THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 4, 1995 TAG: 9510040554
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
A steady stream of speakers trooped to the podium Tuesday and told the City Council that they did not like Nauticus, did not understand it and resented having to pay more money to support it.
``The way I see it now, it's a waste of money,'' said Edward Keeter Jr., who, like several of the 25 speakers, acknowledged he had never been inside the gray metal structure. ``And I'm not willing to use taxpayer money to bail it out.''
In the end, the council approved a new funding package for the attraction that will cost Norfolk citizens $1 million annually for the next 20 years.
Even most opponents acknowledged the council had little choice.
After the meeting, several civic league leaders said they were encouraged that Mayor Paul D. Fraim and business leaders had talked of turning more to regular citizens for advice on how to make the museum more popular with both locals and tourists.
``We've never heard that kind of talk before,'' said Jim Janata, former president of the Norfolk Federation of Civic Leagues.
The city took on the museum's 20-year loan and gave Nauticus 35 years to repay it. That means, for the first two decades, the city will be paying the annual $2.6 million loan payments and the National Maritime Center Authority, which operates Nauticus, would be making just $1.6 million repayments to the city. The $1 million difference will be made up by taxpayers. For the last 15 years of the restructuring, the note will be repaid and the city is to recoup its money from the $1.6 million a year that Nauticus would continue paying.
But for the first two decades, the $1 million subsidy will come out of the city's regular operating budget. The council did not address where the money would come from.
Unless the council raises taxes, the city will have to reduce services or find ways to make government more efficient to meet this expense.
In addition to decreasing Nauticus' annual payments, the city is also extending Nauticus an annual $2 million line of credit. This would be a revolving fund that the museum would use and repay to meet regular expenses.
Councilmen Herbert M. Collins Sr. and W. Randy Wright voted against the deal. Collins, who four years ago as a private citizen led the referendum campaign against Nauticus, said the council should hold a month of public hearings before approving additional funds.
``I'm saying give the citizens of Norfolk a chance to vent their frustrations and give their suggestions,'' Collins said. ``But for some reason a majority of my colleagues don't see fit to trust residents.''
Although many speakers complained about Nauticus taking money away from vital city needs, Councilman Mason C. Andrews and business leaders said Nauticus was part of a downtown that contributed far more in tax dollars than it cost the city in services.
``This is not taking money away from schools, it is putting it into them,'' Andrews said.
Fraim suggested Nauticus set lower prices for Norfolk citizens or even free days, as parts of a strategy to sell the attraction to its citizens.
``We need to find ways to bring you into this facility so you will have some ownership in it,'' Fraim told the audience. ``Facilities like this in other cities are some of the most beloved institutions.''
Several supporters of Nauticus, which had a $52 million price tag at its opening last year, said the attraction was ill and that the city might have to put additional money into it to fix it.
``We need to address the decline in attendance at Nauticus if it is to fulfill its potential,'' said Barry Bishop of the Greater Norfolk Corporation, an early supporter of the project.
Councilman Joseph N. Green Jr., another longtime Nauticus supporter, said people should keep faith that the museum will become a more vital part of the city.
``It think it will be tough for the next couple of years,'' he said, ``but I believe it will succeed in the end.'' by CNB