sometimes its OK to let things go....especially if there is already one preserved at a museum in the midwest. Strip out the woodowork and maybe a museum can reuse it to decorate a themed room or something. Please don't waste $200k of public money on keeping this afloat. It served its purpose, now its time to let go.

Sounds like a great next project for Jason MacLean, owner of the Loring Pasta Bar and Varsity Theater!

Drag it up on Harriet Island and make a B&B out of it. Or tow it to China, and it'll come back as toasters.

O for the days when the economy was stronger and Martin Sabo was in Congress. I was not a big fan of federal money for the Stone Arch Bridge, but I was wrong. This one, though, is a tougher nut to crack and the annual maintenance would be costly. Still, when it's gone, it will be gone, so it's time to take out our thinking caps and figure out if it can be repurposed or reused... and where (maybe a warmer climate). But sometimes we have to recycle. I was a great fan of the ocean liner SS France. It sat for two years off the coast of France -- it was too big. Then it was purchased and transformed into a larger ship, the Norway. But when it reached a decision point in its 2nd life-cycle, it was sent to India to be scrapped. Does this ship have any educational value. For example, can it be used to train metalworkers who could repair it while learning a trade, or eventually serve as a live-in research station for scientists who work with river systems? The Twin Cities would not exist as they are today if it weren't for the river and the people and industries which nourished the cities. While the story could be told in a book or a video, this riverboat has a story to tell future generations.