Renovation Of BCMA Project Could Begin Early Next Year

BRISTOL, Va. – Significant renovation work on the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance’s heritage center project could begin later this year or early 2010, organizers said Monday.
The nonprofit alliance has worked for five years to establish a $10 million center to celebrate the region’s musical heritage inside a vacant Cumberland Street building. About $1.5 million has already been invested.
Last week, the Southwest Economic Development Committee of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved a $250,000 appropriation to assist the work. The full commission must approve that funding at its Oct. 29 meeting in Wytheville.
“It’s great the committee approved this new funding because it would take care of an immediate need,” said Kevin Triplett, chairman of the BCMA’s fundraising effort. “We hope the full commission will also approve it. If they do, we could do some drainage and window work, almost immediately.”
Much of the work that has already occurred – from planning and design to asbestos removal and roof replacement – is out of the public’s view, Triplett said.
“We’ve done an awful lot of work to the building, but the problem is, you can’t see most of it,” Triplett said.
This latest appropriation is far less than the nearly $2.5 million requested by the BCMA.
“This money would allow them to address some problems pretty quickly. But it doesn’t keep them from coming back and asking for more,” said state Delegate Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, chairman of the committee.
In July, the full commission approved a $1.7 million appropriation for the heritage project. That money has not been spent, as alliance officials await word on a $4.4 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s program for rural development for community facilities.
“We believe we’ll hear something on that pretty soon,” Triplett said. “If we do, we’re very close to work being able to start early next year or possibly late this year.”
Alliance officials plan to meet tonight to discuss the project’s schedule, Executive Director Bill Hartley said.
“We’ve spoken with Congressman [Rick] Boucher’s office and the [loan] request is still under federal review. It’s completed state review. It’s hard to tell how long that will take,” Hartley said. “Once we hear about the loan request, we can begin to put everything out to bid.”
Successfully accessing public money has helped stimulate interest from the private sector, Triplett said.
“We are still working hard on the private funding and private contributions,” he said. “There are some good things happening and there are some people who really believe in this project.”
If all of the funding comes together, the alliance hopes to open the center by August 2011.

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