Town Council discusses likelihood of John Dillinger Museum coming to Mooresville
MOORESVILLE — Jeff Scalf approached the Mooresville Town Council Tuesday evening in his ongoing quest to bring a John Dillinger Museum to Mooresville. Scalf, who is Dillinger's great-nephew, spent much of the conversation with the town council discussing his plans for the museum as he searches for viable locations and potential sponsors.
Scalf discussed the timeline of the project, the benefits it would provide to the town and his plans for the museum as he approached the council. Scalf also shared various companies he believes are worth considering as possible sponsors for the museum.
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He suggested that financial institutions such as banks, security companies, soda businesses and automobile companies may have an interest in sponsoring the museum. Securing a sponsor would go a long way towards providing the funds necessary to finance the development, according to Scalf. He referenced an older Ford Motor Company advertisement that used John Dillinger's name to highlight the company's Ford V8 in 1934. He claimed this illustrates the marketing potential of the infamous John Dillinger.
"Ford is a natural because they already embraced the Dillinger history in their own museum up in Michigan. There are banks to this day that have plaques on the outside that say, 'This bank was robbed by John Dillinger,'" Scalf said.
Scalf revealed that he has been notified by two other cities that he says are interested in seeing the museum constructed in their respective communities. However, he would prefer that the museum be located in Mooresville instead.
"Mooresville is where I'd like to have this because I think it's the appropriate place. I do think it is going to be a financial windfall for this town, especially for the small businesses," he said.
Scalf is currently in the process of searching for a location where he can house all of the artifacts that were originally housed in the John Dillinger Museum in Crown Point before it closed five years ago. It only operated for two years.
Scalf said he is using his own retirement funds to purchase the museum.
"I'm going to buy the museum but after I purchase it, then it's up to the town to be able to get one or two of these (sponsors) to cover the costs to house it and operate," Scalf said.
At this point in time, the museum is projected to comprise between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet. It may also feature a snack bar and a merchandise stand.
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Scalf is seeking a fee of $2,000 per month to be provided by Mooresville taxpayers. He informed the council that all revenue generated by ticket sales and merchandise would be pocketed by the town.
Scalf is convinced this is an economic development the town of Mooresville should take full advantage of. The museum, he said, will bring new revenue streams to the area while boosting consumer traffic for existing small businesses.
Council President Tom Warthen expressed concerns about the monthly fee, especially at this early stage of the museum's development.
"I've said it before. I think it is a great venture, I just don't know that it is a good venture for tax dollars. Like you said, Ford Motor Company may want to jump in there but to make an obligation of the $2,000 a month and not knowing enough of what's going to happen... I'm nervous about it," he said.
After listening to more details surrounding the museum proposal, the council suggested that Scalf should speak to Mike Dellinger to continue this process. Dellinger serves as the executive director of Morgan County's local economic development office.
1 & 3 East Main Street Demolition
The council approved a $100,000 bid submitted by Restoration Impact LLC to demolish the tornado-damaged building on 1 and 3 East Main Street in downtown Mooresville.
The bid's approval is contingent on a professional services agreement being inserted into the contract between the contractor and the town's legal counsel. There are certain contractual provisions that were not included in the original verbiage of the bid that are required when working on any project with the town, according to the council's legal counsel.
Restoration Impact LLC is looking to begin the demolition process in about three weeks. Once started, the project is estimated to take four weeks to complete. A crane and excavators will be used to remove the existing structure.
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Details concerning road closures and specifics of the project timeline will be communicated to the public after a pre-demo meeting between the contractor and public safety officials.
Department reports
The Mooresville Fire Department is in the process of hiring a new employee to succeed retiring Captain Jon Fletcher. Fletcher has retired after 33 years of service.
Interim Police Chief Brock Chipman shared that the department has hired a new full-time dispatcher. The new hire will take up the role in three weeks. This marks four full-time dispatchers working within the department.
In other business
The town council passed an ordinance, which permits the town of Mooresville to annex a property located on13916 Ferguson Road. This was done at the request of the homeowner.
A bid to line over 5,000 feet on nearly a mile of sanitary sewer lines was passed. The bid is worth $356,850 and was submitted by Inliner Solutions. It is the lowest bid the council received.
The council also approved a resolution honoring Lieutenant Randy Rogers from the Mooresville Police Department after nearly 24 years of service. The resolution permits the police department to gift an engraved Glock 45 to Rogers for his service to the community.
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The town council renewed the town's existing health insurance while voting to move forward with a new prescription plan. Town employees will not have their coverage reduced and they will not have to pay more for the extended coverage.
The next meeting of the Mooresville Town Council is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19 at the Mooresville Government Center, 4 E. Harrison St., Mooresville.
Contact reporter Tyler Haughn at thaughn@reporter-times.com.
This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Town Council discusses likelihood of John Dillinger Museum coming to Mooresville
