PORT TOWNSEND — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed to a $500,000 grant for the Northwest Maritime Center, part of the center’s $12.8 million capital campaign to construct a maritime education facility.
The foundation investment is a “last-dollar” challenge grant, to be paid when the maritime center comes within $500,000 of its campaign goal.
To date, the center has raised $10.8 million from more than 1,500 donors for the new two-building, 26,000 square-foot center at the end of Water Street.
The building is on two acres of the Port Townsend waterfront near Point Hudson Marina.
“This grant is a real endorsement of our efforts,” said center Finance Director Pete Helsell.
“Our challenge now is to meet the goal.”
The Gates Foundation challenge grant comes on the heels of an announcement by First Federal, a financial institution based in Port Angeles and with a Port Townsend branch that named the center the first award recipient of its new Community Dividend program.
The center will receive $500,000 over two years from First Federal, which also has agreed to provide short-term, bridge financing for the project up to $5 million.
‘Make way together’
The Northwest Maritime Center’s fundraising theme is “Make Way Together,” following a traditional longboat rowing command.
More than 1,200 donors contributed $650,000 toward the site’s $950,000 purchase price and cleanup.
The design and construction of a new maritime education facility has been embraced by corporate, government, foundation, and individual contributors.
The formal ground-breaking took place in July, and the scheduled opening of the new complex is September 2009.
The 30-year-old Wooden Boat Foundation is the center’s key collaborator and partner for maritime education programs including on-the-water programs, school field trips, demonstrations of boatbuilding and other traditional hand crafts, maritime skills classes, youth mentorship opportunities, and the annual Wooden Boat Festival.
While both buildings are expected to be finished and ready for occupancy by early September 2009, the Chandler Maritime Education Building is planned as the first to be officially dedicated and in full use.
“The primary purpose of these buildings is to be a home for the Northwest Maritime Center’s educational programs,” said Peter Geerlofs, who serves on the board program committee.
“So it stands to reason that we would focus on that one. The Camilla Chandler Foundation stepped up early in our capital campaign with a million dollar naming gift and we want to honor that gift by opening the education building first.”
The Chandler Maritime Education Building, at about 11,000 square feet, will contain a variety of flexible spaces that can be used by individuals, small groups and larger classes.
In the Shipwrights Shop, seasoned shipwrights will work on projects such as Pocock Classic Cedar Singles that require a high level of expertise.
The Messing-About Boat Shop will feature sailmaking, leather and rope work, hand-tooled crafts and family boatbuilding, where visitors will be encouraged to pitch in on a community project. The Bosun’s Locker is a boat shop supply, tool center and staging area for programs.
On the second floor, three classrooms accessed via a mezzanine walkway provide a meeting space for ongoing programs.
Atop the building will be the Pilothouse, a representation of a modern ship’s bridge containing fully functional navigation, communications and vessel control equipment.
The Chandler Education Building also will allow many of the popular features of the 32-year-old Wooden Boat Festival to take place year-round.
“We’re working closely with the local marine trades businesses to showcase their work to the public,” said Wooden Boat Festival Director Kaci Cronkhite.
“The festival attracts an international audience of 25,000 visitors over a four-day weekend every September and brings more than $2 million into the community.
“The Chandler Education Building will allow us to expand those benefits to the community and help support businesses that are the heart, soul and backbone of the local economy.”
The Wooden Boat Foundation, which operates the festival, merged with the Northwest Maritime Center in 2005.
