But Foundation Still Faces Hurdles On New Museum In Stow, MA

The Collings foundation has reportedly reached an agreement with the Evergreen Museum in McMinnville, OR to purchase many of the assets of the museum and make it a viable entity going forward.

In an interview with Warbird Radio, Rob Collings, Executive Director of the Collings Foundation, said that the organization has been working with the museum for some time to find a solution to issues that arose when Evergreen Air Freight declared bankruptcy. There was a "huge amount of debt levied against assets" at the museum, including the main Spruce Goose building, the iMax theater, and aircraft.

Now, Collings says, the Foundation has reached an agreement with the creditors and the museum to prevent the museum and its aircraft to be sold at auction to satisfy the debt.

"With the help of a group of individuals, we've been able to purchase all of theses assets, the assets. All of the building asset go back to the museum, along with a lot of the aircraft. Some of the aircraft are going to be operated by the Collings Foundation," Collings said.

Collings called the deal a "win-win" that ensures the viability of the museum. "So they're a viable entity again," he said.

But the news was not as rosy relating to a dispute between the Foundation and the city of Stow, MA, where the organization is planning a 66,000 square foot museum on its property there.

The museum would house a variety of military vehicles. But the property is zoned as residential, and the Stow Planning Board has denied the group's petition for a zoning variance.

The Massachusetts Dover Amendment allows such a variance for a “nonprofit educational corporation” provided that the actual use of a particular facility has education as the “primary or dominant purpose.” On its blog, the Collings Foundation reports that in a three to two vote the Planning Board made the determination that the Collings Foundation’s living history events, staff and docent tours, preservation and exhibition of historical artifacts and aircraft, school tours, STEM programs, Veteran round-table discussions, and so on – "are not educational."

The move follows a March ruling by another town board that put in place a cease and desist order against the Foundation prohibiting take-offs and landings from the Foundation's property after 37 years of continuous operation.

"This is just a sampling of the nefarious actions the Stow boards have created in their “selective” governance. We can’t begin to express our most deep disappointment in the town’s elected and appointed officials," wrote Hunter Chaney, director of marketing for the Collings Foundation.

FMI: Warbird Radio Interview, Collings Foundation Blog