CIB moves to press fabricator over delaminating Larry Bird Museum graphics; approves $8,800 for replacement panels

The Vigo County Convention Center Improvement Board on Wednesday authorized its attorney to send a demand letter to Ravenswood, the fabricator that produced wall graphics for the Larry Bird Museum, after museum staff reported recurring delamination and ‘‘bubbling’’ in multiple exhibit panels.

Mark Moderski, the museum’s representative, told the board the museum began seeing problems about 11 months after opening in 2024 and that the delamination appears to vary with seasonal humidity. Moderski said suppliers told him medium‑density fiberboard (MDF) can experience dimensional change in extremes of humidity and that the manufacturer of the graphic adhesive advised against using heated rollers during lamination. He summarized his assessment: “We think Ravenswood’s at fault and should be doing this repair work for us.”

Moderski presented estimates to replace the most problematic panels with a more durable phenolic substrate: the panels themselves were quoted at $8,800 shipped, and one Indianapolis installer provided an installation estimate of about $8,100. Moderski said the combined cost to replace the critical panels would be in the low tens of thousands of dollars; he also said museum staff tried to pursue warranty repairs through Ravenswood but met resistance.

A board member moved to authorize attorney Felling to issue a demand letter to Ravenswood, to direct Mark and another board member to obtain a second installation quote, to approve purchase of replacement panels ($8,800), and to empower the board president to execute a contract with the lowest qualified installer. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Board materials indicate museum staff will pursue replacement of the affected panels in January to allow for production lead time and holiday scheduling. The board also discussed tracking any restitution obtained from the fabricator against capital spending plans for the convention center and museum.

The board did not set a separate timeline for completion beyond noting a five‑week production lead time for the phenolic panels; staff said they would return with final invoices and vendor selection at a future meeting.