October 15, 2008
Dear Coalition Friends:
In our October 7th update, we said we would be filling you in on some projects proposed for the National Mall and using the opportunity to give you a sense of the bigger picture of how things work when it comes to Mall matters. On October 20, 2008, three projects will come under review by the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCMAC). To read more and download their agenda, click here.
What is the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission? What does it do? The NCMAC was established by Congress in the Commemorative Works Act of 1986 to guide potential memorial sponsors through the memorial creation process. The Commission’s responsibility is to examine each memorial proposal for conformance to the Commemorative Works Act and make recommendations to the Secretary of interior and to Members and Committees of Congress.
The Commemorative Works Act (Public Law 99-652) is intended to protect the Mall’s historic plans and public open space, and to ensure that memorials are properly located and designed so as not to encroach on historic lands and existing monuments. It was amended in 2003 to include the moratorium on any future memorials or visitor centers—see the law’s language below.
Who are the Members of the NCMAC? NCMAC is chaired by the National Park Service (representing the Secretary of Interior) and includes representatives from the National Capital Planning Commission, Commission of Fine Arts, Architect of the Capitol, American Battle Monuments Commission, General Services Administration, Secretary of Defense, and Mayor of DC—essentially the federal design review agencies and federal and DC entities who manage land throughout the city and region. To understand the relationship of these agencies to one another and to Mall oversight and management, you can consult our flowchart.
What’s on the October 20th Agenda?
- The NCMAC will review legislation authorizing a new commemorative addition to Korean War Veterans Memorial on the Mall. This would require another exception to the 2003 Congressional moratorium.
- The proposal for a national WWI Memorial originated in an interesting idea for restoring the existing DC WWI Memorial on the Mall and rededicating it as a national WWI memorial as well. The legislation under review, in contrast, proposes a full-fledged new memorial.
- The NCMAC will consider a request to extend the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Foundation’s authority to establish the MLK Jr. Memorial.
Some additional comments on the MLK Memorial item.
Why does the MLK Memorial need reauthorization? Congressional authorization for any memorial generally expires after seven years. But the MLK project has not yet received final approvals by the NCPC; in particular NCPC did not approve the proposed security bollards. Further, the MLK Memorial Foundation has not yet collected the additional $20 million needed to meet costs, on top of original $100 costs, reportedly to pay for new elements—Visitor Facility/Bookstore, security bollards, and rising construction costs. Both final approvals and full funding are required before a project can move forward and get a construction permit.
How will NCMAC evaluate the Memorial’s compliance with the Commemorative Works Act? Given the overall strong public and agency support for the MLK Memorial, there is little doubt that a time extension will be recommended.
One question the NCMAC will have to examine, however, is whether the proposed Visitor Facility/Restrooms/Bookstore structure added to the Memorial project by the National Park Service in 2005 conforms to the Commemorative Works Act and the 2003 moratorium. Is the location, proximity, and function of the structure in keeping with the Act’s protections of the Mall’s historic plans and open space—and the integrity of the MLK Jr. Memorial itself?
For more details and history about the project and to read correspondence between our Coalition and the National Park Service, go to our website, under "What's New," "NPS's proposed bookstore for MLK Memorial": http://www.savethemall.org
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