It was touch and go there for the USS Orleck for a while — the ship’s museum board even announced in October it might be selling to a salvage yard.
But thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, it seems the Orleck will be able to remain in Lake Charles for at least another year.
Ron Williams, executive director at the USS Orleck Naval Museum, said the grant will enable the ship to make ends meet next year and begin advertising its current location.
“The police jury saw the vision, and we really appreciate it,” Williams said. “We’re nursing it along.”
Low funds and an insecure future forced the board to consider selling to a yard this fall, but the parish grant bought the Orleck some time to secure a permanent home.
Williams said the ship’s current location on Enterprise Boulevard doesn’t encourage enough foot traffic to sustain it financially and was never intended as a final home.
The board thought it had found its home earlier this year when Texas developer David Farrell offered to buy the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lake Charles and dock the Orleck there, but plans were thwarted when Isle of Capri announced in August it was selling to New Mexico company Laguna that wasn’t interested in docking the Orleck at the property.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board, however, has yet to approve Laguna as a buyer, and Farrell has reiterated his offer to buy the casino and dock the ship there if the deal is denied.
The USS Orleck board in October gave itself a month to decide whether to sell to a salvage yard or hold out hope that either Laguna would have a change of heart or be denied in favor of Farrell, and that it could somehow secure funding in the meantime.
It chose to hold out hope, which was rewarded by the $25,000 parish grant and a handful of other donations.
Police Jury President Chris Landry said he hopes the grant helps keep the ship within Calcasieu Parish, just a short drive from its birthplace in Orange, Texas.
“A lot of people, many of them veterans, have worked tirelessly these past few years on this historic ship,” Landry said. “We are hopeful that our contribution can assist these heroes in their efforts to secure a permanent home for the Orleck in Calcasieu Parish.”
The police jury approved the grant at its Nov. 17 regular meeting. Williams said the parish grant money has already been used in part to buy new flags for the ship and new ship parts.
Other local people and groups have also contributed over the past few months. The local Marine Corps League donated $7,000 to the Orleck on Veteran’s Day. The CSE Federal Credit Union donated space on its digital billboard. The CSE also donated $1,000 toward an Interstate 10 billboard near the Enterprise Boulevard exit.
Williams said he hopes next year will be a year of growth and opportunity for the Orleck, especially after this year.
“It was a year of concern as to our future,” he said. “But we’re ending the year on an optimistic note because we have a window of opportunity to work on these things and focus our energies on the future of the ship.”
He said although the past few years have been full of ups and downs for the Orleck, as hopes were repeatedly raised and dashed, giving up was never an option.
“We’re a tenacious group here,” he said. “One thing you’ll find with a bunch of veterans — don’t tell them it can’t be done. They’ll find a way to do it.”
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