Patriots Point update

[elc32955]

This is depressing. Looks like the USS Clamagore is getting closer to being scuttled as an artificial reef. Patriots Point's management didn't adequately maintain the ship over the years so the hull went downhill, now the justification for disposing of the ship is that it's too expensive to maintain/repair & it's a hazard as it sits. So goes another museum ship into the night....

http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/ne...king-clamagore

[tbm3fan]

Sounds like, no more like definitely, Patriot's Point is slowly putting themselves out of business. Yorktown will be last to go. They do have lots of big dreams...

[elc32955]

And this is the other piece of the puzzle. Apparently the dock at which Clamagore is tied up at is right in the crosshairs of a large redevelopment project which is supposed to guarantee forever revenue for the Yorktown and the Laffey. And loads of jobs for the surrounding area.

So, close to 1K promised jobs + nice new buildings & community redevelopment + revenue stream = thinning the herd. According to this story the museum board voted to execute a 99 year lease with the developer back in April. I sure hope they build some minimum revenue guarantees into the lease as developers have a time-honored way of promising the moon, but you end up with something substantially less in-hand at the end of the day. Here's the link to the story;

http://abcnews4.com/news/local/patri...ons-in-revenue

[tbm3fan]

Ah, dreamers. Don't you just love them. You have developers who are known to make big promises with spotty records. Hotels and restaurants out there. I looked at Google maps and see lots of empty area near water. Now, if California, that would be gobbled up in a second and turned into money if it weren't for the Coastal Commission protecting coastal areas. Anyway, these developers sound like the guys once associated with the USS Cabot and the SS United States to name a few. Is this a marriage of the two?

As for Federal money that will never happen unless the Feds want to open the gates to all other ship museums who need help. So many hulls, so much need. Thank god the Hornet floats clear 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.