By Raymond McCaffrey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Construction of a National Sailing Hall of Fame in downtown Annapolis could create about 100 to 120 jobs and as much as $400,000 to $500,000 in tax revenue in a city known for its maritime history, according to a feasibility study released yesterday.

The endorsement from the Maryland Stadium Authority clears the way for the state Department of Natural Resources and the Annapolis-based National Sailing Hall of Fame to negotiate a long-term lease on a property near the City Dock.

Building the interactive museum could require razing or moving a 19th-century home on the site in the city's historic downtown. The study recommends that the Hall of Fame continue working with the Maryland Historic Trust and the city "for guidance in design and the scope of the building." The state-owned building now houses some of the operations of the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

Lease negotiations will begin after the General Assembly reviews a formal project proposal from the Hall of Fame, said Olivia Campbell, a department spokeswoman. The department and the nonprofit have a memorandum of understanding regarding the property.

"We would like to move forward with a lease," Campbell said.

The cost of the project is estimated at $9. 2 million, but the price tag could swell to $14.9 million with the acquisition of adjacent land. The study acknowledged the advantage of the prime waterfront location, overlooking the site of the city's annual sailboat and powerboat shows.

"The National Sailing Hall of Fame at the Department of Natural Resources site on City Dock is a feasible venture, can leverage additional tourism, and enhance downtown Annapolis," the study said. "The vision of the project fits well with the waterfront location and the maritime history of the City of Annapolis."

Lee Tawney, the Hall of Fame's executive director, said the feasibility study will not only provide "a trigger to start those negotiations" with DNR but also will help the nonprofit with fundraising.

"When you go out and raise money, I think it's really important to have a third party to say this is feasible," Tawney said.

Acquiring the adjacent property, where a restaurant now stands, will allow the project to almost double in size, he said.

According to a project summary on the stadium authority's Web site, the facility "would showcase the accomplishments of international competitors while having interactive exhibits on the sport of sailing and an adjacent marina where visiting vessels could dock. It will also be an education center and museum."

"We're not interested in having dusty pictures," Tawney said.

The facility would also benefit from a $9 million project now underway to renovate the city's main dock. That project, which involves city, state and federal funding, will include a revamped boardwalk and piers and the installation of 97 steel pilings at City Dock.

There will also be new transient slips to attract boaters from elsewhere in the country and overseas.

The city has been working to bring the Hall of Fame to the site, Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (D) said.

"This is the place it should be," she said. "We don't have the title of the sailing center of the country, if not the world, for nothing."