Title
Authorizing the Department of Parks and Recreation to donate the Minnesota Centennial Showboat to the William A. Thompson Dredge Museum in Winona, Minnesota.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul acquired the Minnesota Centennial Showboat for $1 from the University of Minnesota on October 1, 2016; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Parks and Recreation issued a request for proposals for a managing partner for the showboat in 2017 but none of the resulting five proposals met the full proposal criteria; and
WHEREAS, the Department conducted a thorough internal review of the vessel as an asset to the City, and determined that the cost of making the vessel code compliant under the outlines set forth by the Department of Safety and Inspections prohibited using it for recreational purposes in the City of Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, the Department determined the scrap value of selling the vessel at approximately $40,000; and
WHEREAS, the Parks and Recreation Department was approached by two 501(c)(3) organizations interested in acquiring the Minnesota Centennial Showboat; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul Administrative Code § 2.02(G)(6)g.3. permits the City Council by resolution to authorize the transfer of surplus materials and supplies, excluding real property, to a bona fide charitable, educational, religious or fraternal nonprofit organization for nominal or no consideration upon a finding that the transfer is related to the function of government, serves a public purpose, and is for the benefit of the community as a whole; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Parks and Recreation entered into a memorandum of understanding with the William A. Thompson Dredge Museum on February 14, 2018 to purchase the Showboat and granted them till June 1, 2018 to raise funds equivalent to the sale value; and
WHEREAS, the Showboat will be maintained as a theater and cultural destination to support and drive Mississippi River Tourism in Winona. It will be docked it at Latch Island, on the Great Northwestern Railroad Bridge, and will provide programming space and collaboration for many local organizations aligning with the goals of Winona’s Downtown Revitalization Group to strengthen downtown’s connection to the river; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that transfer of the Showboat fulfills the function of properly disposing of surplus property, will serve a public purpose and benefit both Saint Paul and Winona by continuing the non-profit use of the vessel for the enjoyment of the public and support of community engagement and civic participation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Saint Paul hereby authorizes the transfer of the Minnesota Centennial Showboat to the William A. Thompson Dredge Museum a 501(c)(3) organization, 615 Prairie Island Road North, Winona, Minnesota in return for a fee of $40,000.