More bad news.
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/oct/25/dire-straits-at-patriots-point/Dire straits at Patriots Point
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The public already had a clue about the problems facing the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum when the USS Laffey, a World War II destroyer, was forced to undergo costly, emergency repairs this summer. But the $9.2 million expense of repairing "The Ship that Would Not Die" is a fraction of what's needed to fix up the museum's other two vessels. The staggering sums cited in a letter to the State Budget and Control Board say that the museum requires the attention of state and federal officials who might help keep it afloat.
John Hagerty, board chairman of the Patriots Point Development Authority, outlined the potential expense of repairing the aircraft carrier Yorktown, the centerpiece of the museum, and the submarine Clamagore in an Oct. 19 letter to the B&C Board. Repairing the Yorktown would cost an estimated $50 million to $150 million. Repairs to the Clamagore would cost $10 million to $25 million.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hagerty wrote that a federal allocation to repay the money spent on the Laffey repairs won't be forthcoming this year. Our report on Saturday noted that putting the ship into a better berth at Patriots Point will require additional work for which the authority also lacks funding.
The Department of the Navy, alerted to the problems of the Laffey and other ex-Navy vessels, sent a letter in June to all museums in the nation with ships donated by the Navy, asking for detailed plans related to their maintenance or their disposal. A Navy spokesman tells us the department is still waiting for a response from the Patriots Point Development Authority.
The Navy can demand an accounting for the vessels it donated to the museum, but worse timing would be hard to imagine -- and not just for Patriots Point. The nation may be emerging from a recession, but except for federal stimulus money there isn't much funding for capital projects. Many states, including South Carolina, have been struggling to maintain essential services. The Patriots Point Development Authority is a state agency, but is generally expected to pay its own way through admissions and other revenues.
The authority is in the process of putting together a master plan that will detail the work that needs to be done and provide suggestions to pay for it. But museum officials recognize that Patriots Point can't meet its responsibilities without assistance.
Mr. Hagerty wrote: "For the Patriots Point Development Authority to have a chance to obtain the funding to maintain these ships, an overall strategic approach needs to be developed to source these funds at the state and federal government levels and from private sources."
Dick Trammell, executive director of Patriots Point, says that disposal of the Yorktown and Clamagore is "not an option." It shouldn't be, but the Navy could probably force the issue under the terms of the agreement by which it donated the vessels to the museum. At this point, that would be both premature and counterproductive.
S.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell is dismayed over the recurrent financial problems of Patriots Point and the emergency calls for ship repairs. "The state doesn't have $100 million," he tersely observed.
Sen. McConnell will ask the Legislature to approve a reorganization of the governing board for the Patriots Point Development Authority to provide for broader representation and oversight. And he will ask for a review of the authority by the Legislative Audit Council to suggest solutions to its fiscal woes. Both are good ideas.
But while comprehensive planning, reorganization, review and oversight could improve the responsible operation of this public agency, it is unlikely that any combination of the above can provide the solution to the pending demand for vessel repairs.
The attention of the state's congressional delegation is needed, recognizing the appropriate federal role in keeping the nation's historic treasures intact. All of the authority's vessels are designated as national historic monuments, and each has a storied history in defense of the United States. The Congressional Medal of Honor Museum, located on the Yorktown, is another reminder of the heroism of America's fighting men.
As Sen. McConnell says, the naval museum serves as "a monument to the generation that saved civilization."
The importance of keeping alive the memory of that generation should encourage immediate efforts toward long-term, comprehensive solutions for the museum's vessels and its management.
