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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeaport Landing Aluminum Hull VesselV. Project Template 1. Name of the project: Seaport Landing Aluminum Hull Vessel 2. Lead organization and Contact: Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Brandi Bednarik, Executive Director bbednarik@historicalseaport.org, 360-589-8212 PO Box 2019, Aberdeen WA 98520 3. Start and end dates for your project: Immediate start to acquisition of vessel. Programming to be started this upcoming school year and Summer 2024. 4. Deliverables: We will take photos of the vessel as it is acquired and set up. We will take photos of the vessel and write up a newsletter article for the inaugural education program on the vessel. We acknowledge we will be making a presentation to the MRC. 5. Project staff: Brandi Bednarik, Executive Director She discovered a love for non-profit work when she joined the Seaport. Before the Seaport, her background was in the private sector of construction finance and management. She believes strongly in Grays Harbor Historical Seaport's mission in providing opportunities for education and maritime career growth. Her background and track record of over 15 years with the Seaport aptly suits her for managing the acquisition of the vessel. Richard Lauridsen, Program Director He currently works as our Program Director and as an instructor. Richard's background is in education. He worked both in public and private schools for fifteen years. Shortly after completing his Master’s in Educational Administration, he joined the GHHS team. Richard has a lot of experience building educational programs. He also holds a USCG Master's License and has experience with small boats. He is a certified American Sailing Association Instructor and has worked as a charter Captain. Katherine Pogue, Captain Katherine started working on Tall Ships as a volunteer in her hometown of San Diego. She graduated from CSU San Marcos with a BA in history and a minor in literature and writing studies in 2013. Since then, she has pursued live-aboard Tall Ship life full time, working on various ships on the Great Lakes and West Coast while obtaining professional licensing along the way. She now has a 200-ton near coastal master’s license and is settled aboard the Lady Washington as the full-time Captain. She has years of experience with vessels of all sizes, education programs, and the water. 6. Partners: This project will be a collaboration. We routinely work with a local schoolteacher with many of our STEM Programs. He will be assisting with the instructing and expansion of our programming. We also work with Twin Harbor Waterkeepers as part of our STEM, and with the expanded programming will rely on them more. We have strong support from local organizations to make Seaport Landing and the Aluminum Hull programming a reality. The City of Aberdeen and Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. have given their full support in the development of Seaport Landing into an educational and community center. We have been growing our financial support for the program as well. We have several applications out or in process to assist with the cost of setting up the programs. 7. Geographic Area: The vessel will primarily operate in Grays Harbor. It will be docked at Seaport Landing, in Aberdeen. This will allow it to travel the Chehalis River, Wishkah River, and out into the bay. This gives it ample places to conduct work, while still having Seaport Landing as an on-ground teaching site as well. We expect to have organizations come from surrounding counties to experience the programming. However, the vessel will be towable. This will allow moving it to other waterways for programming outside of Grays Harbor. 8. Permits: No permits are needed. 9. Project Narrative a) Abstract: Provide a 1-2 paragraph project summary in the form of a short description that highlights the narrative that follows. Seaport Landing, operated by Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, makes up the only solid waterfront in Aberdeen. Our goal is to create a community centered educational venue. Our project aims to expand this ability with the purchase of an aluminum hull boat and expansion of our programming. With its homeport in Aberdeen, it will be another educational water platform. This landing boat style boat will be integral to expanding our educational opportunities. It will provide better access to an underutilized waterfront. When Seaport Landing was purchased, it aimed to serve the local community and beyond. We will be able to bring schools outside the Aberdeen area in to experience our waterfront and learn about marine science. We intend on creating a collaborative platform to bring organizations together to teach marine science. This vessel will be an educational destination for schools in the Western Washington Counties. b) Describe the background and context: project area, situation to be addressed, past work relevant to the project. Grays Harbor Historical Seaport has been offering educational programming since the organization's start. We recognize the importance in understanding maritime heritage and science. This project is a natural continuation of this philosophy. Lady Washington up until 2013 was our sole educational platform. We have offered a variety of programs on board, focusing on heritage, science, and career growth. However, Lady Washington is not the ideal platform for all programs. With the purchase of Seaport Landing, we acquired another avenue to pursue our educational mission. We already offer programming at Seaport Landing. This entails a combination of free programming for community events and educational programming. Primarily with the space we have seen low- income and underserved populations attend the programming. We are the only public space with free programming for all ages in Grays Harbor County that we are aware of. We are setting up an exhibit hall and permanent educational space at Seaport Landing. Each summer we already provide STEM programs to the local students. This project aims to create the water platform aspect of this work. The aluminum hull vessel will expand this programming and create opportunities for new programs. It is a natural evolution of the programming and mission of Seaport Landing. It will allow increased connection to the waterway. Unfortunately, Lady Washington is not always in Aberdeen, which limits our ability to have a water platform. This vessel will also be more agile and can go places Lady cannot. Not only can it go into shallower water, but it can towed and put into small bodies of water. This vessel will become a standing science and environment platform. While expansion of our STEM program is the primary project at the start, we intend to use it for the general public to better connect with the environment. We expect a steady increase in the number of people out on the water with the year-round ability to have this vessel. We also intend to use it as a collaboration asset with other organizations. c) Explain why the project is appropriate for MRC funding or how it achieves one or more of the six benchmarks (See Appendix A attached). We feel this project is appropriate for MRC funding in several ways. Our strong focus on our maritime heritage and science is directly linked to the coastal communities we work with. All our programming focuses on the importance of our waterways. This program specifically focuses on education and outreach. The vessel will expand an already developed school focused STEM program. We will be able to offer the program outside of the Aberdeen area. We will bring in schools and organizations from surrounding counties. New programming will be developed for the general public. We want to give them better access to the environment and waterways. This will involve the ability to get out on the water and community workshops located at the Seaport. We recognize that our stewardship of the land is in conjunction with the Quinault Nation. We will ensure they have a part in the conversation and programming. This will also be a platform for deeper understanding of the ecological cleanup we are doing right now of our own lands. We inherited the industrial damage done to the land when we purchased Seaport Landing. With the help of the EPA, we are cleaning the area up. We can use the vessel and ensuing programming to better educate people about the work we are doing. We can connect it to the importance it has to the larger picture. d) List and describe the project objective(s). Purchase and Equipping of the Vessel One of two primary objectives is acquiring the vessel. The majority of MRC request is not related to this aspect. We have budgeted money and applications out to secure funding for the vessel. This will be the platform to make the programming successful. After vessel securement, our staff will equip and train on the vessel to put it into service. Development of Programming The second of the primary objectives is the program development. Staff will be working on creating the programming to make the vessel successful. We will be expanding already created programs to include the vessel. This will allow quick and easy integration of the vessel into the programming. The next program that will be developed will be the public portion. This will include a variety of recreational and educational programming. We want to engage the public with their surroundings and environment. We will have the opportunity to bring people from all backgrounds out on the water. We will provide wildlife and other nature focused tours. In conjunction with conservation groups, we can offer wildlife and nature tours. We will also design programming to explore and showcase our cleanup efforts and the impacts it has. Both program avenues are in line with the mission of Seaport Landing and Grays Harbor Historical Seaport. It will help us embrace and reflect on the rich history and character of Grays Harbor and the maritime industry. We are in line for State funding to build out Seaport Landing into a Recreational and Educational Center. We operate a mixture of recreational, tourism, and educational programs. The boat will not be limited to our programming. Like the Community Center at Seaport Landing, we will have it available for collaborative work. This will not be limited to Grays Harbor, as the vessel can be towed to different locations. This will be a resource available for local organizations. These programs will allow us to expand work with a multitude of groups, including: · Middle and High Schools · Scouting Programs and Camps · Disadvantaged Youth Programs · General Public, including Tourists and Local Residents We understand that this is only the beginning of the programming. Our goal is to begin and create a foundation of programming for the vessel, much in the same way we have done with Lady Washington. Her programming has become adaptable to a range of ages and groups. She has also become a platform for programs that go further than her original design. We anticipate accomplishing the same platform and ability to adapt with Seaport Landing and the aluminum hull vessel. e) Provide a timeline for your project activities in relation to your stated objectives and the deliverables identified in #4 above. Integration of the landing boat will be quick within our already-built programming. This will allow us to use the boat immediately as we build new programs to use the full potential of the vessel. • Once all vessel funds are secured, bids will be put out to manufacturers. We have rough requirements and design of the vessel. • When the bids are returned, the Board of Directors will have to meet to review the options and make a selection. Our Board meets monthly. • During the procurement of the vessel, the Program Director will work with staff to update programming. The first step will be incorporating it into the already designed programs. With that done, new programming can be designed around our core mission. • Once a contract has been signed, the staff can work on the needed accessories for the vessel. Equipment such as the motor, safety equipment, trailer, and additional supplies will be listed and procured. • Once everything is acquired, we will outfit the vessel with a motor, navigation, and safety equipment. This work can be done in-house. Funding is currently being secured to cover the costs of these steps. • Programming will be complete at approximately this point, and with a launch date for the vessel, programming can be booked. • Once the vessel is outfitted, training will need to occur to ensure everyone is adequately trained to operate the boat. This can also be done in-house, as many staff are already licensed. • Once these steps are completed, the next phase will be setting up the vessel in a collaborative manner to work with other organizations. f) Describe the methods, procedures and equipment to be used, if any. Equipment will be bought in accordance with the organization's bidding process. All boat handling training will be done in house with our already licensed Captains. We already have the necessary people on staff to perform the set up and the initial programming design. We will outfit the boat ourselves with our skilled crew. Once we have it equipped, training the crew on the vessel’s operations will take some time. Then we can start incorporating it into our activities. Instruction of students will be a mixture of hands on and classroom activities. All instructors are former or current teachers. g) Describe the extent or impact of the project (e.g., acres, miles, number of citizens). This project will create a mobile water platform for exploration of the environment. It will be a science program accessible to local residents and surrounding communities. Due to its size, for communities that cannot travel, it will be able to go to them. With a track record of successful cooperation with education organizations, we are excited to add this vessel and programs to Seaport Landing. The Aluminum Boat will be the device we can use at Seaport Landing to increase our waterfront access. This maritime focus can only be fulfilled with a vessel to operate from. The aluminum boat is the answer to these problems. A small vessel easy to maneuver in a fast-moving river, with plenty of space to work from. It can be set up for any number of programs and operations. This boat will supplement our programming and create new opportunities. It will give the water access needed to provide solid STEM programming. This will not only be an asset for Grays Harbor Historical Seaport. We look forward to offering our platform to other organizations to work from. We recognize the need for collaborative work and how teamwork pulls the community together. h) Indicate if there are plans to continue the project into the future. This project is the first step in the creation of a standing program. By the conclusion of this project, we will have an operating vessel in Aberdeen and have taken out students from the Pacific Northwest. We will be using the vessel year-round to perform a variety of programming. Estimated Budget Template and Instructions Category Detail MRC Request Matching Contribution (not required) Total Salaries and Benefits or hourly wages Cost for Program Director to Acquire and Prep vessel ($2,152.50); Instructor to Prepare and run Initial Season Programming ($6,000) $4,076.25 $4,076.25 (From Grays Harbor MRC) $8,152.50 Supplies/Equipment Safety Equipment for Boat $600.00 (Other Equipment being asked from Grays Harbor MRC) $600.00 Travel Contracted services Indirect expenses (All such expenses should be itemized.) Other Totals $4,676.25