| Maritime Heritage Groups in Seattle | ||
| Center for Wooden Boats | Northwest Seaport | Schooner Martha Foundation |
| Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum | Puget Sound Fireboat Foundation | United Indians of All Tribes |
| Northwest Schooner Society | Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society | Virginia V Foundation |
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Task Force Gets Ready for Real Work
Members To Ask Tough, Challenging Questions
All eyes are on the Maritime Heritage Task Force (web site) as they gear up for the real work, which starts at their next meeting on February 16. (See the January 20 “Saving the Big Ship” entry for a report on the first meeting.) The reaction I’ve heard so far from the trenches is of the “wait and see” variety, with some concern that the Task Force may spend so much time looking down from 30,000 feet that they’ll miss the problems organizations have paying the monthly bills, as it were. And some people wonder already if the task force may spend so much time going over old ground that there will be no time left to come up with new solutions. But the general buzz is positive.
Expectations and Limitations
Expectations are high for the Task Force. The heritage community wants it to break new ground, while respecting the Puget Sound area’s unique approach to maritime heritage preservation and storytelling. The challenge is pushing the community out of its comfort zone without threatening core practices and beliefs.
However, the heritage community should recognize the limitations of the Task Force. No one will rescue the community from its funding, organizational, and public image problems. Too often, heritage activists wish a Paul Allen or a Bill Gates would just write a check, as if a signature would make all problems go away. Money without an organization to support its management is like flooding a field with ten feet of water and calling it irrigation.
Get Ready for Tough Questions
The heritage community should be prepared to answer tough, challenging questions. Task Force members wonder why the community’s record of managing the region’s maritime heritage resources has been so spotty. Here’s a sample of what to expect:
o Why should anyone care? We tend to think of our work as intrinsically important. It is not. In fact, it is largely irrelevant to the vast majority of people who live in this area. As many as one-third of the residents of King County moved here in the last generation, or were born here in the last 30 years, and they have no connection to our maritime past. Therefore, we need to make a rock-solid case to a new audience that we matter.
o What are you worth? As a whole, the maritime heritage community in King County has consistently neglected to define a compelling need for preserving maritime history and traditions. Maritime heritage has survived only because of the dedicated work of a few true believers. But the base is shrinking, suggesting to the public that no one is interested in carrying on our work. We know we have something to offer, and we could do a lot if we had the resources. But why should the community invest in us?
o Who put you in charge? Each of our organizations has responded to specific desires and needs that sprang up out of a particular environment. In many cases, those environments no longer exist. In the 21st century, why should the current set of organizations be in charge of caring for irreplaceable ships, collections, or traditions?
o Are you willing to change? While solutions should match our unique environment, simply adding a new layer to an already disjointed and fragmented effort would make our problems worse, not better. We are all sincere, caring, and hard-working people. To transform failure into success, we have to be willing to give up something to gain more in the long run. Do not surrender your principles, but what are you willing to give up to achieve higher goals?
In short, the Task Force will hold up a mirror to us and ask, do you want the status quo, or do you want something that has a chance at success?
Contact: Jim Compton, Task Force Chair, 206-684-8802, jim.compton@seattle.gov
Task Force Origins: Lessons from Recent History
Influential people close to the task force have recently said that the maritime heritage community asked for the task force at the Maritime Heritage Summit last May. That’s true, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. I was there and watched the process that led to the “call” for the task force. With 15 minutes left to go until the scheduled ending time, Jim Kelly, executive director of 4Culture, got up in front of the group and gave folks a choice: Is the next step a task force or do we stop right now? The reaction from the group was non-committal at best. But from my perspective, Kelly knew what he wanted, and when a few people agreed to his idea, the task force process got under way. This evolved into “the community asked for help.” In a sense, 4Culture willed it into being, because they knew the alternative was not acceptable.
The Task Force should take a lesson from this anecdote. It would be easy for members to fall into the usual “Seattle process,” that is, get all the stakeholders around a table and hammer out a consensus. It’s my personal opinion that this strategy will not work with the maritime heritage community. The entire history of local maritime heritage, going back to the 1950s, demonstrates an inability to achieve consensus. Perhaps the task force could break that pattern, but they’d be swimming against a powerful tide.
Lessons From a Command Environment
Let’s remember the background of many of the maritime heritage leadership. They come from a command environment, where you follow a leader, especially if he/she is smart and experienced. The maritime heritage community is not a bunch of sheep, but if the Task Force says: “We think this is the right way to move forward, and if you chose not to participate, you won’t enjoy the benefits,” the Task Force will get a positive response. There will be grumbling, but the community will respect a strong, just, and fair hand.
Lightship Swiftsure Restoration Crawls Forward
Supporters of the lightship Swiftsure are hoping the City of Seattle will look kindly on a new proposal to get restoration work under way. The ship’s owner, Northwest Seaport, won a $580,000 federal TEA-21 Transportation Enhancement grant in 2001 to rehabilitate the vessel, which is now moored on the west wall of South Lake Union Park. Last summer, the city, which manages the funds for the US Department of Transportation, notified Northwest Seaport that the grant money would be given to another organization unless it could come up with $256,000 in matching money by mid-December.
Ruddy Lewis, the NWS board member leading the Swiftsure project, submitted a funding and rehabilitation plan to the city on December 1, which reduced the amount of needed cash to $20,000. (The rest of the match would come through in-kind donations of labor.) The city is now reviewing the proposal and writing a contract, which must be approved by the city council. Work could begin as early as this summer.
Is Northwest Seaport Up To The Task?
Ruddy Lewis, NWS President Joe Shickich (who sits on the Task Force), and their supporters have worked very hard on securing the TEA-21 money for Swiftsure. Ruddy has made several presentations to potential supporters and deserves praise for his follow-through. But raising $20,000 will be a daunting task given the organization’s poor history of fundraising for both operations and capital projects, not only for Swiftsure, but for all its competing projects. And I have to wonder why it took a threat from the city, given the heritage community’s already poor relationship with city government, for NWS to get its act together. NWS has owned Swiftsure (once called Relief) since the mid-1960s. And it has never executed a comprehensive restoration and program plan on any of its vessels.
City government and the Maritime Heritage Task Force should ask whether Northwest Seaport has the organizational wherewithal to pull this off. It’s not just a matter of submitting a plan and getting the city to release the money. It’s time that the heritage community recognize that current organizational structures are inadequate to manage a fleet of large historic ships that need millions of dollars worth of care. Even if the Swiftsure money is released, what about the next project, and the next? Will it take five years every time?
Contact: Northwest Seaport, 206-447-9800, http://www.nwseaport.org
Tenants Ask For Changes to Park Design, Consultation on Concerts
Park Design on Agenda for Feb. 10 City Meeting
A group of maritime heritage tenants at South Lake Union Park wants changes to the park design. Seafaring Heritage in Partnership will send a letter to the Parks Department requesting long-term moorage at SLUP for the ships Zodiac, Lavengro, Martha, Arthur Foss, Swiftsure, Twilight, Duwamish and Wawona. “These vessels should have public access for educational programs, including ship maintenance programs,” a draft of the letter said. The letter calls for preserving a wood shop, storage sheds, and offices south of the Naval Reserve Building. Volunteers and staff use the buildings to maintain the historic vessels. They say removing the structures undercuts their ability to deliver educational programs. The current design calls for replacing the buildings with a parking lot.
The group will also ask the Parks Department to let it review details of the plan to temporarily move the Summer Nights at the Pier concerts to SLUP. (See January 1 blog entry.) “There was no consultation on these events with South Lake Union Friends and Neighbors, the community council of the area,” a draft of a letter to the department said. “Nor was notification given to the several non-profit maritime heritage organizations at South Lake Union, nor the businesses.” SHIP wants plans for traffic and pedestrian safety, site layout, toilets, and parking to accommodate SLUP events scheduled by the non-profits.
SHIP is an informal group that includes Northwest Seaport, the Center for Wooden Boats, and the Puget Sound Fireboat Foundation. It was formerly called South Lake Union Maritime Organizations, or SLUMO.
Review of SEIS to Occur at Public Meeting
SHIP organizations will attend a public review of the SLUP design on February 10 at the Naval Reserve Building starting at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will discuss a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, required before construction can begin, which Parks officials say could occur by the end of the year. The meeting may be one of the last chances for maritime heritage groups to convince the Parks Department to improve its mediocre heritage amenities at SLUP.
Contact: Colleen Browne, Parks program manager, colleen.browne@seattle.gov
Panel Recommends Bidding On North Lake Union “Upland” Parcel
Is the Waterfront Parcel Next?
The King County Council’s Budget and Finance Committee alarmed some maritime heritage supporters last week when it recommended the county put an old Metro Transit facility on the auction block. The Council wants to dispose of three parcels of property on the north end of Lake Union, including property once operated as a bus maintenance facility. The committee ignored local neighborhood recommendations and said the full council should sell the “upland” property, if bids meet or exceed an $11 million floor.
The action does not include the so-called “waterfront parcel,” sometimes called the “Metro Dock.” Last year, a neighborhood group organized by the county recommended that the parcel be left as a county-owned industrial site, which would allow maritime heritage community to use it for ship restoration and maintenance. Many want the site as backup in case the Seattle Parks Department refuses to allow ship maintenance and restoration at South Lake Union Park. But some local businesses want the site as a stop for a water taxi. The committee action suggests the council would prefer to be rid of surplus property, which threatens plans by heritage supporters, who would face a multi-million dollar fundraising effort if the parcel were put up for sale.
Some heritage supporters fear county staff who may favor a water taxi will “sneak in” a proposal to sell the waterfront parcel or reserve it for a taxi, again ignoring citizen recommendations. Heritage activists will have to keep a close eye on upcoming agendas. Call or write county council members and tell them your concerns. The contact on the North Lake Union properties is:
Pat Cleary
Community Relations Planner
Voice:206-684-1142
TTY: 206-684-1682
E-mail: pat.cleary@metrokc.gov
King County Department of Transportation
201 S. Jackson St., KSC-TR-0824
Seattle, WA 98104-3856
Maritime Heritage Marketing Website Gets Name, Domain
Plans to create a website for marketing maritime heritage in King and Kitsap counties took a step forward when Flo Lentz and I picked a name and a domain for the project. The site is called the "Maritime Heritage Network." The domain is maritimeheritage.net. You'll recall that 4Culture won a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to create the site. The money was matched by 4Culture. Flo is the project lead and I am the project manager. We've hired a designer, UXMedia, and we sought some advice from Woodard and Company, a business consulting agency with wide experience in online marketing. They gracious donated several hours of consulting time. We've also contacted 35 maritime heritage groups and others about supplying information to the site. Our next steps include some early design work. Look for more news next month.
Contact: Flo Lentz, 206-296-8682, flo.lentz@4culture.org; Joe Follansbee, 206-932-7578, joef@speakeasy.net
Shameless Self Promotion
The Seattle Channel has placed Kelly Guenther's story on the history of Wawona online. You can view it by clicking here and selecting the "Wawona Restoration" story. The story features interviews with Northwest Seaport's Dave Clute, former crewmember Dave Wright, and myself.
Evergreen Monthly published an article I wrote about alternative treatments for depression.
Seattle magazine published my profile of the South Park neighborhood in its Feburary edition.
Maritime Heritage Calendar
Regular Events
o Maritime Heritage Task Force, every third Wednesday through June, 2005, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Naval Reserve Building, 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 7th Annual Maritime Career Day, Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center, Feb. 3, 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., FREE, Info
o Tool Making Workshop, Center for Wooden Boats, Feb. 5 & 6, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., $175 members, $210 nonmembers, Info
o Monthly Dinner Meeting, Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society, Feb. 7, 7 p.m. Info
o Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) Review, South Lake Union Park, Feb. 10, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., Naval Reserve Building, Info (See story above)
o Half Model Workshop, Center for Wooden Boats, Feb. 12 & 13, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., $175 members, $210 nonmembers, Info
o Auction 2005, Center for Wooden Boats, Feb. 26, 5:30 p.m., Naval Reserve Building, South Lake Union Park, Info
o American Boat Racing Association (ABRA) Awards Banquet, Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum, Feb. 26, 6:00 p.m., $100, 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
Join the Sailing Heritage Society aboard the schooner Mallory Todd on a wilderness adventure through the Inside Passage. Six berths are available on several different legs of the cruise, including Seattle to Petersburg, April 17 - May 7 (20 nights, 21 days); Petersburg to Sitka, May 8 - 14 (six nights, seven days); Sitka to Petersburg, May 15 - 21 (six nights, seven days); Petersburg to Seattle, May 22 - June 10 (20 nights, 21 days). For more information, call SHS at 206-381-6919 or e-mail helpers@sailingheritage.org.
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!
If you would like to be placed on the list notifying readers of new entries, email Joe Follansbee at joef@speakeasy.net ¶ 8:00 AM 0 comments
