$4 Million in Taxpayer Funding for Quonset Air Museum Starts Legislative Fight
Kate Nagle, GoLocal News Editor
$4 Million in Taxpayer Funding for Quonset Air Museum Starts Legislative Fight
On January 8, Representatives Doreen Costa, Bob Craven, Joe Shekarchi, and Joe Trillo introduced a joint resolution that "out of any money in the treasury non appropriated for the fiscal year 2016-2017, the sum of $4,000,0000 the Quonset Air Museum" be appropriated.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"Costa's air museum bill ignores lessons of 38 Studios," said Senator James Sheehan, following the introduction. "It's five lines. There are no requirements, no oversight. And even if there was, we have other severe budgetary constraints, including questions about how we're funding infrastructure repairs. Is this the best use of that amount of taxpayer funds right now?"
Costa said that the resident signatures she gathered over the past year indicated that the community wanted the upgrade -- and investment -- at Quonset.
"I have over 3,000 signatures -- eighty percent are North Kingstown residents who want a [new] museum," said Costa. "Right now, there are planes just sitting on the tarmac, these planes all flew in countless wars, and shouldn't be out there in the elements."
Museum in Limbo
The museum, which has been in a vintage WWII airport hanger in Quonset since 1992, was recently deemed stucturally unsafe.
Sheehan said that he could understand why people wanted to "keep the dream alive" for the nonprofit.
"I can understand how Representative Costa wants to help the museum -- I've sponsored small grants for it in the past," said Sheehan. "Even if the bill contained proper safegaurds (which is does not), what is the credit and management history of the museum as well as its business plan for future success? Is a new air museum the best possible use of state funds relativee to other worthy uses of the state's limited resources? If the idea of building a new air museum is a good investment, can the museum raise any significant private capital?"
Sheehan noted that the most recent legislative grant for the Quonset musuem -- in the amount of $25,000 at the request of Costa -- has been held up for "lack of sufficient detail" in its plan as to how the funds would be spent.
"It was [held up] for a technical detail," said Costa, who said it was being taken care of.
Costa v. Sheehan
Costa and Sheehan have both made comments directed at each other as to how the situation unfolded.
"Every time I ask [Sheehan] to do something together, he doesn't," said Costa. "He wasn't knocking door to door this summer to get the signatures. I got all the cities and towns in Rhode Island -- all of time -- to sign on to the resolution supporting the museum last session."
"I don't begrudge her for what she did in getting attention to the cause of saving of the museum," said Sheehan. "What I take issue with is somehow when I didn't sign on to giving out a blank check, that somehow I don't support the museum. When Costa asked if I would, I never said it would be a 'burden on the taxpayer' -- I said I appreciated the spirit of the request, but it raised some concerns, and I respectfully decline."
The bill has been referred to the House Finance Committee.
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