When the aircraft carrier Saratoga was towed out of Newport to be scrapped, a fair number of Rhode Islanders believed we might have lost an economic and educational opportunity.

Good news, Rhode Island, you will get a second bite of that apple!

When the Navy decided to scrap Sara, they made the newer John F Kennedy available instead. With a name that resonates in Southern New England, “Big John” offers the state a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hit an economic and educational home run.

Even better, this comes at zero cost to the taxpayers. JFK would become the antidote to the 38 Studios fiasco. The aircraft carrier project requires no direct state financial commitment, and it creates zero taxpayer risk.

In a 12/31/12 editorial, GoLocalProv.com wrote about 38 Studios, “One thing is for sure: In a state desperate for a home run, Schilling’s strikeout won’t soon be forgotten.”

In a state desperate for a home run, that potential (JFK) is in the on deck circle.

We are burdened with high unemployment and a stagnant economy. Every political candidate touts a new plan for creating jobs and stimulating growth. Most are unaware that relocating the aircraft carrier John F Kennedy to Rhode Island could be an economic engine that will create jobs, educate youth and add new tax dollars to local treasuries.

In addition to not risking future taxpayer dollars, we will help recapture hundreds of millions of old ones. JFK cost taxpayers hundreds of millions to build in the 1960s, and several hundred million more to refurbish in the 1980s. Transforming JFK into a Rhode Island community asset will allow this huge investment to once again benefit all Americans.

Here are a few ways JFK can again serve its country, and especially RI:

• As an “edutainment”-based family attraction, with appeal to everyone—not just veterans and military buffs. 

• As a fully-equipped job training and workforce development center, starting off with millions of dollars worth of shop tools and equipment that come with the ship;

• As an educational center emphasizing a STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) curriculum, with more than 50,000 square feet of instructional classroom space available;

• As a special events facility and entertainment center;

• As an emergency management facility (a role the aircraft carrier Intrepid now plays in New York City), with a communications center, fully equipped hospital, helicopter storage and launch capability, and facilities to feed and house as many as 5,000 persons in a local or regional emergency.

This translates into revenue for RI by:

• Tapping into Newport’s 3,000,000 annual visitor market, along with the strong population base within 100 miles.  Our studies indicate we should attract as many as 350,000 visitors annually, many of whom would not otherwise come to the state;

• Generating more than $45 million in new annual economic impact;

• Creating more than 80 full-time jobs and 500 total jobs;

• Providing a major vocational training facility and school-to-career program;

• Contributing more than $3 million annually in direct tax revenues to the embattled state treasury;

• Boosting worldwide public relations for RI, and offering public access and use of another segment of our Bay waterfront.

To focus on just one of these benefits, the workforce development programs will benefit lower income residents, minority students, laid-off workers needing retraining and returning combat veterans seeking reintegration into the workforce. 

JFK also features 75,000 square feet of hangar space (25’ overheads and no columns). This space, “stocked” with vintage aircraft, provides an incomparable venue for events. The USS Midway in San Diego hosts more than 400 indoor events a year.

 Add in the four-plus acre flight deck, more than 3000 compartments, and storage equivalent to a city block four stories tall and you have unlimited opportunity for creative ideas to take flight.

Where are we now?

Navy Pier 2 in Middletown is the optimal mooring location. We propose to partially restore that pier to accommodate JFK. Startup costs are estimated at $25 million. Including an expected federally guaranteed $6.5 million loan, we have identified roughly $10 million of that requirement already. 

Bill White, nationally known for his fundraising capability, heads our national campaign. He is the former President of the Intrepid Museum in New York, and founder and principal fundraiser for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. Since 1992 he has raised more than $600 million for the museum and the fund, from a wide array of donors.

Mr. White has told national media, “We would raise the money, and we would bring JFK to Newport,” as long as the Navy agrees to our plan to berth the ship in Middletown.

On May 9, we submitted our pier proposal to the Director of Real Estate for the Navy worldwide. We are optimistic about the outcome of that review, since our approach offers significant benefit to the Navy as well as to Rhode Island. 

A broad range of political and business leaders support this initiative, including former President George Bush, Vice President Joe Biden, Governor Lincoln Chafee, former Congressman Patrick Kennedy (along with other key members of the congressional delegation), the Town of Middletown, the RI Economic Development Corporation, and the Newport County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

This project has the potential to positively impact every Rhode Islander, directly or indirectly. Not too many private, startup projects can make that claim.

Those now running for office should also take heed.

Long active in seeking to save the Aircraft Carrier Saratoga, Frank Lennon is now chairing the USS JFK Project in Rhode Island.