ELKHART – The property the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum has been touting as a venue space is getting a makeover courtesy of a major recreational vehicle manufacturer. It will not be blacktopped, but it will be lush with grass.
Thor Industries Inc. plans to groom about 10 acres east of the hall for its open house during RV dealer week in September. Last year for the show, the company spread tons of mulch to create a place for the unit display, according to a Thor official. Since it has more time to prepare this year, Thor will be leveling the land and planting grass seed.
This will create a better surface for dealers to walk on and look at the towables and motorhomes, the Thor representative said. And the hall will have a refurbished field when Thor packs and leaves.
The groundskeeping project is another welcome relief the hall has received in recent weeks as it continues to work for financial health. In February, the institution was choking on a cash flow problem and facing imminent closure. Although a debt of nearly $5 million remains, officials from the non-profit have pulled the hall back from the brink, having secured funding to keep the doors open at least through the end of December.
In fact, executive director Tom McNulty said the entity is in better financial condition today than it was a year ago.
“There’s a lot of people still interested in making this thing work,” McNulty said. “It’s going to be a long-term thing. It’s not going to happen overnight.”
A key piece of the hall’s plan to save itself is developing more of the space available at the site and renting it to various people and organizations for events.
Already, rooms in the conference center have been booked for wedding receptions and company dinners. Additional revenue could be generated, officials say, if the 25 acres of empty lot adjacent to the building is paved and turned into space that can accommodate outdoor events like RV shows, boat shows and car rallies.
“In northern Indiana, there’s really nothing of a hard surface for a display area that’s available,” said Bill Garpow, chairman of the RV/MH Heritage Foundation board of directors. “We think it will be used extensively by all different kinds of activities.”
Still, obstacles to the hall’s stability loom large. A $3.1 million loan comes due in 2012 to the family of the late Robert “Boots” Ingram, although McNulty noted the relatives have indicated a willingness to work with the hall on a repayment plan. In addition, $1 million is owed to 1st Source Bank, and more than $500,000 is owed for the Woodworth collection of historic RVs.
Thor’s decision to refurbish a portion of the grounds will help the hall, giving it show space and reducing the cost of preparing the land for any eventual paving project. However, McNulty said, the goal remains blacktop. Putting events on a solid surface will prevent dealers and customers at any type of event from having to walk through mud and get themselves and their displays dirty if it rains.
“The overall message is they want to continue the Hall of Fame,” Garpow said. “They feel it’s a very important part of their heritage and their history. They want to see it continue to exist.”
