The National Museum of the Surface Navy at the Battleship IOWA is developing a park!
Ever hear us refer to “Lot 61?” That’s our nickname for the area on the pier near the bow of the ship. We want to transform it by turning it into a public park!
The proposed park next to Battleship IOWA consists of a 2/3 acre site which will be renovated into a public park with an integral community center. Located on Port of Los Angeles property, the site at Berth 87 is uniquely situated to provide shore side access in one of the busiest harbors in the world.
Key features of the project include the construction of an approximately 5,000 square foot multi-purpose community center, educational exhibits, Veterans Memorial, maritime displays, public art, the renovation of an existing block wall structure into an information kiosk, and approximately 35,000 square feet of landscape and artful hardscape.
The park would be entirely funded by a grant from the State of California Statewide Park Program. It’s a competitive grant opportunity and we’re pulling out all the stops to build the park and community center for our community – one of our three core pillars!
We’re hosting community meetings to give the public opportunities to share their ideas on the project. Upcoming dates are:
Saturday 2/13 at 10:00 AM Pacific Time
Thursday 2/18 at 6:00 PM Pacific Time
The meetings are identical so you only need to sign up for one. Sign up to attend a virtual meeting here.
The meetings are being held to inform the community about the project, answer questions, and get your ideas. Community members can submit their ideas or comments any time to parkproject@labattleship.
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Save the Date for our GRAVELY CELEBRATION!
Join us Friday, Feb. 26th at 12:00pm PST for our annual Gravely celebration! This year’s event is going virtual, but promises to be no less inspiring than our in-person gatherings. Our theme is:
Resilience and Opportunity: A conversation about how to turn challenging moments into positive opportunities.
To date, confirmed speakers are:
- Rear Admiral Sinclair Harris
- Retired naval officer Paul Stillwell
- Commander of USS Gravely Alysa Ambrose
- MIDN 1/C Cameron “Cam” Davis, US Naval Academy (youth representative)
- Moderated by celebrity and board trustee Tanya Acker
Stay tuned for the RSVP link next week!
A reminder that this year marks the 50th anniversary of Gravely’s promotion to the rank of admiral – the first ever earned by a Black man. Read about this achievement and more about the admiral’s remarkable life and career here.
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Our silent auction is off and running!
The bidding is on! Interested in Stan Sato’s gorgeous refurbished deck teak? There are several pieces available. Need to get out of town as soon as Covid restrictions ease? Bid on one of our fabulous trips. Want to explore Battleship IOWA in-depth? Grab one of our exclusive behind-the-scenes tours with COO and Chief Engineer Mike Getscher. (For a preview of what those tours will be like, see the video below.)
Keep in mind that the higher you bid, the more we raise to keep this beautiful ship shipshape and our programs running strong. This means it’s OK to bid higher than the market value!
You can view all auction items here.
All in-person experiences are Covid-permitting and will be extended as necessary, so don’t worry about the expiration date. You can bid with confidence.
Note: Winners must provide their own transportation to experience locations.
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If a silent auction isn’t your thing, you can support Battleship IOWA and the National Museum of the Surface Navy with a donation. It’s another great way to support our February FUNdraiser and keep this grand lady looking spiffy!
You don’t need a PayPal account to donate through PayPal. Simply select “Donate with a Debit or Credit Card.” We use PayPal as our credit card processor because we get a nonprofit rate that can’t be beat. If you would like assistance making your donation, just email us. Thank you!
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BONUS – A sneak peek for you!
To thank you for your continued support and for reading our emails, we’re giving you an early look at our newest behind the scenes video.
Join COO/Chief Engineer Mike Getscher and Event Coordinator Marann Fengler for an in-depth exploration of an extremely rarely seen area of the ship: the aft catacombs. They found more tiny hatches, some interesting surprises, and got up very close to the giant mass of cables in the electric booth under the turret. (Watch for a cameo by a special guest, too!)
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6JF1YTzMik[/embedyt]