanding and deep personal appreciation of this music and culture. A fresh face for the community fundraising portion, and someone with leadership skills," McClellan said. "Working with Kevin as a board member for the past year, he has all of those qualifications."
The organization has been working for the past four years toward establishing the center in a former Cumberland Street auto dealership, McClellan said.
If they’re successful, renovation could begin in 2009 with the center opening in 2011, McClellan said.
The BCMA is scheduled to host a public information meeting about the building project on Jan. 16 at the Bristol Public Library, Executive Director Bill Hartley said.
Architects, designers and other officials associated with the project are scheduled to give a short presentation and answer questions, Hartley said.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
dmcgee@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2532
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