Board studies redesign

MOUNT PLEASANT — A plan to redesign the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum was presented Tuesday to the Patriots Point Development Authority board.

Key elements include moving the waterfront parking lot to the rear of the property, routing the visitor entrance and exit through the gift shop and turning the parking lot into a grassy area where events such as concerts could be held.

The authority has a wetlands delineation permit that expires in March 2011 for wooded property behind the gift shop to which the parking lot could be relocated. The clock ticking on the permit spurred Patriots Point to get the ball rolling on the museum redesign effort, board Chairman John Hagerty said.

Some board members noted that valuable waterfront at the Naval & Maritime Museum is not being put to its best use because it is paved. A presentation by consultant Seamon Whiteside & Associates Inc. suggested turning the parking lot into terraced green space.

Hagerty said he met with people who contacted him to discuss the possibility of a performance venue occupying a portion of the current parking lot. He said the interested parties had connections with Chastain Park Amphitheater in Atlanta.

Board members expressed interest in the plan and saw how it might benefit the museum. Possible elements include an open-air building between the gift shop and the waterfront that could provide shade for events such as military band performances. Routing visitors through the gift shop made economic sense, some board members said.

"You might be able to make a ton of money," board member Kruger Smith said.

Gift shop revenue has been running 9 percent below the previous year, or $144,475 less from July through May, according to a financial report presented Tuesday.

"The gift shop is such an important part of the revenue stream," said Dick Trammell, director of tourism and business development.

No decision was made on the $4 million redesign project, which was estimated to take 18 months to complete. It would be part of a larger master plan for Patriots Point now under development.

Trammell said group and overnight visits to the museum have been a key to its financial health in the recession. Spring set an all-time record for groups such as Scouts staying on the ships overnight. They came from as far away as Canada and Minnesota. "That has really saved our bacon this year," he said.

The museum is heavily dependent on a corps of volunteers to supplement its 66 full-time employees, currently down from 83 employees because of layoffs. "We have almost as many volunteers as full-time employees. We are critically understaffed if we lost our volunteers," he said.

The board later met with Town Council members to give them an update on its master planning process. The two groups pledged to work together on the future of Patriots Point. It was decided that the governing bodies would hold a joint meeting at least on a quarterly basis to review plans for Patriots Point.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com.