IOWA UPDATE 3/17/20

IOWA Family:

A brief update for Tuesday, March 17th.  Our Board of Directors and President’s Advisory Board is appreciative to the numerous supporters and crew that have donated to date.  You make it possible for us to continue to preserve the ship and and prepare for a reopening.

The Operations Team continues to work on reduction with a goal time of switch over at 1600.  During the planned power reduction days, the maintenance team will continue work on the exterior of the ship.  We will bring up full power or Wednesdays and Saturdays to permit essential staff to work on board.  We have the ability to turn on power to full capacity on a moments notice, if needed.
As we monitor the situation, it is quite possible that either the closure will be extended or we modify our operation to a limited reopening.  Our primary objective is the health and well-being of our crew and guests.  We will have more information in the coming days and appreciate your patience.

The Finance Team has been on the phone with the Small Business Administration and our bank for potential financing options.  This will be an evolving situation in the coming days and we will keep you posted on the status.

We have been in regular contact with the Port of Los Angeles to provide updates on our status.  The Port continues to be a great partner for the ship and the Waterfront.  We are blessed to have them as a partner to ensure a strong future for the LA Waterfront.

Please follow the guidelines of our public health authorities and we will make it through this together!

I realize that many of our crew and supporters are financially impacted.  A few quick personal comments that may help you through this.
1)  If your employment has been temporarily reduced or eliminated, please visit your unemployment website.  In California, they are waiving the first week of waiting.  Don’t delay!
2)  If you will be unable to make payments to your creditors and/or vendors, contact them now and let them know your position.  This is not an isolated issue and most (if not all) will be helpful and understanding.  Don’t wait until it is too late.
3)  Know what resources your city, county, state, and utility providers may be offering.  Take advantage of these to hopefully make it less difficult to weather this virus.
4)  Remember that not everything is 0% or 100%.  You may be able to reduce, eliminate, or change costs by being creative and thinking through it.
5)  Remind yourself that this is only a point in time and this will come to an end.  Many of us have weathered the financial challenges after 9/11 and the Great Recession.  We our a resilient community and population that comes together at times like now.

If you have the financial resources, please consider donating to a non-profit that you are passionate about to help them through these difficult times.  If the IOWA is an organization you believe in, please consider donating to us at https://pacificbattleship.com/donate.

Thank you for your support!

Jonathan Williams
President & CEO
Battleship IOWA Museum

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