USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, Inc.

The USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, Inc.'s plans to establish a non-profit museum and family attraction at Quonset Point received another major boost this week with the commitment of $25,000 in legislative grant funding from the Rhode Island Senate.

Majority Leader William V. Irons (District 39) confirmed the immediate funding of $10,000, with the balance to be paid as the project moves forward. "After meeting with Foundation leadership and reviewing their efforts over the past three years, we are pleased to reaffirm our endorsement of their work in a tangible way," Irons said.

In a letter to Foundation President Frank Lennon, Irons wrote, "Because of the tremendous work of your group and the benefits accruing to our community, I felt it was incumbent upon me to make every effort to secure this grant."

Last spring both chambers of the General Assembly passed Resolutions of support for the plan to moor the decommissioned carrier Saratoga as the centerpiece of a non-profit Heritage and Technology Park at the old Quonset Point Naval Air Station. According to independent studies, this nonprofit blend of past and future, family attraction and scientific frontier would:

Attract over a half million visitors annually;
Generate more than $30 million in annual economic impact;
Directly and indirectly, create more than 575 jobs;
Produce annual, direct tax revenues of more than $1.6 million.

"Anytime a project comes before us offering job creation, economic impact and tax revenue generation, we should do all we can to nurture its development," Irons continued.

The Park also intends to become a major educational resource for surrounding towns, the state and the region. Educational facilities and programs for all ages will be key components. A vocational school and other business development programs will create jobs, train workers and make the rest of the park more attractive for industry.

These benefits to a broad cross-section of Rhode Islanders have generated support from a wide range of political and ideological interests, led by former Congressman Bob Weygand. Labor unions, environmentalists, businessmen, and veterans have joined a bi-partisan, grass roots efforts to see this project through. The Park has been formally endorsed by the Town of North Kingstown, an action echoed by nine other cities and towns from Providence to Cranston to Glocester.

"We are impressed at the broad range of grass-roots support this project enjoys," said Irons. "The importance of such support is not lost on elected officials," he concluded.

The Foundation has worked for the past year and a half to meet a number of conditions set by the RI Economic Development Corporation. The final step is to raise approximately $2.5 million to qualify for an investment banking commitment of $5 million. Within the past month alone commitments have been made for more than a quarter of that amount, led by a $500,000 grant from The Champlin Foundations.

"This commitment from the Senate, combined with the $25,000 we recently received from the House of Representatives, sends a loud and clear message. The people of the State of Rhode Island have told their elected representatives they want this project, and those representatives are now acknowledging receipt of that message," Lennon said.

Full details about the project, as well as information on how to participate, can be found on the project's website at:

http://www.saratogamuseum.org

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Last Updated:
9/29/01