Panel Urges Kings Point Improvements

Facilities at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y., are "seriously deteriorated" and urgently need capital investment, a blue-ribbon panel said in a report commissioned by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Many buildings at the academy, situated on 82 acres on the north shore of Long Island, date to World War II or immediately after the war and suffer from years of inadequate funding for maintenance and improvement, the report said. Several structures, including piers, were described as “unserviceable or unsafe."

"Failure to improve the maintenance of the academy's facilities and to aggressively invest in more suitable and modern facilities, including engineering laboratories and marine simulators, will result in the decline of the institution and risks the eventual loss of the school's accreditation," the report said.

Kings Point was a pioneer among service academies in admitting women but now lags in this category, the report said "Based on our observations, we believe the poor condition of the academy's facilities has contributed to this problem," the report said.

The committee recommended development of a strategic plan for improvements, "additional sustained base funding," hiring additional qualified maintenance staff and hiring a small engineering and planning staff to oversee construction and renovation.

Commitee members were Vice Adm. Thomas Barrett, USCG Ret., deputy federal coordnator, Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects; Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander, U.S. Transportation Command; Connie Patrick, director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; Rear Adm. J. Scott Barhoff, superinendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy; and Donald Orndoff, executive director of the Veterans Administration's Office of Facilities Construction and Management.

Contact Joseph Bonney at jbonney@joc.com.