Heritage Activists Force Parks Dept. to Rethink SLUP Design Process

County Council to Take Testimony on Heritage Issues

Maritime heritage supporters scored a victory this month when the Seattle Parks Department agreed to more meetings on the South Lake Union Park design. More than 50 supporters told Parks designers on Nov. 16 that the maritime heritage component of the Park fell short of expectations. They complained specifically about the lack of support for Native American heritage, and the failure to accommodate the needs of the schooner Wawona. Parks Program Manager Colleen Browne said she would schedule more meetings to discuss the maritime heritage component of SLUP, despite the announcement that the Nov. 16 meeting was the “final” meeting on the design.

The record attendance at the meeting signaled new solidarity among disparate groups of maritime heritage supporters. Representatives from several groups were in the audience, including the Center for Wooden Boats, Northwest Seaport, the Virginia V Foundation, the Puget Sound Fireboat Foundation, the Discovery Modelers Education Center, the Northwest Schooner Society, and more. Flo Lentz, a representative of 4Culture (formerly the Cultural Development Authority of King County) discussed the upcoming Independent Maritime Heritage Task Force, which is scheduled to begin meeting in January. Nearly every speaker urged the Parks Department to redouble its efforts to partner with all maritime heritage groups to create a maritime heritage center rivaling Mystic Seaport, the San Diego Maritime Museum, and the San Francisco National Maritime Historic Park.

Activists said everyone concerned about preserving Seattle’s unique identity as a maritime city should write the Parks Department and the City Council. Alice Winship, a volunteer with Northwest Seaport, said the Parks Department knows heritage supporters are upset, but supporters should move the debate ahead. “Now is the time to make specific, constructive suggestions about how we can work with the Parks Department to create the maritime heritage center we want,” she said, suggesting a letter to Ken Bounds, Parks Superintendent. Here’s the contact info:

Superintendent Ken Bounds and the Seattle Parks Board
Seattle Parks & Recreation
100 Dexter Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98109

You can also write to Colleen Browne, Parks program manager, colleen.browne@seattle.gov.

If you missed the meeting on Nov. 16, head on down to the Experience Music Project on December 6 and tell the County Council what you think about maritime heritage. The Council is sponsoring one of its occassional town hall meetings to take the pulse of the community. The Dec. 6 meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. at the EMP Sky Church. Scheduled speakers include Leonard Garfield of the Museum of History & Industry, and Jim Kelly, executive director of 4Culture. The council will also take public testimony.

Contact: Alice Winship, walice1@qwest.net

Announcement on Maritime Heritage Task Force Delayed

4Culture has delayed announcing the formation of the 15-member Independent Maritime Heritage Task Force while it wins more support from local maritime industry, government and other community representatives. Flo Lentz, Charles Payton, and Jim Kelly have worked since the maritime heritage summit last May to organize the task force, which will make recommendations on the future of preserving maritime heritage in Seattle and King County. 4Culture has recruited a number of people from the cultural and arts communties, including maritime heritage groups. But representatives from other sectors are needed to round out representation. I'm hoping for an announcement after the 4Culture board meets on Dec. 8.

Contacts: Charles Payton, 206-296-8693, charles.payton@4culture.org, or Flo Lentz, 206-296-8682, flo.lentz@4culture.org

4Culture Wins Grant to Build Joint Maritime Heritage Website

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has awarded 4Culture a $3,500 Preservation Service Fund grant to produce a joint marketing website for Seattle-area maritime heritage groups. Maritime heritage groups have suffered from near invisibility for decades, and heritage leaders recognized a vital need for positive public relations and marketing. Individual efforts at getting media attention have been successful, but the groups have rarely worked together to raise the profile of the entire maritime heritage community. The NTHP grant will be matched with $3,500 from 4Culture budget earmarked for maritime heritage activities.

Preservation programs manager Flo Lentz said 4Culture will hire a designer and a writer to produce the website in the next few weeks. She said the site will include images, summary text, access information, and calendar information, and updates on the work of the Independent Maritime Heritage Task Force. The website will have its own URL, and links back to individual maritime heritage websites. The site is scheduled for launch in early 2005.

Contact: Flo Lentz, 206-296-8682, flo.lentz@4culture.org

Northwest Seaport Board Member Comes Clean on Wawona Opinion

Last month's complaint that no one was willing to take public responsibility for suggestions to cut up or sink Wawona drew a brave response from Rick Boggs, a long-time member of the Northwest Seaport board of directors. He suggested sinking Wawona somewhere in Puget Sound as a reef for divers, and after my complaint, he wrote to me. Here's his response, in full, quoted with his permission.

Northwest Seaport is incapable of securing the financial backing to maintain, much less restore, Wawona. Even if funding were available, NWS lacks the human and material resources required to manage a viable program of restoration and preservation. If Wawona is to find a resting placed befitting her long history in the Pacific Northwest, it will not be found on Lake Union under the flag of Northwest Seaport. Wawona deserves more than to end her life as the poster child for mismanagement and Seattle's failure to support maritime heritage.

Many vessels which would otherwise be scrapped or rot quietly away in some forgotten corner of a port now find a second and much longer life as the centerpiece of an underwater park. Wawona will certainly last longer beneath the surface of Puget Sound than she will decomposing in some corner of Lake Union. The city is filling in the corners, she must move and very little time remains for her to move anywhere in one piece. Rather than see her reduced to landfill by a gang of chainsaw-wielding City Parks workers, I would much prefer to watch her pass through the ship canal on her final voyage to a dignified and enduring future as an underwater habitat. She would live another century as the focus of future generations of underwater photographers. Her name would remain in Puget Sound forever.

Of course, I couldn't disagree with Rick more, but so far, he's the only person I know with guts enough to suggest such a radical course of action publicly. It's only through open and honest dialog that the maritime heritage community will escape its organizational rut and develop a vision that embraces the community's interests as well as the interests of individual organizations. If you'd like to respond to Rick, I'll post it. E-mail me with your thoughts.

Contact: Rick Boggs, tugs@earthlink.net

Arthur Foss Celebrates Completed Work; Virginia V Adds Virtual Tour

Arthur Foss: Volunteers and supporters of the 1889 tugboat Arthur Foss celebrated the completion of $315,000 worth of upgrades with a party and open house on Nov. 6. The vessel is currently berthed on the west wharf of South Lake Union Park. The work consisted of replacing her bulwarks, covering boards, and much of her deck planking. The work was financed by a $150,000 federal "Save Our Treasures" grant, with the balance delivered as in-kind contributions.

Virginia V: The website of the Virigina V Foundation features new 360-degree images of the bow, wheelhouse, main deck, lower deck, engine, and after deck of the 1922 steamer Virginia V. The images were created by VRSeattle, which began in early 1996 shortly after Apple Computer introduced its Quicktime VR technology. Since then, VRSeattle has received many awards and inspired a whole slew of "QTVR Cities" across the net. If you're interested in a VR tour of your vessel or facility, visit the VRSeattle website.

NOAA Departure Opportunity for Maritime Heritage?

The Seattle Times reported on Nov. 16 that the ships of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is in talks with the Navy to move its Lake Union ships to Naval Station Everett. Read the story at Lake Union May Lose NOAA Ships to Everett. Heritage supporters should investigate the opportunities a potential move might present. Could the facilites become maintenance areas for historic ships? Extra display space? Program space? Even though any move is years away, if it happens at all, I would suggest now is the time to open a dialog with NOAA and the leaseholders, identified in the story. Perhaps this could be taken up by the maritime heritage task force. Let's get out in front of this opportunity, if one exists, before someone else does.

Maritime Heritage Calendar

Regular Events

o Work parties every Saturday on Wawona, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Info

o Reading Tuesdays for children at OMDC, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Info

o Puget Sound Ship Modelers monthly meeting, every third Thursday, Discovery Modelers Education Center, Naval Reserve Building, South Lake Union Park, 7 p.m. Info

o Third Friday Speaker Series, 7 p.m., CWB Boathouse. Info

o Monthly Chantey Sing, every second Friday, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., aboard Wawona, FREE (donation requested). Info

Selected Special Events

o Honor, Courage, Commitment: The U.S. Navy at Home and Abroad, OMDC, through Dec. 31. Info

o Name Board Carving, Center for Wooden Boats, Dec. 4 - 6, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., $210 members, $235 nonmembers. Info

o Town Hall Meeting on arts and heritage programs, sponsored by the King County Council, Dec. 6, 9:30 a.m., Experience Music Project Sky Church. Info

o The Happy Hour Holiday Cocktail Cruise, Virginia V, Dec. 10, 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., $50 (Members: $45). Info

o Knot 8: Chest Beckets, Center for Wooden Boats, Dec. 11, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., $40 members, $50 nonmembers. Info

o The Cutters & Friends Annual Family Concert. Join Teresa, Philip, Arwen, and Tyler Cutter, plus a few mystery guests, as they ring in the holidays with traditional maritime music. Sing along at the Social Hall of Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1215 Thomas St., Saturday, Dec. 11, 8 p.m. Admission: $10 General, $7 seniors, students, and maritime heritage organization members. Info

o Parents' Shopping Days Out, OMDC, Dec. 12 & 16. Spend the day shopping, attending a movie or just relaxing while your children enjoy staff supervised, fun-filled activities, snacks and a holiday treat bag at Odyssey. Info

o Christmas Ship Dinner Cruise, Virginia V, Dec. 18, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., $70 (Members: $60). Info

o Christmas Ship Dinner Cruise, Virginia V, Dec. 23, 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., $70 (Members: $60). Info

Send calendar items to Joe Follansbee.

Calls for Volunteers

Wawona needs volunteers to scrape paint, reef decks, caulk seams, greet visitors, staff the gift shop, write grants, manage cookie sales at events, and just about everything else a non-profit organization needs done. If you'd like to volunteer, contact Alice Winship, 206-448-0707, walice1@qwest.net.

The 1889 tug Arthur Foss needs your help for a variety of projects, including scraping/sanding in prep for painting, diesel engine work, grant writing, program development, sign making, even sewing. Contact Lois Jerden, letloisdoit@juno.com.

Send calls for volunteers to Joe Follansbee.

Maritime Heritage Classifieds

Send job postings, items for sale, and announcements to Joe Follansbee. Postings to "Saving the Big Ship" are free. Please limit to 25 words. Don't forget contact info!

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