A group of Dundalk activists working to block a proposed liquid natural gas plant at the Sparrows Point shipyard wants to instead dock a retired aircraft carrier they say would generate 5,300 local jobs and millions of tourism dollars for Baltimore County and Maryland.
Members of the LNG Opposition Team met with state officials last week and pitched bringing the nation?s first supercarrier, the USS Forrestal, to Sparrows Point. A key element to what they called a “new vision” for the industrial peninsula, they said the gargantuan ship and its four-acre flight deck could be converted into a floating maritime museum and party venue.
Bolstered with marinas, hotels, and, yes, casinos, the shipyard could be an extension of the city?s Inner Harbor, they said, and add two to three days to visitors? trips. Using modest estimates, 3.75 out of 100 visitors would need to visit the Forrestal for the project to break even, they said.
“It could bring the life back to this community,” said team leader Sharon Beasley said. “We don?t want to be stereotyped as this toxic, industrial environment anymore.”
The team pitched the idea last week to state Transportation Secretary Robert Flanagan, who stopped short of endorsing the project. He said the county?s zoning ordinances ultimately will determine the site?s future.
He emphasized the need for a master plan for the privately owned peninsula that includes public input. He also said the state?s port administration is also interested in the site for its own facilities.
“Right now, the wide open, no holds barred, industrial zoning is not working for Sparrows Point,” Flanagan said. “The way to get from here to there is to engage in a planning process with all the stakeholders.”
A group of veterans who served on the Forrestal, which now languishes at a Rhode Island dock, have tried unsuccessfully to bring the carrier to Baltimore over the past decade. John Lawler, a board member of the nonprofit USS Forrestal Museum Inc., said they?ve already considered the Sparrows Point shipyard ? along with Locust Point, Port Covington, near the Bay Bridge and, now, Fort McHenry ? but ruled it out for its unsuitable location.
He said the ship-as-museum will only generate revenue if it compliments existing tourist attractions.
“You don?t attract people to these carrier museums,” he said. “There?s no reason for tourists to go down there.”
