TIMELINE: HOW PEANUT ISLAND HIDEAWAY TURNED INTO MILLSTONE
Fundraisers, construction fifirms want to give Cold War relic a makeover, but port balking.
This slice of Cold War history may not have much of a future.
Two fundraisers say they believe they can turn the John F. Kennedy Bunker on Peanut Island into a feasible museum and education center, but the Port of Palm Beach seems out of patience.
When the Port of Palm Beach leased the Cold War-era John F. Kennedy Bunker on Peanut Island to the Palm Beach Maritime Museum 23 years ago, the idea was to relieve the port of the burden of maintaining the 6-acre property. But over the years, as the bunker and the historic 1936 former U.S. Coast Guard station and boathouse have deteriorated, and some of the museum’s activities have been problematic, port officials have found it a continuing nightmare.
“The port has not received any benefit. This has been a significant ongoing burden for the port, financial and otherwise,” Port Commissioner Wayne Richards said Thursday.
Now two professional fundraisers, Lily Holt Dillon and William Hancock, are asking the commission to extend the museum’s lease another 20 years to enable them to raise roughly $4 million to restore the property and make it into a first-class museum and educational center. The lease is set to expire Oct. 31, 2017.
But in a meeting May 21, four of the five commissioners balked at the request to
Port of Palm Beach gives Maritime Museum founder John Grant a $100-a-year lease for the Kennedy Bunker. Later the lease is expanded to include the former U.S. Coast Guard Station, boathouse and dock.
A port study finds the museum isn’t keeping up the property. There’s mold in the bunker, broken windows on the station and docks are in poor condition.
Palm Beach County agrees to take over the facilities, but deal falls through after Grant balks.
Museum sues the port, blaming it and the county for damaging museum property. After Hurricane Wilma, port receives $386,331 from FEMA.
Port lawsuit settled. Museum agrees to repair buildings.
Engineering firm finds facilities in moderate disrepair.
Port commission directs its staff to inspect the site.
Mold remediation, cleanup and repairs begin.
Museum seeks to start renovations in the fall.
Port commission directs its staff to determine project’s feasibility.