January 22, 2009
Dear Coalition Friends:
See the editorial in today's Washington Post supporting much-needed funding and support for restoration of the National Mall:
THE WASHINGTON POST
America's front yard desperately needs sprucing up.
Thursday, January 22, 2009; A16
SHARING THE STAGE these past few days with the newly inaugurated President Obama was the stage itself, the "vast esplanade" as designer Pierre L'Enfant described the Mall. Not only was it the setting for hundreds of thousands of Americans to witness an amazing moment in history, it also provided some inspiration. "What gives me hope is what I see when I look out across this Mall," Mr. Obama said two days before he took the oath of office. "For in these monuments are chiseled those unlikely stories that affirm our unyielding faith -- a faith that anything is possible in America."
We couldn't agree more with Mr. Obama's moving words. But we also couldn't help noticing the trampled grass, decaying sidewalks, crumbling foundations and scum-filled ponds that mar this special place. Decades of underfunding and deferred maintenance have taken their toll. It would be fitting if the attention focused on the Mall by Mr. Obama's inauguration helps to finally revive it.
There are hopeful signs. The House last year held hearings on the state of the Mall, and Congress seems to be waking up to its responsibility to provide the money for needed repairs. A bid to appropriate $100 million failed last year, but new efforts to provide the money are underway: The House Democrats' proposed stimulus package contains $200 million to address the Mall's deterioration, which would be a good down payment on the $350 million in deferred maintenance for tasks such as fixing the Jefferson Memorial's collapsing Tidal Basin walls. The National Park Service is nearing completion of its master blueprint for what should be done.
It is also encouraging that the incoming administration seems to recognize the importance of the Mall and the need to preserve it for future generations. Mr. Obama's inaugural committee pushed to open up the Mall to allow as many people as possible to attend this week's events. And it is telling that the only nonprofit that was permitted to run public service announcements on the inaugural Jumbotrons was the Trust for the National Mall, the National Park Service's partner in trying to raise private funds. Mr. Obama wants to renew America, and there is no better place to start than its front yard.
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