Jim Williams rolled up his sleeves and went to work a month ago. Today, the new executive director of the planned Marine Corps Museum of the Carolinas may be near a solution to the proposal’s biggest question to date — where the museum will go. Williams said Friday the museum has zeroed in on a piece of land along the U.S. 17 bypass behind the Beirut Memorial in Jacksonville and adjacent to the site of the future Vietnam Veterans memorial. Since the land is part of a military reservation, the museum will need permission from the Pentagon to build there. It would be a “land lease” agreement, Williams said, and he’s hoping they can get approval in about two or three months. “We have not yet secured that,” he said. “We have to go through an approval process that goes all the way to Washington.” Camp Lejeune has favorably endorsed the land request, Williams said. The pursuit of this land gives the museum organizers the first site they can set their sights on since the original plan to build a museum and conference center complex along the Jacksonville waterfront fizzled out. The museum’s future home and fund-raising were the largest issues facing Williams when he took over his new job on Aug. 14. He’s a retired Marine officer who came to the museum from the New Bern Police Department, where he was the services division commander. He replaces Gail Walters, who left at the end of June because her Marine Corps husband was transferred to the Pentagon. For Williams, it’s a chance to immerse himself in the history of the Corps. “Just to be a part of something so close to my heart, which is the Marine Corps and the preservation of the heritage of the Marine Corps, is something very close to me,” said Williams. A retired lieutenant colonel, Williams is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has degrees in applied science and management. His military and civilian experience made him a “natural choice to drive the development efforts of the museum,” said retired Col. Bill Ayers, the chairman of the museum’s board, in a press release. While most of Williams’ first month on the job has been spent gathering information and learning about his duties, there are dozens of issues in progress. While museum officials wait for the land design, Williams said other planning is continuing. The staff has been working on managing a growing artifact collection and the architect — Calloway, Johnson, Moore and West of Winston Salem — has begun designing the building, a process that will take about a year. Fund-raising is also continuing in earnest, Williams said. So far, the museum has raised about $4.7 million of the $20 million goal. The museum’s stated purpose is to honor the service and sacrifice of Carolina Marines and sailors and to highlight the contributions of the area since the Marines moved into the Carolinas in 1941. “It’s a unique opportunity for this whole region to have a heritage or cultural-type venue to be headquartered here,” he said. “I think the natural attraction it will have for tourism here will just be tremendous. I’m just very excited to be a part of something that will help the museum become an icon in Jacksonville.” Museum officials hope to have the 40,000-square-foot complex open sometime in 2009. For more information about the Marine Corps Museum of the Carolinas, log on to www.mcmuseum.com. Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 229 Marine Corps Museum of the Carolinas far from opening November 11,2006 CHRIS MAZZOLINI FREEDOM ENC Organizers don’t believe new Va. facility will hurt efforts to raise funds JACKSONVILLE — It will be awhile before the Marine Corps Museum of the Carolinas opens its door to the public. Thus far, the Jacksonville-based effort has raised about $5 million of its $20 million fund-raising goal. Organizers don’t yet have land secured, but the museum is in the process of securing a tract of land behind the Beirut Memorial. Meanwhile, the $90 million National Museum of the Marine Corps opened in Quantico, Va., on Friday. But museum officials don’t believe the advent of the national museum will hinder efforts to raise money for the local museum. In fact, they think the reverse. “To be honest, I think it’s going to help us,” said Jim Williams, the Carolina museum’s executive director. “One thing that’s positive about the national museum is they are looking at the entire history of the Marine Corps. “We are about a very specific slice and time in the Marine Corps, from 1941 to the present, focused on the East Coast,” Williams added. “We are going to be able to look at and embrace those individual Marines, who don’t have their name in the public, that are not household names.” Williams took a tour of the national museum a few weeks ago and said he doesn’t see much repetition between what they are doing and the mission of the Coastal Carolina museum. “I don’t see us being duplicative or I don’t think anyone can make the case: Why should there be another museum?” he said. In fact, Williams said he sees a chance for collaboration. He said he envisions the possibility of traveling exhibits that move between the museums. One idea that’s been floated for down the road is a Marine Corps “Heritage Trail,” which will take tourists on a trek through famous military bases and sites along the East Coast, with each museum being landmarks along the way. Until then, the museum is focusing on getting itself built. They received a $150,000 Golden Leaf Foundation grant this week. Williams said the grant shows that the foundation, created to disburse tobacco settlement money for economic development and tourism projects, believes in the museum’s potential impact in Jacksonville. The grant money will be used for architectural services. That could take some time, Williams said, because they want to design a unique looking building. It could be a year before they have the final schematics and costs worked out. The museum recently acquired a donated building in downtown Jacksonville on Court Street. They are hoping to renovate that building and turn it into a place to store and build exhibits. Williams said one possibility is to create a walk-through that will allow downtown pedestrians to walk in and observe workers building exhibits. Also, a small museum exhibit and store will open in the Jacksonville Mall during the holidays. Located near JC Penney, the museum store features a collection of Marine uniforms from a number of eras, along with small items for purchase such as mugs and T-shirts. The store will first open on Nov. 17 and every Saturday and Sunday, from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m., until Christmas. The museum is looking for volunteers to staff the store. Those interested should call 937-0033.