Spring Hill aldermen renew Rippavilla management contract with BOFT

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen revisited one of the city's most historic sites this month, and determined whether it should continue its partnership with the Battle of Franklin Trust.

In May of 2021, the city entered into a partnership with the BOFT, who was appointed to oversee Historic Rippavilla. The initial contract, which was set up for three years, was at the stipulation that Rippavilla one day becomes a self-sustaining entity.

However, Rippavilla has not been able to become self-sufficient during that time. A new contract presented to the BOMA would be good for another three years and would include an annual $50,000 allotment from the city to be used for things like maintenance, repairs and daily needs.

BOFT Director Eric Jacobson said, while Rippavilla hasn't reached its self-sustaining goal, it could likely break even by the end of the contract's third year. In addition, attendance at Rippavilla remains to be better than ever, despite the fact much of the home's interior items and furniture were removed prior to the BOFT taking over operations.

"Our attendance during the first full year of the contract was higher than the site has ever had, revenues higher from tourism than the site has ever had," Jacobson said. "Our attendance is approaching what Carter House was 20 years ago. I can't imagine what it will be in 10-20 years."

There have also been a number of structural repairs required, such as water damage, replacing copper wiring, which was another major expense during the contract's first year.

As far as programming, Rippavilla has also expanded its tours, which now includes telling the story of the former enslaved, which has been a topic the BOFT and many others have felt hasn't been properly addressed over the years.

"The story of the enslaved is finally getting it's long, often ignored attention, and I hope we can keep the bar moving forward," Jacobson said.

While the BOMA ultimately approved the contract, some aldermen were not willing to support it, namely Adlermen William Pomeroy and John Canepari.

To them, the contract has not been sufficiently met in terms of Rippavilla becoming self-sufficient. This was also a stipulation that might have caused potential bidders to back out when it came time to find a new managing organization for the property.

Since being self-sufficient is not necessarily a requirement, their thoughts were whether to put Rippavilla's management duties up for bid and if a new organization can be brought on to take over the BOFT's duties.

"I believe that scared off some potential bidders from Rippavilla to manage it. I believe if they knew if they came back to the city to ask for more funds, we might have had more bidders come in to manage Rippavilla," Pomeroy said. "I'd like to maybe open it back up to bidding, and let it be known that you don't have to be self-sustaining. That's not part of it."

Alderman Matt Fitterer argued that finding a new partner at this time might not be beneficial for the city or the site, and that despite setbacks and not meeting what was originally intended in the initial contract, the BOFT has proven to be a worthy partner.

"It is, in my opinion, extremely short sighted to think we can potentially chase a better partner, when we have a proven partner who's executing at a high level standing in front of us," Fitterer said.

The item was ultimately approved with a 5-3 vote, with Canepari, Pomeroy and Alderman Brent Murray opposing.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: BOMA in talks to renew Rippavilla management contract with BOFT