Artificial Reefs of the Keys (ARK) won a major victory on Sept. 2 when the Monroe County, Florida, Board of County Commissioners voted to fund the project for $2 million. Chris Norwood, President of the non-profit ARK said that this money with the $2 million-plus already raised puts the Vandenberg project well within reach but not quite over the top. ARK anticipates receiving another grant from the State of Florida and assuming the receipt of these funds the Vandenberg still needs approximately $650,000 to make it to artificial reef status. However, time is getting short, says Joe Weatherby of the Reefmakers Organization. The Vandenberg is slated to go to the scrap yard on Dec. 31, 2006 if ARK and Key West cannot get the necessary funding for the project.
The USAFS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg is a rare vessel; a US Air Force, guided missile tracking ship festooned with huge radar dishes and domes that replace the usual super structure. It was this unusual profile and the ship's huge size (520 feet and 10 stories) that initially caught project founder Joe Weatherby's interest back in 1996. Since then, Weatherby and his regional team of volunteers have developed plans, sought permits, juggled competing political interest and struggled to raise the $5.7 million necessary to make their dream a possibility. The county commission's support is a major step toward making the dream a reality.
A CALL TO ACTION: ARK needs YOU to help raise the remaining funds required. Go to
http://www.bigshipwrecks.com/sponsorship/donation.htm, where you can purchase T-shirts and take part in some more daring promotions that truly have a Key West theme. Raffle tickets are available with the grand prize winner actually pushing the plunger that will make this ship a shipwreck. The ticket holders may also win one of several seats on the first dive boat to dive the Vandenberg. For a walk on the wild side, you can purchase tickets for an exclusive "Pirates and Wenches" theme party alongside the Vandenberg while she is docked in Key West. Party attendance will be limited to some diving industry and local VIPs, and the first 2,000 people to purchase tickets. Finally, if you have the cash you can name this artificial reef. The name is for sale and with the reef's expected life span (100 years) this will be a lasting legacy on the Florida Keys.
