RESTORATION LOG #52 - 25 September 2008

The ARCTIC SCOUT is now berthed at Captain’s Cove in Bridgeport, CT.

The SCOUT arrived in Bridgeport earlier this week and experienced three of the most beautiful New England days in recent memory. We toured New Haven, The Thimbles, Branford, Black Rock and the back waters of Bridgeport Harbor with guests and trainees aboard.

We are seeking additional volunteers to pilot and train the cadets this October and into November as the good weather permits. If you have a Connecticut State boat operator’s license or a USCG license, or equivalent, you may be authorized to pilot the vessel. Of course you must become familiar with all of the vessel's systems and pay the costs for the operating time.

Some of our Cadets have expressed interest in sailing to meet the Intrepid when she returns to New York Harbor. That will require financial support and adult leadership to plan and coordinate the activity. Volunteers are welcome. Meanwhile, the professional crew is shaking down the boat and working out some of the “kinks”. We should have some photos up on the website next week.

We are seeking a winter berth. Seems there has been some confusion about the berth we were promised; so, that is now our priority as well as soliciting funds to keep our Cadets sailing.

Now, the GLACIER. Bad News! There is an environmental legal mess in California that is preventing our return to MARAD to work on GLACIER. We are continuing to communicate with various Admiral-level officers in Washington, DC. Bridgeport still wants GLACIER as a museum ship. We have supporters that wish to see GLACIER sailing again.

The Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Act is attached for your reading. (We can not edit out the portion on the icebreaker Polar Star; you will have to read the entire Senate press release.) It would seem logical that we could reach out to Senator Byrd and get support for the resurrection of Admiral Byrd’s ship to support our Nation’s needs as specified in the press release. They mirror what the Glacier Society has been saying for many years.

Thank you for your support!

Ben Koether
Chairman

RESTORATION LOG #51 - 14 March 2008

The dream of developing a new “Center of Marine Activity” in Bridgeport, CT is moving forward. Developer Jimmy Bebon has volunteered to assist our Team in adding new membership from the community to support the Bridgeport Harbor Crusade. The GLACIER Society is also soliciting the participation of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council for support and guidance in this important endeavor.

Please read an article in the Connecticut Post that fully explains the background of the property and the opportunity we have to create a Center of Marine Activity for Bridgeport.

The investment group hopes to purchase the 26 acres of land, with 1,000 feet of waterside currently owned by the Coastline Terminals of Connecticut. When successful, the plan is for GLACIER Society to rent one of the berths and adjacent space for a museum building and parking lot. In a strong show of support, Mr. Bebon has agreed to become a member of the GLACIER Society Advisory Board. We envision a new ferry terminal will also be built near the GLACIER and the museum. The entire parcel will be divided to provide a unified community and tourist site with easy access from I-95.

The waterfront played a significant role in the early days of Bridgeport, and it can again. The group and the GLACIER Society are seeking volunteer leaders from the business, maritime, historical and educational communities to assist in creating this new program. Contact the GLACIER Society at 203-375-6638 or Jimmy Bebon at 203-543-6014 if you are interested in being part of Bridgeport’s Center of Marine Activity.

Ben Koether
Chairman

RESTORATION LOG #50 - 13 January 2008

Santa brought us a great Christmas Present, a new Mayor for Bridgeport, CT, Mayor Bill Finch. Upon assuming office he issued a letter to the Society expressing his support for bringing the Glacier to Bridgeport. MARAD and our Congressional supporters have that letter. Glacier is safe once again!

Last week we met with Mayor Finch & his staff. He subsequently named a designate to sit on the Glacier Society Board of Directors.

We met with the City Director of Economic Development and identified potential berths for the ship. We engaged Joseph Lombardi, one of the most experienced marine surveyors and experts on historic ship restoration, to assist in our financial planning, the movement of the ship, dry-docking, and transit to Bridgeport. Fortunately Joe was leaving Mystic, CT where he was lecturing and made it to our Stratford offices Friday afternoon. Joe is a prominent member of HANSA. Please visit www.HNSA.org. He has been engaged with many ship projects including the Battleship Massachusetts, the German submarine U-505 in Chicago captured at the end of WW-II, and is currently working on the restoration of the Battleship Missouri in Hawaii. There is no better maritime expert to assist our venture..

On Friday we put together a budget that will serve as the cornerstone for our new mission: “Restoration of Glacier as a Museum Ship in Bridgeport Harbor.”

James (Jimmy) Bebon, an entrepreneur from the local area and a familiar face in Bridgeport, has joined the Glacier’s Board and begun work on recruiting new members composed of community leaders.

Stanley White of Ocean Coastal Consultants in Trumbull, CT is doing preliminary design and budget estimates on berthing.

So, we need the focused help of all our regular supporters, plus a renewed energy from citizens of CT. We and Mayor Finch are counting on your support! Fresh volunteers, grant writers, educators willing to help create our education program, business leaders to assist in managing this process, and marketing and advertising volunteers to help with targeted publicity are welcome! Anyone and everyone is important!

Our Washington teams of maritime architects, polar explorers, environmental crusaders, world health experts and a few brilliant politicians have not given up! Our dedication is steadfast, our mission noble, and the plans are financially sound. We have been running silent and deep, focusing our energy among the few and pushing toward our goal. As always, we need financial support, COLD CASH would do better than the COLD WEATHER! We were out on Long Island Sound yesterday with the Arctic Scout training boat operators and some children as well.

Remember, the Glacier Society has no paid employees. We are 100% volunteer and depend upon your donations of material, labor and funds to maintain our operations. Please include us in your year-end financial planning and gift giving; our youth groups need your support.

Sherwin Williams was the first of our core corporate contributors to respond to the Mayor’s support. They provided all the paint for the Arctic Scout, and have committed to support the Glacier.

Now is the time to step up and bear a hand! Thank you all!!

Ben Koether
Chairman

Come join the party! IF YOU CAN NOT BE THERE IN PERSON, PLEASE DONATE.

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