This may be of interest. The Collings Foundation may be best known for it's national Wings of Freedom tour of the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator.

The foundation has established and is expanding it's American Heritage Museum in Stow, MA.

Yet a local planning board has taken issue with activities at the site, claiming these activities are not educational, but merely entertainment. As the foundation has been recognized by the IRS as a 501(c) non-profit educational organization, the local group is trying to exert control.

From the Foundation blog - [url]http://www.collingsfoundation.org/collings-foundation-continues-to-deal-with-stow-town-politics-run-amok-national-historic-jewel-grounded-by-the-town-of-stow/[/url]

Collings Foundation continues to deal with Stow town politics run amok. National historic jewel – grounded by the town of Stow.
July 30, 2015
Based in Stow, Massachusetts, the Collings Foundation (501c3) is recognized internationally for the preservation, exhibition and operation of unique and rare historic aircraft and organizing educational living history events. The Stow museum features an incredible collection of over 75 classic automobiles, historic aircraft, tanks, military artifacts and machines.

We are in the process of expanding the facility to build the American Heritage Museum. This will be a state-of-the-art museum that will feature America’s history in the periods of WWI, WWII, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War and Gulf War. Military artifacts will be presented in a museum environment that is both educational and captivating.

Over the last two years we have been dealing with the mind numbing process of getting the approvals needed through the Stow boards. Apparently, the Planning Board of Stow are the only ones who can dictate what is considered educational. After two years of Planning Board meetings, the board has determined that museums are not educational. The Collings Foundation had another meeting with the Stow Planning Board Wednesday, July 29th. 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. Sorry to say, we are not making this up. More so, two out of the three on the Planning Board of Stow, Massachusetts who say our programs are not educational and mere “entertainment” – have never attended a living history event or public tour at the Collings Foundation’s museum! Wow.

Most recently, the building inspector usurped the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Commission in regulating aviation. After 37 years of continuous flying from our Stow property, the Stow Building issued a cease and desist order against the Foundation on March 26, 2015 prohibiting take-offs and landings.

Roughly 95% of the Collings Foundation’s flight operations happen during our Open House / Living History events that total six days of the year. People from Stow and all over New England have enjoyed the fantastic experience of flying in these aircraft for years.

We operate in compliance with all FAA regulations and the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission has long approved our airfield. The Aeronautics Commission, in fact, notified the authorities in Stow on May 5, 2015 that the bylaw the Building Commissioner relied upon for his actions was “invalid and unenforceable.” (I have the letter if you want to see it)

Litigation that concluded in 2004 in Middlesex Superior Court confirmed that our operations were in compliance with the bylaws. The Town of Stow’s Zoning Board of Appeals was a party to that action, and it defended, at considerable taxpayer expense, the Collings Foundation’s activities as being in compliance with the bylaws.

Ironically, the very same Town Council who then defended our airfield use is now taking, in the absence of any changed circumstances, but in the face of the same considerable expense, the contrary position that our activities violate the bylaw. No, you can’t make this stuff up!!

Our second living history event called Race of the Century happened on July 25th and 26th. A major part of this event is the exhibition of one of the oldest flying aircraft in the United States – a 1909 Bleriot. National Geographic TV had planned to document this incredible feat of early aviation. After all these years, it is a terrible shame that we could not fly this amazing machine for all to see.

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. What the heck is happening with this town? Is this the sign of things to come once our WWII Veterans are gone? According to the Stow Planning Board, anything that should be considered educational must have Planning Board approved curriculum and testing at the end.

Such a sad state of affairs. Are you as upset as we are with this? Contact the officials in the town of Stow and let them know what you think. As always, it is the people who support educational foundations like the Collings Foundation that make a difference.

Boad of Selectman: selectmen@stow-ma.gov 978.897.4515
Town Administrator: townadministrator@stow-ma.gov 978.897.2927
Building commissioner: building@stow-ma.gov 978-897-2193
Zoning Board of Appeals: townclrerk@stow-ma.gov 978.897.8780

Any questions? Call me directly.

Hunter Chaney
Director of Marketing
Collings Foundation
978.562.9182

There's a little more to it than that. In that state, there's apparently a law that gives a lot of exemptions for all kinds of things if the state considers yours an 'educational' group under their conditions an they don't consider the Collings Foundation to fit that criteria.
I used to volunteer for them when I lived in Florida whenever they came through my hometown. I wish them luck as they have a collection and operations that would stagger the imaginations of most people here. They have 2 flying WW2 4-engine bombers, several other smaller fighter and bomber planes, a WW2 armor collection (with the only running WW2 German Panther tank in the US) and lots of other stuff (including several Vietnam-era jet fighter airplanes that they fly)...




http://www.collingsfoundation.org/

Looks like they want a cut - find a way to offer them a piece of the action. Just how much is the local business economy benefiting from the events produced there?

Take the story nationwide.

Embarrass the planning board by making them look like the short-sighted fools they are.

What will that accomplish? They don't answer to anyone outside their community.

Time to move.

Stop the plans for expansion and leave that ridiculous town. Take away all the economic benefits the museum provides.

Any aircraft which aren't flightworthy are difficult to move, but not impossible. There must be another city somewhere in the US that would truly see the value of the collection and would help give it a new home with runway access, and help with costs in return for a big tourism boost.

In this case, publicizing the problems far and wide might well help in fundraising... but NOT until the new home is confirmed and "immovable" artifacts are out!

Steve Hunter

Something like the Troy, MI library's infamous book burning tactic which used faux outrage to swing the pendulum of public favor. Google it for details. I don't want to paste links here as inevitably someone will take an issue with the validity of the cause (rather than the lesson of how they did it) and derail the thread.

Rob

Same statement applies for lion hunters in Africa, right?

[/sarc]

Yep, it sure does. Just because you've ticked off a bunch of people in other places (so easy to do when you consider how many people online are desperately looking for anything to be offended about), you still don't answer to them.
the hunter you mentioned, if he has to answer to anyone, it'll be in Africa. He broke no US laws that I'm aware of, as I know a couple of people who they same thing that guy did and they confirmed the US Government can't do anything (other than extradition if that becomes an issue) unless you try to bring in spoils from the hunt that are illegal to have here.
I get so sick of the "rouse the rabble" nonsense online. It accomplishes nothing other then giving the people who'll protest anything something new to be enraged about.

Part of this thread is a bit confusing, because IRS controls who can be 501c3 tax exempt, not a local planning board..

Apparently this 'planning board' doesn't appreciate the business you're bringing the merchants in town and that's all the justification I would need to move somewhere else
and then everyone will be happy.

Also, plane museums are much easier to move than railroads !

Bob H

The lion hunter is not applicable to this situation. Capitalism will deal with him in the USA (people will boycott his business or not, and the free market will sort it out), and African law will deal with him accordingly.

The air museum question, and the one that is pertinent to RYPN, is how to influence decision makers and deal with beauracracy.

Fair enough, but I contend that having people from well outside of the area upset about something like this will accomplish very little, if anything at all. You need the locals to move and shake the powers that be.
That might be tough. I'd think most citizens, wrapped in common NIMBY mentalities, would rather not deal with crowds, traffic and the noise associated with WW2 airplanes and tanks every now and then if they really don't have to. I can't imagine a large group of normal locals dropping down upon the powers that be to give the proper exemptions to any group that might disrupt their little slice of heaven.

What triggered the change in attitudes? Is there something new that someone is dead set against that has the town in this uproar? Recall elections are always an option. Sounds like it's time to hire a VERY good attorney and see what action, if any, can be taken, personally, against the individuals that are coming up with these weird rulings. A good subpoena for a large injury amount can sometimes change attitudes (LOL).

So, you guys think getting a bunch of REALLY PO'ed veterans riled up won't accomplish anything?

I agree, they probably should move and say good riddance to the town, but it's NOT as simple as moving railroad stuff. They have to have runways and other support structure, not just track panels.

I concur. If you've been there a long time, something has changed.

Unfortunately, it's possible the change has been the management at the local board. A possible guess--in other words, I'm speculating--somebody has gotten into a position on the board who doesn't like the air museum. It might be someone who thinks it overglorifies war, it might be someone who thinks airplanes are ugly (we have that in railroading), it might even be somebody who doesn't like someone on the museum board of directors--iin other words, a very personal thing, and something that is an abuse of the board.

Not right, I know, but it happens.

Some adults still act like they are in high school. Heaven help us when one of them gets into a position of authority.