Music Hall of Fame Stays in Macon

Woodstock will not be seeing the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Authority Board decided to keep the museum in Macon despite the diminishing revenue the museum has seen over the last decade.

, and the board unanimously voted to accept Executive Director Lisa Love’s contingency plan. The plan did not specify whether the museum would close or stay open, but it did focus on two major points: addressing the organizational plan and reconstructing the collections.

With the promised money from the City of Macon and Bibb County with $1 million and Peyton Anderson Foundation with $750,000, the board said it believes the Music Hall can stay operational for an additional year. The museum needs a minimum of $1.1 million in average annual revenue to stay afloat.

Some more board members were looking more long term.

Board member David Barbe said they need to stop thinking of the museum as a short-term tourist attraction, or they will be in this same predicament in three years.

"I would really love to see how we can make this thrive and not make it just survive in the end," Board member Charley Humbard said.

Board member Rose Lane Leavell dealt with private funders and said she felt confident in their contributions. She even said there is more money that could keep the museum running for up to three years.

Other board members were more hesitant because this funding has not been put in writing. But the board voted regardless and decided they would just meet again if the money fell through.

Board member Brad Turner was one of the two that voted against rejecting all the proposals because he said he had not heard a concise business plan from Macon and was not confident in the city’s ability to sustain the museum.

Billy Peppers, director of Economic Development, said he wishes Macon the best of luck with the board's decision.

“We were disappointed with the outcome,” he said. “ We appreciate being able to be a part of the process.”

But Peppers said it was a long ride for Woodstock.

“It was a difficult process. There were four new members added to the board. We have never been visited. Now it’s up the state to decide if they can uphold the board’s decision.”

Despite the long hours and months of waiting, Peppers said it was a learning process for their team. He said they also learned a lot about the new amphitheatre that will break ground late this summer.

With the proposed layout, the Music Hall of Fame would have been connected to the amphitheatre in downtown and would have forced along with the other businesses in that strip mall to relocate.

Without saying, there is one group of individuals that is ecstatic with the rejection.

"I am thrilled," FoxTale Owner Karen Schwettman said. "It may have been good for Woodstock, but it wouldn’t have been good for us."

The state-funded museum will stay open in Macon till June 30, and the board will meet within the next month to discuss another plan of action.