FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2007

Contact:

USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, Inc.    Frank Lennon (401) 831-8696

This funding was included in the $485 billion Omnibus Appropriations bill passed by Congress this week. The bill funds important domestic programs for Fiscal Year 2008.

In a press release Congressman Langevin stated, "This legislation begins to reinvest in the priorities of the American people and provides support to many projects throughout Rhode Island's Second Congressional District."

Frank Lennon, President of the Saratoga Foundation, expressed his delight with this grant. "It's an early Christmas present for the hard-working volunteers who have built the credibility of this project over the years," he said. "Just as importantly, it signals recognition by federal officials that our concept offers meaningful benefits to the communities we intend to serve."

Last year the United States Department of Agriculture's Community Facilities Program set aside funds to guarantee $6.5 million in long-term project financing from Independence Bank of East Greenwich. Today's appropriation reinforces the perception of continued federal support, and provides encouragement to Foundation leadership as they work to obtain long-sought final approval from the State to relocate the carrier to Davisville.

Lennon hopes this grant will also result in additional corporate support. "Business leaders can now see that the United States Government has taken a hands-on approach. We hope this funding commitment will 'prime the pump', so to speak, and result in additional corporate sponsorship."

The grant will be administered through the Small Business Administration. Funds will be used to plan, design, develop and equip workforce development and job training programs and facilities, which have always been a major element in the Saratoga plan.

While the eventual goal is to use the fully-equipped machine shops aboard the ship as the foundation for extensive school-to-career programs, the funding will be put to immediate use even before the aircraft carrier is donated by the Navy.

"For a number of years we have been building relationships with educational institutions, ranging from Davisville Middle School to URI's Graduate School of Oceanography," Lennon said. "While access to the machine shops and other facilities aboard the ship would geometrically enhance future vocational training capabilities, this funding enables us to invest today in pilot programs which we can test before the aircraft carrier comes across the Bay."

Joint ventures with local schools and universities will form the backbone of this effort. "We have ongoing relationships with the North Kingstown School Department, Roger Williams University, CCRI and URI, " said Lennon. "This grant will allow us to explore new relationships with other facilities such as the Chariho Career & Technical Center, and perhaps some in-house corporate programs."

Recognizing that 2008 will be an extremely tight budget year for state funding of workforce development, Lennon also intends to explore working relationships with the RI Economic Development Corporation, the Quonset Development Corporation and labor unions with apprentice programs.

The Saratoga Foundation plans to use its existing aircraft and vehicle restoration projects, particularly the “Ted Williams Airplane” initiative, as the catalyst for these job training initiatives.

John Gibbons is project manager for the restoration of the “Ted Williams Airplane”, an F9F Panther jet, the same type flown in combat in Korea by the Red Sox slugger when he was a Marine Corps fighter pilot. "The combination of the connection to baseball with the chance to restore a fighter airplane should be an irresistible combination for youngsters seeking to learn a trade," said Gibbons.

Plans are to modify a portion of the museum's headquarters, located at 6854 Post Road in North Kingstown to accommodate these restoration projects while awaiting final state approval of the relocation of the aircraft carrier to Davisville.

Under the watchful eye of qualified instructors, students and trainees will be able to help volunteers and staff restore other important artifacts, such as a landing craft now on Prudence Island. Centerpiece of the restoration efforts is the 1938 Ford sedan driven to battle on December 7, 1941 by Saratoga veteran and Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor recipient LT John Finn.

Students will be able to learn about woodworking and Fiberglas when working on Paramount Pictures’ 39-foot-long model of the USS Nevada, battleship of Pearl Harbor fame, used in "Winds of War" and other motion pictures.

On the marine trades side of the operation, some of this funding can be used to plan the construction of a replica of the very first USS Saratoga, a 68-foot long 18-gun sloop launched in 1780. "Based on the hugely successful reconstruction of the Amistad at Mystic Seaport, we intend to pursue a similar project for students and community volunteers," said Lennon.

"These vocational training programs, which we can start almost immediately, should help provide youth with useful skills and experiences to help them become productive members of society," concluded Gibbons.

Once the Foundation takes ownership of Saratoga, funding would cover refurbishment and upgrading of existing machine tools and other equipment aboard, and the acquisition of additional tools, chucks, and computerized elements in order to create the most advanced job training facility in the state.

On the culinary training side, a relatively small investment in the existing, fully equipped institutional kitchens would result in the establishment of a low-cost training facility.

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The USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, has worked for nine years to turn the vision described above into reality. Further information can be obtained at http://www.saratogamuseum.org

Last Updated:
12/20/07