Boat School to stay afloat with Husson

Exactly 30 years to the month that the establishment of the Marine Trades Center in Eastport was announced, a new phase in the Boat School's life is taking shape. The City of Eastport is expected to acquire the property and buildings from the Maine Community College System on July 1 as part of the transition for Husson College of Bangor to begin offering boatbuilding classes at Eastport in September. Renamed the Maine Marine Technology Center, the facility will be a public/private partnership that not only will continue to offer boatbuilding instruction but will serve as a center for economic development programs for the marine industry on Cobscook Bay.

Husson is planning to recruit a first-year class for next fall and will be sharing the facility during the year with the Washington County Community College (WCCC), which has been providing the educational programs at the Marine Technology Center and will be teaching the second-year class. Julian Haynes, a Husson fellow, comments, "Husson is very much looking forward to being able to continue the great tradition of boatbuilding that's been in Eastport for many years and looking forward to working with the city on this project."
Eastport City Manager George Finch observes that there is a four-part process involved in the transition. The first is the transfer of the property to the city, which is expected to be approved by the legislature; the second is the leasing of the equipment at the school to the city; and the third is having Husson come forward to teach the freshman class this fall. Finally, transitional funding will need to be obtained from a variety of sources, such as the Department of Economic and Community Development.

The operating costs for the facility, which last year amounted to $425,000, including personnel, will be split among the different participants. Finch notes that no local property tax dollars are being used in process.

The city is working on a memorandum of understanding with Husson that would serve as a model for other groups that would use space at the facility. Other opportunities that could develop at the property include the building of prototype tidal power generators for Ocean Renewable Power Co., aquaculture industry uses, a marine railway for the port's tugboats, a marina and other marine-related projects. Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and the Maine Sea Grant program are leasing space at the facility. Finch says the goal is to have enough economic development activities to keep the costs of operating and maintaining the facility competitive.

The city manager comments, "This is a very exciting time for the city as the events about to unfold are part of the long-term strategy of taking our destiny in our own hands. The transition of the property and facilities of the Washington County Community College's Eastport campus back to the city for the creation of the Maine Marine Technology Center will breathe new life into what we have known locally for 30 years as the Boat School in Eastport."

He adds, "We are fortunate to have so many people supporting and taking part in this project and look forward to working with all the partners to make this the true gem on the bay we all know it can be. We welcome and thank the community college system, the state and in particular Husson College for coming on board as part of this terrific project for the advancement of education and economic development for the marine trades in Maine."
Husson is expected to offer a diploma for the boatbuilding program, with 60 to 70 academic credits that could be applied toward an associate or bachelor's degree at Husson. By adding general education courses, a student could obtain an associate degree, and by obtaining 60 more credits the student would earn a bachelor's degree in business from Husson. Haynes hopes that students would be able to obtain the associate or bachelor's degree while staying in this area, either by taking the general education requirements at the Washington County Community College and transferring the credits to Husson, or taking courses through the Unobskey Education Center in Calais that is now an affiliate of Husson.

WCCC President William Cassidy observes, "The key is all the stakeholders coming together in a positive way to create this good scenario." Noting that WCCC had to make a difficult decision three years ago, when the community college realized it could not sustain the boatbuilding program at the Eastport facility, Cassidy says WCCC tried a strategy of moving the program to the Calais campus, which ended up not working out. Other alternatives were then considered, including having other schools take over the program. With Husson coming forward, Cassidy says the community college will support Husson during the transition and will loan, at no charge, the boatbuilding equipment to the city, so it can be used at the facility. WCCC will teach the second-year boatbuilding class this coming year, and Cassidy says the intermingling of the students under Husson and WCCC should not be a problem.

Through agreements that are now in place, WCCC will continue to have use of the waterfront and docks at the facility for its adventure recreation and tourism program and Elderhostel program.

One of the concerns during the transition period has been the recruitment of students. According to State Senator Kevin Raye of Perry, Maine Community College System President John Fitzsimmons agreed, at a meeting about two weeks ago, that students who had been told by the community college that the boatbuilding program would not be offered next year will be sent a letter informing them about the option through Husson. Also, the Friends of the Boat School had a booth at the Maine Boatbuilders Show in Portland on March 16 through 18 and handed out materials on the full two-year curriculum at the school, to help with recruitment. Dean Pike, a boatbuilding instructor at the school, also attended the Maine Built Boats' annual membership meeting on March 17 at the show and spoke about the plan for the Boat School to make the transition from the Maine Community College System to Husson College. "It was very well received" by the 50 to 60 boatbuilders in attendance, he says. "They were fully supportive of the transition."

Pike understands that Husson would charge approximately twice the tuition that the school charges under the community college, with the amount increasing from about $3,300 for in-state students to about $8,000 for Maine and New Brunswick students and $12,500 for out-of-state students. However, he points out that the higher tuition rates are still less than half the amount charged by the other private boatbuilding school in the state. Also, students attending the Boat School would own the tools they use at the school.

Pike says he is "very enthusiastic" about the change. "The community college has been extremely cooperative provided incredible leadership in this transition."

Raye comments, "When you consider the range of options, this is clearly a very good outcome, making sure the offerings of the Boat School will continue." He notes that the new arrangement may expand the opportunities at the Boat School, since the city will be in a more flexible position to complement offerings at the school with other revenue sources. Because of union issues, WCCC's "hands were tied," says Raye. "With the city as owner and Husson as tenant, they are free of those encumbrances. It might open the door to some private enterprises."

Although Raye had submitted two bills concerning the Boat School, he dropped them since the bill submitted by Rep. Jacqueline Norton at the request of the Maine Community College System is nearly the same as his proposal. At the March 14 hearing before the legislature's Education and Cultural Affairs Committee on Norton's bill to return the property and buildings of the Boat School from the Maine Community College System to the City of Eastport, several people testified in support, including Raye, Finch, Cassidy, Rep. Ian Emery of Cutler, Meg McGarvey of Eastport, who is a member of the Friends of the Boat School, and T.J. Tavares, who had been preparing a report on the future of the school for the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

McGarvey spoke about her grandfather, who was a boatbuilder, her late husband, Bill, who taught at the Boat School, and John Pike Grady and the role he has played to keep the Boat School afloat. "After months and months of uncertainty, the various elements have come together," she notes. "I'm very excited by the prospects for the school being secure and with the people in charge, who really want to see it flourish and make it into the world-class institution that we know it can be."

Following the hearing, the committee voted unanimously to recommend passage of the bill, which virtually assures its approval by the House and Senate.