Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear symbolically handed over the keys to the Russell neighborhood trolley barn to the Heritage Center Foundation Board today, effectively giving the non-profit group the go-ahead to start raising the provate money necessary to open the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage on the historic property.
Beshear began his remarks to about 100 people gathered in the partially-renovated building at 18th and Muhammad Ali by giving a brief list of Kentucky's notable black citizens.
“Unfortunately, while these are very influential individuals,” Beshear said, “I'd be willing to bet that many Kentuckians have never heard of them.”
One of the goals of the Heritage Center will be to correct what Beshear called “a lack of knowledge.”
And it will probably be a very nice museum, with exhibits that are informative and interesting—once the people running it get their act together. Which seems like the hard part.
Foundation President Christie McCravy has said that the project will need to raise as much as $4 million just to open—paying off debts, furnishing the museum with exhibits, finishing the remodeling work, and finding and hiring a staff.
The project's spending—which has amounted to about $23 million in federal, state, and private funding since the late 1990's—has been audited twice. Both audits found that money had been mismanaged or improperly allocated.
The Foundation has a debt (part of which is disputed) of between $2.2 million and $2.5 million, $1.5 million of which is owed to Fifth Third Bank, and the rest to a contractor which claims in a lawsuit against the Foundation that it was not paid in full.
McCravy didn't address any of this directly, only alluding to “resolving our past issues.”
Still, supporters of the Heritage Center sounded enthusiastic at today's announcement.
Metro Councilman David Tandy, who represents the district where the Heritage Center will be located, pledged $10,000 from his district's funds and pressed his fellow Council member to match or exceed his donation.
“This is one area where I don't mind being beat,” Tandy said.
Gee, $23,000,000 spent and the doors still aren't open. What a surprise. I don't think it's "a lack of knowledge"....how about "a lack of fiscal oversight?"
Outrageous... as many things involving public money become. I'd love to know what sort of nepotism and back-room deals ran the cost up so high.
I could have built two trolley barn museums for $23 million and still made $5 million in the process. ;-) Then again, I'm fond of saying I could paint our bridge for half of what is spent on that as well.
view locals now online
Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear symbolically handed over the keys to the Russell neighborhood trolley barn to the Heritage Center Foundation Board today, effectively giving the non-profit group the go-ahead to start raising the provate money necessary to open the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage on the historic property.
1
John LaFollette