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Battleship gets money to help with recovery
Naval Reserve Association presents $257,000 check to park officials
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
By GEORGE WERNETH
Staff Reporter
Five members of the Birmingham Naval Reserve Association presented a check for $257,000 Monday to Battleship Memorial Park officials to help the park recover from damage caused by Hurricane Katrina last Aug. 29.
"We came down shortly after the hurricane," retired Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Henry Brooks, 75, of Birmingham, said just prior to the presentation on the battleship on the Causeway. "Once we made the trip down here our minds were made up."
Another association representative, retired Capt. James Harrington, 65, of Birmingham, said, "We started thinking about this before the hurricane, but they can really use the money now because of Hurricane Katrina."
The park sustained about $5 million in Katrina damage, park officials estimate.
The Birmingham group made the presentation to Bill Porter of Gulf Shores, past chairman of the Battleship Restoration Committee, and Robert Edington of Mobile, Battleship Commission chairman.
The gift came from the proceeds of the sale of 18 acres near the Warrior River north of Birmingham, which the association had owned since 1937, officials said. The association decided to sell the land when it was no longer viable for Navy and Coast Guard programs, for which it had been designated.
The executive director of the park, Bill Tunnell, said the money is sorely needed because the park will have to deal with about $1.5 million in damage that insurance and federal aid don't cover. Also, he said, the park still owes $1 million from an earlier $15 million improvement project.
After the powerful Katrina, the park had to close for about four months, reopening Jan. 9. The hurricane heavily damaged the park's Aircraft Pavilion, which housed 13 vintage aircraft. Bids on rebuilding the pavilion are to be opened March 29, Tunnell said.
He said officials expect that the park will be fully restored by the end of the year, "except for a few of the aircraft" which will take longer.
The USS Alabama, which earned nine battle stars in World War II and is a park centerpiece, was left listing to the port side at 8 degrees by Katrina's storm surge. Tunnell said that list has been reduced to 2 degrees and that the ship will eventually be completely righted. It is open for tours.
Before Katrina, the park had been averaging about 300,000 visitors a year as one of the state's top tourist attractions. The park depends on revenue from paid admissions by the public, as well as donations.
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