State awards Maritime Museum $260,000

With an additional grant from the state, the Tahoe Maritime Museum is closing in on its goal of raising nearly $4 million for a new West Shore facility.

The California Cultural and Historical Endowment Board awarded over $260,000 Thursday for the completion of a new 5,800-square-foot building to house Tahoe’s illustrious boat collection.

“We have raised over $3.7 million of our $3.9 million target,” said Mel Petrosian, the museum’s campaign coordinator. “The building is progressing on schedule and on budget. It looks great.”

State Sen. Dave Cox announced Monday the state’s intent to make the funds available, something the endowment board voted Thursday to officially approve.

“Lake Tahoe is one of our nation’s natural treasures known for its blue waters and its rich history,” Cox said in a written statement. “In addition to the continuing efforts of volunteers to raise funding for the museum, this state funding will move the new building a step closer to reality.”

Money from the grant — made possible through the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks and Coastal Protection Act of 2002, better known at Proposition 40 — will be used for landscaping and to finish interior work on the new Homewood building.

“[Receiving the grant] is a pretty big deal because it’s the first time the California Cultural and Historical Endowment has approved funding for a project in the Tahoe Basin,” said Petrosian.

The historical endowment organization is part of the state library department and helps to preserve California’s rich history.

“It’s a really great acknowledgment for what the museum is doing for the community and Tahoe,” Petrosian said.

Placer County District 5 Supervisor Bruce Kranz lobbied for the use of the funds, too. He previously wrote a letter of support demonstrating his interest in seeing a new, expanded maritime museum.

“Supervisor [Bruce] Kranz felt it was important to support this project because of the unique heritage the region shares with wooden boats,” said Collier Cook, the Tahoe field representative for Kranz.

Tahoe Maritime Museum by the numbers • $3.9 million: Projected cost of the project • $3.7 million, so far, has been raised • May 2008: Expected public opening • Two-story, 5,800 square-foot building • More than two dozen historic boats in total collection • From 2001 to 2006 yearly visitors grew from 1,000 to more than 6,000 • The California Cultural and Historical Endowment Board approved more than $265,000 for the museum Thursday

Maritime museum

Tahoe has a rich boating history, extending back to the earliest days of American logging and commerce on the lake. The Tahoe Maritime Museum was founded in 1987 to chronicle the lake’s boating history, and since its inception the vision has grown to develop a world-class museum.

After being housed first in a garage-sized building at Sugar Pine Point State Park, then in an old hotel in Homewood, in June 2006 the museum’s board of directors launched a capital campaign to construct a 5,800-square-foot building on the same property.

Two private donors, more than 100 area residents and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, among others, have demonstrated their support for the preservation and display of Lake Tahoe’s renowned boat collection.

Until the museum opens in its new location, the bulk of its exhibits are stored in a Truckee warehouse.

The new museum will have room to display vintage marine engines, a handful of the 25 historic wooden boats — which include the Shanghai, Godfather and Lemme Go First — and interactive, dynamic exhibits.

If everything goes as planned, construction will be completed by December, the exhibits installed over the winter months and the new museum open to the public by next May.

SIDEBARS

What is the California Cultural and Historical Endowment?

The Endowment was established is 2004 to fund projects through a competitive grant process to tell the stories of California as a unified society and of the many groups of people that together comprise historic and modern California.

The funding for the capital projects comes from voter-approved bonds authorized by the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood parks and Coastal Protection Act of 2002 — more commonly known as Proposition 40.

More than $120 million from the Proposition 40 funds has been allocated to the Endowment to distribute to government entities, nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes through a competitive grant application process.

The Tahoe Maritime Museum was awarded $266,722 at a meeting of the board of directors Thursday.

— Information from the California State Library Web site

What is the California Cultural and Historical Endowment? The Endowment was established is 2004 to fund projects through a competitive grant process to tell the stories of California as a unified society and of the many groups of people that together comprise historic and modern California. The funding for the capital projects comes from voter-approved bonds authorized by the California Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood parks and Coastal Protection Act of 2002 — more commonly known as Proposition 40. More than $120 million from the Proposition 40 funds has been allocated to the Endowment to distribute to government entities, nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes through a competitive grant application process. The Tahoe Maritime Museum was awarded $266,722 at a meeting of the board of directors Thursday. <i>— Information from the California State Library Web site</i>