The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame announced today is has decided to cancel its plan to construct the International Bass Fishing Center in Cullman, Ala., after the organization failed to meet its fundraising goal.
When Cullman was selected in 2013 as the host community for the project, the hall of fame's voluntary board of directors had hoped to raise as much as $10 million to contribute to the project. After 3 years, the board reached its self-imposed deadline and has stepped away from the Cullman partnership.
“For all of us who serve on the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame board, there’s great disappointment, but it’s the fiscally responsible thing to do,” said board vice president Donald Howell, a partner with a major Alabama-based accounting firm. “As excited as we were in 2013 with our dream of having the International Bass Fishing Center being part of the larger Cullman convention/civic center project, we regret to have to make this announcement. And on behalf of Board, we can’t say thanks enough to the Cullman community for their support.”
While a facility in Cullman is now no longer in the plans, “our efforts to honor those who have done so much for the sport of bass fishing continue to remain strong,” added 2011 Hall inductee and current board member Dave Precht, vice president for editorial-communications at B.A.S.S. Inc. “Both current and past members of our Board of Directors have volunteered thousands of hours on the Hall’s mission, and we still have high hopes of finding a location to showcase inductees and celebrate the history of bass fishing not only in the U.S. and Canada, but also worldwide. Backing away from the Cullman project only means we have to scale back our initial plans.”
