TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (AP) — Wiley Barnard admits he has been stressed these past few months.
The former Nashville resident with a background in nonprofits took the helm of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2011 and had high hopes for its future.
Soon after, reality set in.
State funding for the facility was eliminated, and along with it, hopes of keeping the 21-year-old attraction open.
The future was dismal, and it appeared the facility that opened in 1990 to honor the state’s music achievers might end up like the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon — closed for good.
A temporary closing in November to help cut costs began looking more permanent. But behind the scenes, Barnard was trying to create a partnership with Northwest-Shoals Community College, a partnership that would benefit the hall of fame, the college and the community.
On May 9, the plan Barnard was working on behind the scenes with Northwest-Shoals President Humphrey Lee and hall of fame board member Rodney Hall became a reality when the hall board of directors accepted a letter of intent from the college to purchase the facility.
If successful, it will lead to a rebirth of the hall of fame and give Barnard and the hall’s board some breathing room, and some capital, to begin working on an improved, updated interactive Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
“The state of Alabama has this very special legacy,” board member Bill Nugent said. “We just can’t lose it.”
Nugent wasn’t present but participated via cellphone in an emergency board meeting in May when Barnard informed the board there was $247 in the bank account and about $8,500 in outstanding bills, including an overdue $3,600 electric bill that, because it wasn’t paid, resulted in the power being turned off.
Nugent voted along with the other board members to accept the college’s offer.
Lee said the college will assume responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and pay the board a monthly $5,000 lease for the next six months. On May 25, Barnard and Lee signed the contract, turning over operations of the hall of fame to the college, which will use it as a training center for business students.
Lee said he will approach the state board of education to seek approval to purchase the hall of fame and the surrounding 40 acres. He expects to address the board in September.
Lee stresses that the partnership is more about providing an opportunity for Northwest-Shoals to expand than about the college saving the hall of fame.
The college, located on the edge of Muscle Shoals city limits, is landlocked. It’s blocked by Norfolk Southern Railway tracks on the east and power lines and a street on the west. The hall of fame property would provide the college with 40 acres on a four-lane highway that can be used to expand the campus.
There also would be mutually beneficial opportunities to provide a variety of instructional and vocational programs through the college’s operation of the hall of fame, Lee said. Business and marketing students, for example, will have real life, hands-on opportunities to run a business and create and execute marketing plans.
“We’re part of the community,” Lee said. “The philosophy of all this is not what the community can do for us, but what can we do for the community. It holds a lot of promise for the college to have these 40 acres.”
Although the budgets of Alabama colleges have been reduced, Lee said measures such as tuition increases have created revenue that can be used for expansion, something that has been on the table for some time.
The proposed purchase of the hall of fame property was one of many recommendations from a task force appointed by the Shoals legislative delegation.
Shoals businessman Marty Abroms was appointed to lead the task force. He said the lease provides time for the hall of fame and the college to obtain all required legal approvals under state law, paving the way for the college to acquire the property for its long-term purposes.
“The location of the real estate is certainly advantageous to them,” Abroms said. “It might be possible to keep the facility operating for a time for the benefit of both local tourism and student educational opportunities. It would also give (Northwest-Shoals) the ability to use the property long term for what I anticipate may be expanded vocational technology training (jobs training) for industry such as Navistar.”
The agreement also will lead to the reopening of the hall of fame, which is scheduled to open Thursday.
Barnard, Hall and part-time employee Heath Simmons have been rearranging items in the hall so that artists of particular genres are displayed together. The hall received several more Muscle Shoals music items, including several pieces from FAME Recording Studios, a resonator used by John Paul White of The Civil Wars in the “Barton Hollow” video and a dress worn by his partner, Joy Williams.
Barnard also is expected to receive items from local artist Jason Isbell and the Drive-By Truckers, who have strong ties to the Shoals.
Lee said he will work closely with the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau to schedule times that bus tour groups can visit the hall of fame when it’s closed to the public.
He and Barnard confirmed they are considering Thursday through Saturday as days when the museum is open to the public, possibly from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its hours might change during events such as the Helen Keller Festival and W.C. Handy Music Festival.
When the hall is not open to the public, it will be made available to tour groups that are brought into the area through the local tourism bureau.
“We’re very excited about the fact the traveling public will be able to see the hall of fame on the days it’s open, and we’re equally happy to be able to book our group tours and special events at any time we’re able to do that,” said Susann Hamlin, executive director of the tourism bureau.
