It's a Great Wharf, But Where Are the Boats?

Mayor Greg Nickels' administration is good at a lot of things, including spin. The Historic Ships Wharf at South Lake Union Park opened with the usual flag-waving fanfare on July 2. The beautiful Virigina V ferried the mayor and parks superintendent Ken Bounds to the wharf, and with the vessel behind him, Nickels dedicated the wharf to, in his words, "preserving the past, celebrating the past, and building a great future."

Few people noticed that the Virginia V then backed out of the slip and tied up at its usual place at the Chandler's Cove marina, leaving the Wharf, funded in part with $1.5 million in property tax money, empty. Why? As of this writing, Parks has not signed moorage agreements with any of the historic ship owners, as near as I can tell, although South Lake Union Park Program Manager Victoria Schoenberg tells me Parks may sign a deal with one of the ships. "I'd say we're very close," she said. (The owner of the vessel asked me not to identify it, due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.) I can say that Ken Bounds told me via e-mail that Parks is not in discussions with Northwest Seaport, owner of Arthur Foss, Twilight, Swiftsure, and Wawona.

Parks is approaching all deals with ship owners ad hoc. It has no criteria for deciding which ships, including those not in "display condition," such as Wawona (as Bounds describes her), will get berths at the Wharf. "This time will be a learning period during which we will determine the best approach to its management," Bounds wrote to me. "Establishing the standards that will be required of vessels at the wharf, and the fees and public benefits that will be associated with moorage, will be part of that process." One interpretation: We're going to make it up as we sign the deals.

Is this any way to run a public facility? Does Parks have any expertise in historic ship management? Shouldn't it be asking for advice from the maritime heritage community as a whole? Does making separate deals with vessel owners serve the public interest, or does it further alienate individual groups from Parks and each other, thus damaging everyone's goal for a first-class maritime heritage center?

Most importantly, shouldn't the maritime heritage community demand a voice in Parks decision-making? If you don't, Parks has every right to impose its forthcoming criteria on you.

Contact: Ken Bounds, 206-684-4075, E-mail

How to Get Free Moorage at a City of Seattle Wharf

The first ship to berth at the Historic Ships Wharf was the Robert C. Seamans, a classy four-year-old brigantine built in Tacoma for the Sea Education Association of Woods Hole, Mass. Victoria Schoenberg says the vessel owner paid no moorage fees during its visit in exchange for public access to the vessel. Did anybody see any announcements of public tours, etc? It's not clear whether Parks would extend the same consideration to vessels only a few yards away. Parks doesn't know when a fee schedule will be posted. Is this the kind of management the maritime heritage community has to look forward to?

Contact: Ken Bounds, 206-684-4075, E-mail

Wawona, Featured in Seattle Times, Is a Festival Hit; "Reefing" Madness

The Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival drew large crowds the first weekend of July, and many took a close look at Wawona. Volunteers counted 1,150 visitors to Wawona over the three-day event. More than 260 people signed the petition calling on the Parks Department to allow restoration activities to continue at South Lake Union. More than 1,000 people have signed the document, which Parks officials and the Parks Board have apparently ignored.

The Wawona was featured in an article by Erik Lacitis in the Seattle Times on July 3.

Volunteers leaders have also organized large work parties on board Wawona over the summer, including some of the largest single parties in Wawona's recent history. One of the activities is called "reefing," which is replacing some of the material between the planks. The ship already looks better. If you'd like to volunteer, check the contacts below.

The Wawona volunteers are also considering the creation of a new non-profit support organization for the ship. The group is tentatively called FOREMASTS, For Education of Maritime and Seafaring Traditions in Seattle. They're considering a new 501(c)3 in order to properly handle the donations of cash they are spending directly on vessel restoration and safety upgrades.

Contacts: Alice Winship, E-mail; Wayne Palsson, E-mail

SLUP Could Be "Mystic"-al, And I Got Pictures to Prove It

Wawona supporters and the Parks Department are at odds over whether restoration activities are compatible with a public facility. Parks argues that safety and public expectations argue against "industrial" activities at South Lake Union Park. But fifty years of experience at one of the country's premier maritime heritage facilities demonstrates otherwise. I spent July 8 at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut with my family. We were allowed very close to industrial-sized shipyard activities. I got within yards of a large circular saw as it was being used. I walked on a recently used platform that resembled a dry dock. My children participated in an activity literally in the shadow of the main boatyard building. Here are photos:

• Mystic Seaport Boatyard
• Demonstration at the boatyard
• Children playing on whaleboat

Clearly, Mystic Seaport believes the public is interested in boatyard activities, and the public reciprocates. Mr. Bounds, what evidence do you have that such activities are not appropriate for South Lake Union Park? (Please don't cite the South Lake Union Master Plan or the design plans. That stuff is four years old. It's as stale as yesterday's latte.)

Contact: Ken Bounds, 206-684-4075, E-mail

Ferguson Gives Thumbs Up (Maybe) On Heritage at North Lake Union

The Parks Department would prefer that Wawona's restoration activities happen somewhere else, maybe the waterfront parcel the county owns on north Lake Union. You'll recall that Metro is trying to figure out how to dispose of the land. (North Lake Union properties web page) Parks has publicly supported maritime heritage activities at the site. Metro King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson, whose district includes the parcel, wrote to me on July 13, saying, "I agree that the waterfront parcel presents unique opportunities for maritime heritage groups." Ferguson can't co-opt the process by directly supporting the maritime activity right now. But he's listening.

Contact: Bob Ferguson, 206-296-1002, E-mail

Potential 4Culture Task Force Plans Proceeding

The main action item of the May 7th maritime heritage summit was exploration of some kind of task force related to our maritime heritage crisis. A steering committee made up of the meeting sponsors met in July and 4Culture is working on a draft proposal. Not much more to report publicly, although I believe 4Culture is moving away from an agenda that would result in some sort of grand solution.

Contact: Charles Payton, 206-296-7580, E-mail; Flo Lentz, 206-296-7580, E-mail

My Survey Says: Minimum Seven Figure $$ Potential in SLUP

No one knows what the potential economic impact of South Lake Union Park might be as a cultural attraction. In fact, almost no one in the country, as near as I can tell, has tried to gauge these impacts, although almost everyone says that cultural resource supporters should be using economic arguments, as well as cultural arguments. Well, I've pieced together a few numbers. Here's one to tease: According to my calculations, the Center for Wooden Boats alone has an annual economic impact of $1,000,000.

Click here to see my results. I'd welcome your feedback.

Maritime Heritage Calendar Items for August

Regular Events
• Reading Tuesdays for children at OMDC, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Info
• Work parties every Saturday on Wawona, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Info

Special Events
• Summer Day Camp at OMDC, August 9 to 13 Info
• Chantey Sing on Wawona, Friday, August 13, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Info
• Oak Ash & Thorn concert on Wawona, Saturday, August 14, 8 p.m. to 10 pm. Info
• Family Boat Building at CWB, August 21, 22, 28 & 29, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info
• Cedar Strip Kayak Workshop at CWB, August 21 - 29, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info
• Lofting a Sea Going Skiff, CWB Marysville, August 21 - 22, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Info
• The Lady Washington Visits, CWB, August 28 & 29, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Info

Send me calendar items and news releases. Don't be left out!

Shameless Self-Promotion

Here's some of my personal activities:

I'm looking for a job, since my current contract job is about to end. Medical benefits a must. View my resume, my curriculum vitae, and email me with your job tip.

Published article "Fishermen's Meals a la 1936" in 48 Degrees North (Not available online. See page 54 of the magazine.)

Published article on maritime music in Seattle Times on July 29

Published essay on the central waterfront in Seattle Post-Intelligencer on July 30 (It's not available online. See page B-3.)

Published article on HIV/AIDS in Evergreen Monthly

¶ 8:00 AM 0 comments