Spartanburg City [SC] Council has decided to increase its contribution to a South Carolina Racing Museum. Council gave initial approval Monday to increasing its 10-year commitment from $200,000 to $300,000 annually. The money will help pay for renovations and design work for the $20 million racing museum that could open as early as 2005 in an old mill building. The city will use money from more than $1 million expected in annual hospitality tax collections. The hospitality tax is charged on prepared food and beverages sold in the city and must be used to benefit tourism. Museum development director Paul Ianuario expects race fans to stop by on their way to events in Charlotte, Atlanta and elsewhere. Fans also may make the South Carolina Racing Museum part of day trips. The museum will offer an interactive experience focused on the history of drivers and owners from the late 1930s to the present. A visitor may walk through a section with equipment from an old textile mill and buildings designed to reflect what life was like for drivers and owners at that time. Tim Brett, president of Brett Public Relations in Greenville is working with the museum project. He said they have enough money to begin renovations and design but still need to raise $8 to $10 million to fully fund the project. Money and donations have come from grants, from events such as the Legends race, from individuals and from businesses such as the donation of land from Piedmont Natural Gas. Jimmy I. Gibbs Limited Liability Co. would agree to invest in the mill building and donate space to the museum. It also will provide a $1 million contribution for interior renovations, according to a memo from city community development director, Ed Memmott. If the museum fails to open or operate as expected, the Gibbs company will buy the museum from the city for the amount invested, the memo stated.( Greenville News )(7-16-2003)
