[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 92 (Monday, May 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27095-27097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9183]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice for Submission of Donation Application for the Destroyer 
ex-EDSON (DD 946)

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy hereby gives notice for submission 
of donation applications for the destroyer ex-EDSON (DD 946), under the 
authority of 10 U.S.C. 7306. Ex-EDSON (DD 946) is located at the NAVSEA 
Inactive Ships On-Site Maintenance Office, Philadelphia, PA. Eligible 
recipients include: (1) Any State, Commonwealth, or possession of the 
United States or any municipal corporation or political subdivision 
thereof; (2) the District of Columbia; or (3) any organization 
incorporated as a non-profit entity under section 501 of the Internal 
Revenue Code. The transfer of a vessel under this law shall be made at 
no cost to the United States. The donee will be required to maintain 
the vessel in a condition satisfactory to the Secretary of the Navy as 
a static museum/memorial.
    The letter of intent must:
    a. Identify the specific ship sought for donation;
    b. Include a statement of the proposed use for the ship;
    c. Identify the proposed berthing location;
    d. If the applicant is not a state, territory or possession of the 
United States, or a political subdivision or municipal corporation 
thereof, or the

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District of Columbia, provide a copy of a determination letter by the 
Internal Revenue Service that the applicant is exempt from tax under 
the Internal Revenue Code, or submit evidence that the applicant has 
filed the appropriate documentation in order to obtain tax exempt 
status;
    e. If the applicant asserts that it is a corporation or association 
whose charter or articles of agreement denies it the right to operate 
for profit, provide a properly authenticated copy of the charter, 
certificate of incorporation, and a copy of the organization's by-laws;
    f. Provide a notarized copy of the resolution or other action of 
the applicant's governing board authorizing the person signing the 
application to represent the organization and to sign on its behalf for 
the purpose of obtaining a vessel; and
    g. Provide written affirmation that the prospective donee can 
submit a complete ship donation application to the Navy, compliant with 
the Navy's application requirements, by January 3, 2008. If the 
applicant is incapable of meeting this deadline, specific rationale 
must be provided along with identification of the events that must be 
achieved and the timeline necessary in order to submit a complete ship 
donation application to the Navy. The Navy reserves the right to 
provide a reasonable extension for receipt of applications, or to 
reject a request for extension and to proceed with other applications 
received by the January 3, 2008 deadline.
    Upon receipt of the letter of intent, the Navy will contact the 
prospective donees to ensure a full understanding of the application 
requirements.
    Qualified organizations wishing to apply for ex-EDSON must submit a 
complete application to the Navy by January 3, 2008, comprised of a 
business/financial plan, a technical plan (includes a towing plan, 
mooring plan, maintenance plan and environmental plan), a curatorial/
museum plan, and a community support plan (includes information 
concerning support from the community and benefit to the Navy). The 
application must address the following areas:
    a. Business/Financial Plan: The Business/Financial Plan must detail 
the estimated start-up and operating costs, and provide detailed 
evidence of firm financing adequate to cover these costs. Start-up 
costs include towing, mooring (this includes but not limited to the 
cost of acquiring and improving facilities, and dredging if required), 
ship restoration, museum development, and meeting environmental 
requirements (including permitting fees and expenses). Operating costs 
are those associated with operating and maintaining the vessel as a 
museum/memorial, including rent, utilities, personnel, insurance, 
periodic dry-docking, etc. Firm financing means available funding to 
ensure the first five years of operation and future stability for long-
term operation. This can include pledges, loans, gifts, bonds (except 
revenue bonds), funds on deposit at a financial institution, or any 
combination of the above. The applicant must also provide income 
projections from sources such as individual and group admissions, 
facility rental fees and gift shop revenues sufficient to cover the 
estimated operating expenses.
    b. Technical: The technical plan is comprised of a Towing Plan, 
Mooring Plan, Maintenance Plan, and Environmental Plan.
    The Towing Plan describes how the ship will be prepared for tow and 
safely towed from it present location to the permanent display site 
proposed by the applicant. The Towing Plan must comply with all U.S. 
Navy Tow Manual requirements, which can be found at http://www.supsalv.org/pdf/towman.pdf.
    The Mooring Plan describes how the ship will be secured at its 
permanent display site during normal and extreme weather conditions 
(including the 100-year storm event) to prevent damage to the ship, its 
mooring system, the pier, and surrounding facilities. Provide evidence 
of availability of a facility for permanent mooring of the ship, either 
by ownership, existing lease, or by letter from the facility owners 
indicating a statement of intent to utilize such facilities. Address 
any requirement to obtain site-specific permits and/or municipality 
approvals required for the facility, to include but not limited to, 
Port Authority and Army Corps of Engineers approvals/permits, where 
required. The mooring location must be acceptable to the Navy and not 
obstruct or interfere with navigation.
    The Environmental Plan describes how the applicant will comply with 
all federal, state and local environmental and public health & safety 
regulations and permit requirements. The applicant also should provide 
information necessary for the Navy to complete an environmental 
assessment of the donation as required by the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), including the impact of the donation on the natural 
and man-made environment, local infrastructure, and evaluation of the 
socio-economic consequences of the donation.
    The Maintenance Plan must describe plans for long-term, short-term, 
and daily maintenance of the vessel, including preservation and 
maintenance schedule, underwater hull inspections, emergency response 
and fire/flood/intrusion control, pest control, security, periodic dry-
docking, and qualifications of the maintenance team.
    c. The Curatorial/Museum Plan includes two parts: a Curatorial Plan 
and a Historic Management Plan. The Curatorial Plan must describe the 
qualifications for a professional curator (and curator staff, if 
necessary). The plan must also describe how the museum will collect and 
manage artifacts, including a statement of purpose and description of 
access, authority, and collection management responsibilities. The 
Historic Management Plan must describe how the museum will display the 
vessel and exhibits, including a description of the historical context 
of the ship, vessel restoration plans, historical subject matter that 
will be displayed with the ship, and exhibit display plans.
    d. The Community Support Plan must include evidence of local 
support. Evidence of regional support should also be provided. This 
includes letters of endorsement from adjacent communities and counties, 
cities or states. Also describe how the location of the ship will 
encourage public visitation and tourism, become an integral part of the 
community, and how the ship will enhance community development. The 
Community Support Plan must also describe the benefit to the Navy, 
including, but not limited to, addressing how the prospective donee may 
support Navy recruiting efforts, the connection between the Navy and 
the proposed berthing location, how veterans associations in the area 
are willing to support the vessel, how the prospective donee will honor 
veterans' contributions to the United States, and how the exhibit will 
commemorate those contributions and showcase Naval traditions.
    The relative importance of each area that must be addressed in the 
donation application is as follows:
    Business/Financial Plan and Technical Plan are the most important 
criteria and are equal in importance. Within the Technical Plan, the 
Mooring Plan is of greatest importance, and the Towing Plan, 
Maintenance Plan and Environmental Plan are individually of equal 
importance but of lesser importance to the Mooring Plan. The 
Curatorial/Museum Plan and Community Support Plan are of equal 
importance, but of lesser importance than the aforementioned plans.
    Evaluation of the application(s) will be performed by the Navy to 
ensure the

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application(s) are compliant with the minimum acceptable application 
criteria and requirements. In the event of multiple compliant 
applications for the same vessel, the Navy will perform a comparative 
evaluation of the applications to determine the best-qualified 
applicant. The Secretary of the Navy or his designee will make the 
final donation decision.

DATES: A letter of intent will be required within 45 days from the date 
of this notice and all donation applications must be received by 
January 3, 2008. The Navy will foreclose consideration of donation of 
ex-EDSON to any entity that does not submit a letter of intent to the 
Navy within 45 days of the date of this notice. The initial notice of 
availability for donation of the ex-EDSON was published in the Federal 
Register at 69 FR 34142, June 18, 2004.
    The complete application must be submitted in hard copy and 
electronically on a CD to the Navy Inactive Ships Program Office by 
January 3, 2008. As stated above, the Navy Reserves the right to 
provide a reasonable extension for receipt of applications, or to 
reject a request for extension and to proceed with other applications 
received by January 3, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Commander, Program Executive Office 
Ships (PEO SHIPS), PMS333, Navy Inactive Ships Program Office, Ship 
Donation Program, ATTN: Ms. Gloria Carvalho (PMS 333G), 1333 Isaac Hull 
Avenue, S.E., Stop 2701, Washington, DC 20376-2701, telephone number 
202-781-0485.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Additional information concerning the 
application process and requirements are found on the Navy's Ship 
Donation Web site, http://www.navsea.navy.mil/ndp.

    Dated: May 7, 2007.
L.R. Almand,
Judge Advocate General's Corps, Administrative Law Division, Federal 
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E7-9183 Filed 5-11-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P