2013 -- S 0913

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LC02457

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N

REITERATING SUPPORT FOR THE CONCEPT OF BRINGING THE RETIRED AIRCRAFT

CARRIER USS JOHN F. KENNEDY TO NEWPORT COUNTY AS A FAMILY

ATTRACTION, EDUCATION AND JOB TRAINING CENTER, DISASTER RELIEF

FACILITY, MUSEUM, AND

MEMORIAL

     Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Paiva Weed, Felag, and Ottiano

     Date Introduced: May 02, 2013

     Referred To: Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs

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     WHEREAS, Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame, Inc. (RIAHOF), a Rhode Island

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nonprofit organization, plans to develop a world-class, financially self-sufficient family

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attraction, education and job training center, museum, and memorial on the Aquidneck Island

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(Newport) side of Rhode Island’s beautiful Narragansett Bay, featuring the retired aircraft carrier

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USS John F. Kennedy as the centerpiece; and

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     WHEREAS, Locating this namesake legacy in Rhode Island would be most appropriate

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given President Kennedy’s close association with this state, including his wartime training at

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Melville, his marriage in Newport, and the Summer White House years at Hammersmith Farm;

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and

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     WHEREAS, This project has the potential to become a self-sufficient economic engine,

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all at no cost to or investment by the state. Here are some specific benefits:

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     • Attract as many as 350,000 visitors annually, many of whom would not otherwise come

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to the state;

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     • Generate more than $45 million in annual economic impact;

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     • Create more than 80 direct jobs and more than 500 total jobs;

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     • Provide a major vocational training facility and school-to-career program;

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     • Contribute more than $3 million annually in direct tax revenues to the embattled state

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treasury;

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     • Result in a worldwide public relations boost for Rhode Island;

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     • Offer public access to and use of another part of the bay waterfront;

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     • Provide significant educational, vocational, cultural, and historic benefits; and

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     WHEREAS, A carefully developed business plan focusing on the diversification of

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revenue streams to insulate against the seasonality of Rhode Island tourism has been vetted by

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one of the top consultants in the nation. ConsultEcon, Inc. has completed a detailed market

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demand, financial feasibility, and economic impact study that concludes this project will be

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financially viable if the plan is executed as presented; and

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     WHEREAS, The project intends to become a major educational resource for the state and

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the region, focusing on S.T.E.M. education offering math and science opportunities for grades K-

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12. The project will provide opportunities for more than 2.7 million students under 16 within a

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100 mile radius--and that market is growing faster than the national average. The project will

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commit significant resources to help future generations better understand history, math, and

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physical sciences; and

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     WHEREAS, The USS John F. Kennedy project will become a resource for business

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development through school-to-work initiatives to be run in conjunction with area industry,

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colleges, and technical schools. The job training benefit that can be obtained through this creative

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reuse of a taxpayer asset is enormous. More importantly, that benefit can be obtained at a fraction

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of the cost of other options. The equipment in the machine shops and other repair facilities aboard

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this ship offer vocational training capabilities in the marine trades and other technical disciplines

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that are not only worth millions of dollars, but also equal or exceed what is available anywhere

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else in the region; and

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     WHEREAS, The USS JFK would become a life-saving resource in case of disaster,

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providing shelter, emergency power, communications, and virtually unlimited water and food

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supplies. The USS JFK can serve as an emergency management facility with more than 370,000

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cubic feet of storage space, a communications center, fully-equipped hospital, a helicopter storage

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and launch capability, and facilities to feed and house as many as 5,000 persons in a crisis; and

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     WHEREAS, RIAHOF's application to the U.S. Navy has already included letters of

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support from the Governor, former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, and other members of the

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Rhode Island delegation, the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, the Department

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of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor and Training, and the RI Adjutant

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General, among others. This project is supported by a wide range of ideological and political

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interests, to include elected officials, labor unions, educators, environmentalists, and business

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groups; and

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     WHEREAS, The group and the region that would be most strongly affected by this

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project, the Newport and Bristol County Convention & Visitors Bureau, is fully supportive of

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this initiative. Executive Director and CEO Evan Smith wrote, "On behalf of the board of

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directors and staff of the Newport & Bristol County Convention & Visitors Bureau we are

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pleased to offer our support for your efforts to bring the aircraft carrier USS John Kennedy to

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Aquidneck Island. As the official tourism marketing organization for Newport and Bristol County

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we are very excited about the possibility of adding a significant new visitor attraction to the

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waters of Narragansett Bay to compliment other area attractions and strengthen our overall

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tourism program"; and

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     WHEREAS, The project is not inconsistent with other ongoing and planned development

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on Aquidneck Island; and

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     WHEREAS, The United States Navy has designated RIAHOF as the "sole viable

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candidate for the potential donation of the USS John F. Kennedy"; and

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     WHEREAS, The Office of the Secretary of the Navy has described the USS JFK

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endeavor as "a very ambitious and exciting vision," and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy

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responsible for Navy facilities worldwide has confirmed that the Navy would consider such an

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arrangement so long as the mission of the base is not adversely affected; and

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     WHEREAS, All the various RIHOF efforts to achieve this end are being taken with the

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United States Navy's knowledge, both locally and in Washington, D.C.; now therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

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believes it would be in the state's best interest to continue to endorse and nurture a project that

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promises so many benefits to its citizens, is supported by the local region, and is compatible with

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responsible development of Narragansett Bay; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate also strongly supports the national fund-raising effort now

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underway for the USS JFK project, and also encourages the continuation of corporate and other

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private financial support to this nonprofit initiative; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate urges all interested parties, including, but not limited to,

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the Governor, the Economic Development Corporation, various city and town governing bodies,

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chambers of commerce, tourism development entities, the business community, and the residents

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of this state, to come together in a cooperative effort to overcome all bureaucratic and technical

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obstacles and raise the funding necessary to move forward with this worthwhile endeavor; and be

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it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Governor, the Director of the Rhode Island

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Economic Development Corporation, and to the executive officers of each of the cities and towns

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in this state.

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LC02457

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