PORT TOWNSEND — It was a night of pizza, beer, cheer and celebration at the Northwest Maritime Center on Wednesday as leaders and supporters marked a major milestone — the successful completion of a $12.8 million capital campaign.
“To paraphrase Vice President Joe Biden, ‘this is a big friggin’ deal,'” legendary mountaineer Jim Whittaker quipped to a roar of laughter as more than 100 gathered at the maritime center’s new, expansive conference room overlooking Port Townsend Bay.
Stan Cummings, maritime center executive directors said 17 donations came in late Wednesday, putting the campaign over the top by $28,000. One last-minute check was for $15,000.
Connects ‘people and the sea’
“It was the sheer number of people that put the skin in the game” that made the fundraiser successful, he said.
Whittaker, the first American to climb Mount Everest and the maritime center’s honorary fundraising campaign chairman, said the center will be a door to nature, starting with the water world just outside the building at the end of Water Street.
“The Northwest Maritime Center is a connection between people and the sea,” he said.
“Whether sailing or rowing, getting kids out on the water is good for them and it’s good for the planet.”
Cummings said there was a lot to celebrate.
“But when you can pay your bills, it puts a certain spring in your step and song in your heart,” he said with a big smile.
Reaching the milestone “means we can put our energy into the mission now,” said Cummings, who has spent 90 percent of his time the last three months raising funds.
The Northwest Maritime Center and Wooden Boat Foundation’s goal is to engage and educate people of all ages in traditional and contemporary maritime life.
The 30-year-old Wooden Boat Foundation is the Maritime Center’s key collaborator and partner.
Fundraising
The nonprofit organization raised $573,100 in the first three months of this year, not only meeting but exceeding a Wednesday challenge grant deadline by $28,000.
With $11.7 million raised to date, committed funds of $1.1 million–$600,000 from the Kresge Foundation and $500,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — now kick in to cap off the campaign and bring to a close the Center’s 10-year fund-raising drive.
The campaign to build the Northwest Maritime Center began as a grassroots effort to secure a key 2-acre waterfront site and create a vibrant center in historic downtown Port Townsend for the region’s maritime heritage.
The property was purchased in 2000 for nearly $1 million, much of it raised locally from hundreds of small donations.
More than half — 54 percent — of the building campaign funds were from private sources, largely from individuals; foundation and corporate giving accounted for only $1.7 million.
On the public funding side, grants and appropriations from the state totaled $3.1 million, thanks to the efforts of state Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, and federal funding totaled $1.7 million, thanks to strong support from U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, and U.S. Sens. Patty Murray, D-Freeland, and Maria Cantwell, D-Mountlake Terrace.
A $5 million construction bridge loan, or line of credit, provided by First Federal will be paid off over the next four years as campaign gifts are received.
Pivotal moment
Dave Robison, a key campaign fundraiser along with Cummings and Whittaker, said the pivotal moment was in 1990 when the Port Townsend City Council called for a six-month moratorium of development on the waterfront, and conceived of the idea for a maritime heritage waterfront.
That cleared the way for the purchase and development of the former Thomas Oil property for the maritime center later on.
Completing the Pilot House in the Chandler building will be the maritime center’s next big project, Cummings said.
Cummings said the center’s annual budget will come in at just above $1 million and increase in the next five years to about $1.6 million.
The 27,000-square-foot maritime heritage educational facility is open for public use 24 hours, seven days a week.
Gary Eisenberger, who along with his wife, Gay, contributed $60,000 to the center, said at first he was skeptical that the fundraising goal could be met until other major contributors and government entities got on board.
“I thought this was a great asset for the community,” Eisenberger said.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.