WILL THE PROPOSED MERGER of two local museums actually fly? Is it actually a buyout, rather than a merger? And would the Marietta Museum of History do better by inking a management contract with the financially troubled Aviation Museum and Discovery Center, which has yet to get off the ground?

Meanwhile, another scenario, that of a management contract, has surfaced. It would provide the aviation museum with the history museum's expertise and accreditation, making its fundraising easier. Lack of accreditation has been a stumbling block in its efforts to obtain donations of pledges and artifacts. Such a deal also might provide the history museum with greater protections than the buyout now on the table, suggests a very well-connected city hall watcher.

He also expressed a misgiving shared by many - that the proposed deal might "pull too much energy" away from downtown Marietta. Rather than devote tremendous time and resources to trying to create the aviation museum adjoining the Lockheed Martin campus, the city should focus instead on envisioning a plan for refocusing the block along the railroad tracks between Mill Street and Whitlock Avenue to make it more inviting to visitors, he told AT. A plan that better links The Kennesaw House, the Marietta Welcome Center and the Gone With the Wind Museum, all of which are housed in buildings more than a century old and all of which work independently of each other at present.

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ONE OF THE KEYS to the MMH's proposed buyout is a $500,000 pledge to the aviation museum made five years ago by the Cobb Board of Commissioners. But it now appears the conditions of that pledge are a matter of some dispute.

As reported in AT last week, the commission specified the funds could only be used for capital expenses, not operating expenses. But the ranking Cobb elected official who was AT's source also specified that the pledge would not be released until the aviation museum had $2 million cash in the bank. And therein lies the rub.

When aviation museum leaders made a lengthy pitch last week to the work session of the history museum board in favor of the buyout, they noted that their understanding had been that their museum would get the $500,000 after they had raised a cumulative $2 million.

Retired Lockheed President Micky Blackwell, speaking along with fellow aviation museum board member Chuck Clay in favor of the merger, noted his museum had raised $1 million thus far. And they pegged their group's assets at about $12 million, including the value of their 15.5-acre site leased from the Air Force at the corner of South Cobb Drive and Atlanta Road.

But asked during the meeting how much of that $1 million the aviation board still had on hand, Blackwell answered, "None," and held his thumb and forefinger together to make a zero. Asked about the possible misunderstanding about the terms, Blackwell conceded that, "There is some dispute on that."

Blackwell stressed several times that the only cost to the history museum of the merger would be the $2,500 per year cost of insuring the aviation museum collection. That prompted skeptical looks from many, including the same person mentioned at the beginning of this story. Overall, he said, the proposal is "like the little fish trying to eat the big fish.."

Another surprise is history museum founder Dan Cox's eagerness to see the merger take place. After years of poor-mouthing city hall, yet nevertheless managing to create a top-notch museum without much help from it, he now seems eager to assume the challenge of starting over once again.

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BLACKWELL AND CLAY said the sagging economy and lack of visible progress toward building a museum over five years had hamstrung their fundraising efforts. They noted they have $255,000 from Lockheed Martin, the Cobb Community Collaborative and United Community Bank, but added that several potential donors had withdrawn their pledges in recent days after recent newspaper stories about the museum's financial difficulties.

They said as well that the Woodruff Foundation (Coca-Cola) had invited them to brief its leaders about their grant request for the proposed museum building.

"But we realized we couldn't raise enough to start work on the building due to the economy," so the aviation group backed out of the meeting, Blackwell said. "If we can stabilize our situation, we can always go back to them."

Incidentally, the aviation board is planning an "Aviation Night" fundraiser Feb. 11 at the Strand Theatre in Marietta that hopefully will raise $20,000, he said.

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MEANWHILE, some observers are making note of the history museum's tenuous status in its longtime home, the antebellum Kennesaw House along the CSX railroad tracks in downtown Marietta. The museum occupies the top two floors of the historic building and would love to have the ground floor as well. But the museum's landlord, the Downtown Marietta Development Authority, has shown little interest in seeing that happen, even though the first floor has now been empty for roughly a year.

Many don't understand the DMDA's reluctance to act. Most landlords these days are eager to cut deals to fill empty space. But not the DMDA. It had hoped to link a new lease to the museum with approval from city hall for a new DMDA parking deck across the tracks from the Marietta Welcome Center. DMDA head Tom Browning also had hoped that city hall would give his group control (i.e., the potential revenues) from street parking downtown, which would then be used to fund the group's deck. But that proposal is dead in the water at present, with Browning possibly hoping for a more sympathetic ear from new Mayor Steve "Thunder" Tumlin come January than he has gotten from Tumlin's predecessor, Bill Dunaway.

The DMDA has often seemed less than thrilled to own The Kennesaw House. Just last summer, for example, it claimed it lacked the money to replace the building's failing air conditioning system. So east Cobb's Olens, of all people, stepped up to the plate and offered to pay half the repair cost - some $9,000 - himself from leftover campaign funds. The DMDA's attorney, Tom Cauthorn, kicked in another $1,000 and history board members passed the hat to make up the difference. All for a building they don't own.

That episode helped fuel speculation that DMDA head Tom Browning's ultimate goal was to see the museum out of the building, and possibly see it come under the control of downtown land czar and powerful City Councilman Philip Goldstein, an ally of Browning's. But Goldstein declared during last week's work session that he had no desire to acquire the building.

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MOREOVER, MANY have forgotten that the museum is an "at-will tenant," meaning the DMDA could give it the boot at any time if it found a more promising potential occupant. Would the DMDA do that? Possibly. But chances are it would have a hard time finding a better tenant than the museum for the Kennesaw House, which despite various renovations through the decades continues to show its age. In addition, there seems to be growing sentiment on the part of many that the museum must continue to have a strong presence in downtown Marietta, that the Kennesaw House is a treasure that deserves to be preserved, that the museum is the right tenant for it and that it deserves to have all three floors of the building.

COBB SCHOOL BOARD member Dr. John Crooks reportedly has hired a defense team at taxpayer expense to fight the effort to recall him from office. Matthew Wilkins of Marietta-based King & Yaklin, which specializes in litigation, confirmed that Crooks has hired him to work on the case. Stephen Yaklin, whose offices are on Roswell Street, used to be a lawyer for Brock Clay, the school board's law firm.

Crooks' main attorney will be Douglas Chalmers Jr., of FSB Legal Council, a former partner with McKenna, Long & Aldridge. Readers will recall he represented developer Wes Godwin in his failed attempt to oust Marietta Councilman Van Pearlberg from office.

Glenn Brock suggested Crooks could bill the Cobb School District for any litigation related to the recall, AT has learned. Asked about this, Brock said Monday, "I have relayed to the board member that he could submit any legal bills to the board for their consideration at that time as to whether payment of such a bill would be legal or appropriate."

The recall effort charges Crooks with intent to mislead the public, lack of constituency engagement, violating the Georgia Open Meetings Act and conduct unbecoming of an elected official.

Crooks quietly placed on the board's July 23 agenda the day of the meeting a vote to approve a 150-foot T-Mobile cell tower at Eastvalley Elementary School. The action violated the state Open Meetings Law by failing to give proper public notice in advance. As a result, Cobb Superior Court Mike Stoddard slapped the board with a temporary restraining order on Sept. 21. The board then revoted on the matter Oct. 22, approving it again by a vote of 4-2-1.

Crooks reportedly will put Brock on the stand to testify that he told the board that the law didn't require advance notice to the public of the original vote, AT is told.

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POLITICAL PATTER: The Cobb Republican Party will host its final breakfast of 2009 at 8 a.m. Saturday at Williamson Bros. Bar-B.Q. Speaking will be U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson and GOP state school superintendent candidate Roger Hines. The $10 buffet opens at 8 and speakers start at 8:30. ... Brock Clay will host a fundraiser for Cobb Commission chairman candidate Tim Lee at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at their offices at 49 Atlanta St., in Marietta. Requested minimum contribution is $150 per person.