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ARTICLE: THE CIVIL WAR OVER THE CONFEDERATE SUBMARINE H L HUNLEY
THE CIVIL WAR OVER THE CONFEDERATE SUBMARINE H L HUNLEY
General Beauregard McConnell is sending the troops back to
the drawing table to find a pot of gold.
The battle is over where to put the Confederate submarine Hunley and the
weapon of choice is not Minnie balls but money.
State Sen. Glenn McConnell is stating that, Mount Pleasant, Charleston and
North Charleston need to recalculate the numbers and to include the
unexpected. A first-class Hunley-Civil War maritime museum is
roughly $38 million, McConnell said, but none of the cities are offering
anywhere near that. It is difficult to determine which city is actually
offering the most.
All three proposals were referred to the State Budget and
Control Board for interpretation. It first appeared that the highest offer -
from North Charleston - was about $11 million, Mount Pleasant about $7 million
and the City of Charleston, about $5 million.
McConnell says he can’t recommend that any of the three cities get the sub
without more cushion behind the project or a bigger commitment by the cities to
raise money, seek private donations or apply for public
grants. McConnell says that any city who gets the package has got to be
prepared for the unexpected. As anyone knows with construction projects there is
always those hidden cost.
Glenn McConnell, chairman of the state Hunley Commission is quoted as
saying, "All of the offers leave us financially short right now, I can’t accept
any of them."
The Post and Courier states that “McConnell isn't suggesting the towns put
up all the money, only that their pots get bigger or their efforts to attract
outside money expand because it is not clear how much, if any, state money would
be available for a new museum.” The State of South Carolina is up against
its worse financial crisis in decades, and Monday is D-day for lawmakers to deal
with an estimated $350 million dollar half year shortfall.
McConnell scrounged through three complicated city
proposals with a feeling that each one of them was short. The state Budget and
Control Board with their financial experts conducted an analysis of the bid
packages.
Their report was completed the first week of December and found that all
three bidders would be able to sustain the annual operations of a sub museum and
do well in drawing visitors. But the report did not address the cost of actually
constructing a museum.
McConnell has concern over the construction cost and the
technology needed to “leave visitors with a lasting emotional impact” and a
feeling of what those men went through.” He compared this impact to the
feelings and remembrances one gets from leaving the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
McConnell has a number between $34 million to $38 million for the Hunley
museum. He stated that construction projects usually come in higher than planned
with unexpected cost.
The three towns
all have sites on the waterfronts: The numbers may not be that far off:
Charleston - $5 million for a $29.5 million museum near the South Carolina
Aquarium; Mount Pleasant - Patriot's Point, $7 million over 10 years for a $28.5
million museum; North Charleston $11 million and a $40 million museum.
On Sunday, December 15, 2002 JASON HARDIN AND JAMES SCOTT Of The Post and
Courier Staff reported the following:
City officials say a weak economy makes finding money difficult. "I don't
think anybody likes to have the squeeze put on them," said Charleston City
Councilman Robert George. "The implication is if
you don't put up a lot more money, I'm going to take my submarine and go
somewhere else. And that's unfortunate, because in the long run, (McConnell) may
be the loser."
George was not alone in rejecting the idea of throwing more chips on the
pile. In fact, a majority of Charleston's council members agreed that the city's
bid should not be raised, some with dismissive comments. With the national
economy still in a rocky patch and many local residents feeling the sting of
higher property tax bills, now is not the time to ask for more money, many
said. "They can take the Hunley and put it in Mount Pleasant or Moncks
Corner or wherever they want to put it. We haven't got any more money," said
Charleston City Councilman Larry Shirley. Those comments have been echoed,
to varying degrees, all across
Charleston's harbor. North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said the city
couldn't afford to put up any more money. He said North Charleston - which has
offered a $40 million plan with $11 million coming out of the city's
pocket - would have to find a way to do more with less. "The bottom line,
the Hunley is not in a rush," Summey said. "As I see it, unless something
drastic happens, where is it today? North Charleston. For me, that's a positive
on our part."
Mount Pleasant Mayor Harry Hallman said last week that he doubts there is
much enthusiasm in East Cooper for upping the bid. Charleston Mayor Joseph
P. Riley Jr. said his city's bid is strong as it is. He said that although
Charleston's bid offers the lowest cash amount, the money is upfront rather than
spread out over
several years, making it roughly equal to the Mount Pleasant-Patriot's Point
bid.
"I'm certainly not planning to recommend to City Council that we increase
the financial commitment," he said.
North Charleston Councilman Bob King expressed his frustration that
McConnell came back and demanded more money from already strapped
municipalities. King said with police officers and other city employees leaving
over low pay, there is no way to squeeze any more cash from the city.
"Glenn McConnell is out of range and is holding us hostage," King said. "It
is too much. Why play games with us?" Some Charleston council members said
they were not enthusiastic about the city's initial $5 million bid.
Charleston Councilman Wendell Gilliard said the city has more important
issues to deal with, such as crime, improving schools and discontent over
property taxes.
"It's a great historical find, nobody's doubting that, but we have more
important issues," he said. "I would just as soon it stayed underwater so we
could focus on these other issues that are important to our community."
Gilliard, who is black, also said the idea of celebrating the Hunley -
particularly with city money - touches a nerve.
"What would have happened if it was successful?" he said. "If the Hunley
was successful in its mission, we would still be in shackles and chains today,
let's face it."
George suggested that the Hunley be part of the Charleston Museum, which at
one time was the plan. He said the submarine, even when accompanied with Civil
War relics and exhibits, might not be
enough to justify a museum with a $30-million-plus price tag. "We're talking
about something you can arguably look at every square inch of in 30 minutes," he
said.
McConnell said he doesn't expect cities to pay the entire tab for the
museum by themselves and suggested that they could also make a more aggressive
commitment to seek private funds or grants.
It's unclear how much time mayors will spend trying to seeking private
donations for a museum that is not guaranteed to be built in their city, but
North Charleston Mayor Pro Tem Kurt Taylor said the city would be willing to
look for additional revenue through such sources.
McConnell said he will recommend at the January meeting of the Hunley
Commission that the municipalities be invited to revise their offers. He
suggested the cities be given up to four months to consider expanding their
packages.
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The Confederate States Submarine H L Hunley
