NPS and the Trust for the National Mall Pre-planning

Trust for the National Mall/ Core Monument Area

1. What are the conditions that must exist for NPS and the Trust for the National Mall to be successful?

Terry Carlstrom
Clear understanding of partnership. Focus on Central—involve Maintenance Staff, Shawn Kennelly and William Newman. Talk to Newman, the Chief of Maintenance soon, because he is leaving.

Joe Lawler
Communication that is direct, straightforward, honest, open and not laden with agendas.
Keep the principles at the table—don’t drag us along, rather get cooperation and intellectual investment.
Keep it local and you can make it work best. Bring the political decisions back to this level.
Good solid and open communication and trust.
You have what we need, a helping hand!

Ann Smith
Trust candor and flexibility—ever changing and evolving. Candor keeps trust alive.
Willingness to expand throughout a year several times to identify what is working and what is not. Nurturing and feeding are key! What is working, what’s not, and why?
Finding that we have a common ground. NPS has a mission and Trust for the National Mall (TNM) has furor. We need to make sure the vision matches, and we all have the same one in our heads.
We have to protect each other—one of the games is to pick-off one of the partners. Get them to do X, it will accomplish our Y.

John Parsons & Sally Blumenthal
Confusion over question.
Achievable goals
Goldstein and Keys
Mutually agreed upon and clearly understood vision.
Identify initial expectations—if those are met, then we go public. Specify what specific entities will agree to do.
Nothing out of sync. Accomplished and recognized effort.
Agreement, understanding, to work together. Formal signature on a detailed agreement.
Mutual understanding. Open communication.
Figure out what it is and what will be accomplished.
How do you describe Class “A” Maintenance?
Need the resources to get the job done.
Funding must come with this. We must be able to accept donations.
Donor expectations need to be consistent with NPS vision. We must manage the expectations.
Enduring ability. Layer achievements and outcomes. Improve the level of care—manicured care. Then look at development, depending upon how far outside the Mall we go. Look at capital investments.
Tier-up outcomes. Define for people that the partnership and resource base will be around.

Jill Nicoll
Clear roles for each party.
Make sure that we acknowledge that there are 1-100 partners envisioned. Partners, more than the lead organizations have to be allowed to create ideas and provide expertise. It’s not just about money.
Because this is national in scope don’t reinvent the wheel. Use NPF’s database management and financial management. Use this infrastructure.
Consider having one shared Board Member between NPF and the TNM.
Focus on implementation rather than personnel issues. How Can NPF help? NPF can bring groups like Target.

Georgina Sanger-Trust
We need to introduce alternative ways of thinking. Need to think outside the NPS box—a view from 10,000 feet rather than simply focusing on, and dealing with everyday issues. We can’t ignore the every day so, “How can we combine our perspectives and make the effort creative and educational?”
NPS ideally will not only support this effort but also get excited about it!
The end goal should be positive—and all parties need to feel positive about getting there.
The time requirements are daunting. NPS/public/Trust needs to accept the time required. We need to take an Olmsteadian perspective—things may not look amazing in 10 but ought to in 30 or 40 years. This will be a long haul effort
The people behind the Trust are used to getting things done, and done quickly, so the paradigm shift to the long term is something both partners will need to embrace. We come from the private sector and this colors our perspective, but also we need to understand the fiscal constraints and limitations due to government regulations NPS faces. Given the amount of time this project will take we need to address donor fatigue and boredom.


2. What is the goal and objectives of this partnership?

Terry Carlstrom
Look at Central Park—reasonable.
Follow a lot of the existing information, such as the Streetscape manual.
Improve what is there already. Make it look better than it does.
Make it beautiful in 2-5 years. Achieve a discernible difference. Make it more appealing—as the front yard of the Nation at large.
All the things that occur will have massive impacts. Accommodate but do something more sustainable—like green infrastructure. Leslie Jones Sauer might have information.
Incorporate ideas in this effort such as, rotations, etc. Do we want to cordon off certain areas? Should there be more structure to our management to deal with wear-and-tear?
There is lots of recreation use occurring—should we be more or less accommodating? For example, should we have areas for softball? (i.e. Washington Monument decisions).
You are in area 1 for Memorials. Other uses will impact what we do in the future.
Encourage Greening (i.e. Leslie Jones Sauer ideas). Bring together a group/ think-tank to discuss greening of the infrastructure. Look at soils, grass, trees, and vegetation—a renewal!
Should it be irrigated? Yes!
What else can we do to establish standards for the temporary stuff? We need to address work above and below ground (i.e. root system impacts. Perhaps we could have permanent conduits for electric and water systems?)

Joe Lawler
We don’t have the resources we need to maintain the Mall and make it what it should be.
Greatly enhanced appearance for those who visit and enjoy.
There needs to be some endowment of an improved state—systems to support.
Joe looked at the photo of the crowd on the Mall and described it as “the people’s front yard”. Make it as great as it can be. Note it will always be difficult to maintain because of use.
Sustainability is a key—Courts won’t allow us to back off from use of the Mall nor should they.
Our concern should be about overdevelopment and we should pay attention to new visitor facilities.
Are we doing anything about the 1st amendment shacks?

Ann Smith
Adjusting, the # of projects, starting small. Become successful in the first 2-3 years, and show that the Mall has been made better place.
Ann believes in the Golden Gate National Parks (GGNP). A number of ever-larger projects that would energize community and make it a better place.
Involve, and energize the community. Enhance people’s ownership. It should be exciting, cooling, and work getting done. Currently there is a limited perception of this extraordinary space. Want to get it cooking and really working.
Renewal, restoration and maintenance. Restoration of turf doesn’t have the process of review boards—review can wear you out! Restoration is much less debilitating.
Focus on things that can be done—not just planned.
Do a number of things.
Make public space better for the people. Define what constitutes better. What is difficult is what exactly defines better.
Who makes the decisions? The decision making part of the partnership must be defined. NPS very reluctant to accept political pressure. Decision makers loathe political pressure.
What are the constraints in which the NPS operates, can we do this and live within them?
Influence of reviewing bodies who are responsible for protecting/preserving the aesthetics of the Mall? FAC etc.

Parsons and Blumenthal
Trust is truly philanthropic. People are doing it as a public service.
Need a cultural change in NPS. NPS has to learn friendraising.
Restoration plan. 2 years to do it. Use it to get to know one and another.
Cultural landscape Report/ Plan needed.
What is the goal and objectives of this partnership? Cont’d

Goldstein and Keys
Describe a vision. What are we looking for?
What is the partnership?
Want the partnership to grow or foster a sense of identity and describe what we are trying to achieve. Grow an interest in the public’s mind.
Maintain the defined/agreed upon area to a manicured landscape standard in a sustainable manner, e.g. given the demand for use of the area for large scale events, establish the turf in a manner that will allow it to recover quickly from intensive use (as is done in professional sports stadiums.)
Get the public to know the area, like it, support the outcome, and provide monetary support.
People want the Core to represent the Capital of the US.
Progressive look at what we want to achieve on the ground. There is no comprehensive plan for the national Mall.
Relate the Central Park Standards to the National Mall area.
Get the grass to grow. Keep algae out of the pools. Keep trees living and watered. Wholesale sanitation. Upgrade benches.
Enhance trash collection and recycling. Trash overflowing is a problem that needs help.
Start off with a goal/ vision.
Insure perpetual maintenance and enhanced aesthetic standards.
This is a way to enhance nuts-and-bolts, the down and dirty level of maintenance (i.e. pools, personnel to perform regular and recurring maintenance tasks, etc.)
The process should emphasize getting development money. They will have money to maintain the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial. Endowments don’t always allow for basic maintenance.

Jill Nicoll
Restore the Mall.
Get a broader group of supporters. Broaden the world of philanthropy to the other 385 places.

Georgina Sanger-Trust
Bring the Mall to life!
Lots of people don’t understand urban NPS parks. We should make this one of the best example of an urban park in the NPS system. The area doesn’t feel like an urban park now. This area could make DC feel more like a city, and less like a museum—benefits all people, residents and tourists.
Make area more of an interactive space—not just a destination. A space in it’s own right! For many it’s a barren wasteland. We can change the feeling with trees, benches and bring the space to life.
Keep all the things that are on it.
We need a maintenance plan, a use plan, and a design plan—a fresh one. One that takes into account other plans. We need the best one possible, using the best possible people in these fields.
Public education process. People have so many ideas—it is not a pristine, fully fleshed out space. The sacredness comes from the monuments themselves. The space has gone through a series of changes. We need to make it the best possible space based on what has gone on before. Make it a space that people want to spend all day at (i.e. Lux Gardens). Add life to the heart of Washington, DC.
How we treat our green spaces says a lot about our pride in our cities, our selves, and our understanding of the importance of parks viv a vis the health of our polity. Healthy parks ought to equal healthy governments.


2a. Possibly add: What does success look like two to five years from now?

Terry Carlstrom
What is our baseline? Is it what was envisioned in some modern time, or what was envisioned in the 30-40’s?
Renewal!

Ann Smith
How will we measure success (i.e. protected and enjoyed by people? resource bounce-back? more people? more diverse people? diverse activities?)?
City is planned to death. The quest is getting implemented. Implementation Plan? There needs to be action! Going into a plan without implementation wills sap energy. We aren’t like Central Park. Can we take the plans we have and at the same time do some implementation?
Energy will come when people see change. There has to be action, implementation, and visibility. Don’t hold action until a plan is done—that sounds deadly. Ann doesn’t dispute the need for a plan/ vision, but she wants to know, why can’t the existing plans be pulled together?
If we are changing existing plans that will start the planning process over. If it is a reassessment of existing plans, it will trigger the review process. Ann suggests we combine existing plans into one vision. She noted that a Cultural Landscape Plan doesn’t make recommendations. The Plan is less detailed. Outside the fence the recommendation is that a CLP be done for President’s Park. The South Area, around the White House(WH), has a separate design standard—higher standard for WH, Capitol, Supreme Court. There is a different standard to signal you are entering a different precinct/ they have seen a hierarchy.
Lafayette Park gets pounded—demonstrations, closures, lunches and homeless.

Georgina Sanger-Trust
A plan—artistic vision, and at the same time, a small segment of this vision that has been universally approved and accepted that we can start working on. We need to start on a small part. However, in order to sell a project this big we need a overarching vision.
FAC, NPS, Washington Post, powers that be are happy and excited. A vision NPS is really excited about—a lot more enthusiasm. Do a job as well as it can possibly be done only using the best..


3. What are the key terms that we need to define at the start of this collaboration?

Terry Carlstrom
Restoration of what? Improve what is there and make it more sustainable and useable. Within existing conditions but keep in mind advances in maintaining a sustainable infrastructure.

Joe Lawler
Restoration is something everyone can understand and is comfortable with.

Ann Smith
What constitutes better?
The decision-making part of the partnership needs to be identified. What is the process that we agree to go through (i.e. WWII, Port of America, NCPC override, etc.)? What can we live with? Share the constraints within which we operate. Partner needs to understand and be willing to accept them. Groups are set-up to do a job and then by-passed. Political pressure can be brought—fear without cause!
NCPC could review the cost implications to the City as a whole.
Define what are the constraints that will constrain the project?

Parsons and Blumenthal
Restoration is the key term!
Goldstein and Keys
Agreement on what area the National Mall represents. [The actual National Mall is the area from 3rd to 14th Streets between Madison and Jefferson Drives.] The area covered by this partnership and fundraising efforts will have to be explained or represented in ways other than the efforts name.
Class A Maintenance
Enhancement—Money beyond what Congress gives us. Not really restoration, rehabilitation, or maintenance but enhancement.
National Mall title fosters additional problems. For example the World War II Memorial is perceived to be on the National Mall but it is technically not. Central could disappear into the structure of this partnership—which would be okay.

Jill Nicoll
Sponsorship is not a good term to use with NPS
Donor recognition is touchy
Partnership needs to be defined
Contributors need to be recognized as partners.
Collaboration—see Julia Washburn’s research.

Georgina Sanger-Trust
Restoration—how do we restore the park when we aren’t sure what we are restoring it to? To what point do we restore the area?
Reinvigoration and greening of the Mall—the spirit of it!


4. What information is available to assist this effort? Where is the information? How can it be accessed most expediently? Who can help collect and organize this information?

Terry Carlstrom
Monuments Master Plan—there are six sites that are available now in area 1. Note that Eleanor Holmes Norton came out against adding anything to the Mall.
The Interagency Workgroup for the Mall, Chaired by the Federal Highway Administration, has 32 agencies. Alice McLarty of Central, Lou Delorne of WASO and Charles Borders of NCR are NPS reps that are involved. The workgroup developed Operation Smooth-Road and developed a Manual that is on the Internet.
See Norbert Erickson at NCR for maps (202)619-7124
Cultural Landscape Plans—which one is the guiding light? Get the Cultural resource people together.
Look at what other cities have done. Minneapolis, MN parks and lakes—what have they done? Connie Wirth, was with Director of NPS, now with Eugene, OR. is a possible contact.
How is this effort different? Deal with the highest forms of technology. Donate now based on the most recent technology to sustain the Mall into the future. We’ll be doing the infrastructure to make sure that the Mall is sustainable.

Joe Lawler
Streetscape Manual— prepared by Interagency Working Group for the Mall, led by Federal Highway Administration
Parks & History Association—talk to them at some point about education materials and sales. Flip Haygood is the Chairman of the Board.
GSI—food purveyors on the Mall. We don’t want an operational disconnects.
Tourmobile

Ann Smith
See WH EIS document—Consultation and Coordination. Dialogue needs to happen with reviewing Commissions.
Parsons and Blumenthal
We have a good National Register Nomination to use.
Jim Sherald and the folks from the NPS Center for Urban Ecology have good information on Elm trees. The Folk Life Festival damages trees. Ditch-witches cut Elm tree roots. Compaction is an issue. 18 months of information at CUE exists. Soil cores, etc.
Plans, historic documents are a job for a professional consultant to make copies of everything available. Tons of consultants are available that could vacuum. You’d be best served to select a scholar that is not part of the establishment. We could help by checking out the person you picked before they start. They shouldn’t carry baggage but they do need creditability. Current consultants we use are booked.

Keys and Goldstein
Not addressed in this meeting.

Jill Nicoll
Day-to-day
Fundraising
Direct mail
Corporate partners
Resist the temptation to reinvent. NPF has the capacity to reach-out to others (i.e. NPF met with Sheila Burke, under Secretary Smith, re: Corporate Program)
Many relationships exist already that can be used.

Georgina Sanger-Trust
Include all of the previous plans (i.e. SOM, DSC, etc.) but need a fresh look as well.
We need the old plans for a public education process. NCPC has lots of Macmillan’s work and they are likely to have information from the Legacy Plan.


5. Who else should be involved in this collaboration? How should they be involved? When should they be involved?

Terry Carlstrom
Vendors are a big issue—legal 1st amendment issue. The Federal Agency Workgroup dealt with the vendors’ issue.
Federal Interagency Workgroup—it works!
Work through this effort with NPF. How are we going to work with them?
Whoever else involve them right now!
Architect of the Capital

Joe Lawler
A strategic decision is needed to determine how we work with the public.
We have a need to share information up the chain-of-command.
Eventually media involvement—later after a good framework is established. Messages about the campaign are critical.
Internally involve Rob DeFeo; Cultural landscape specialists at later points.
Unsure about whether DC needs to be a full-partner or used for consultations? Involve DC Office of Planning
Commissions (i.e. Fine Arts, NCPC—could be advisory?)
BID folks
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Heritage Tourism group
Send these groups information when the agreement is released.
Smithsonian is a key group.
Arnie Goldstein should probably be the message carrier.

Ann Smith
If we agree we will do it together. The degree that we go outside, without being sure of each other, destructive things can happen
Be sure what the nature of the partnership and vision is before we go out to the public.
The WH Council Office—but not too early!
Review Commissions. Linear way—involve review commissions if they are involved in reviewing changes. We will sometimes go back, but we are supposed to implement. Sometimes the lines between the reviewers and implementers are blurred and this is a concern. Be careful about having the reviewers involved in implementation.
Start small—let success grow the project.
Describe this as a larger BI-partisan effort fully formed. This is who we are and we want you on board.
Has seen the new-kids-on-the-block syndrome. More familiar with small NPS projects. Just coming in the door changes the game. There is a potential to set off a reaction than an action.
Buy-in: DC, NCPC, FA, SHPO, ACNHP, ANC, Civic Council, and Depts. Congressional Committees, backdoor neighbors, Smithsonian, National Gallery, other adjacent landowners. Get their buy-in before.
Is it a threat? What will it do? Will it help? Buy-in might not be real lip service.

Parsons and Blumenthal
Metro? Smithsonian; Architect of the Capital?; DDOT; Natl. Gallery; CSA; DC Historic Preservation Officer; Fine Arts Commission; Agriculture; NCPC;
Anyone whose land adjoins ours (NPS).
Patty Gallagher of NCPC has an open space background and she loves the idea of a restoration plan. NCPC will do a study on top of another one and is often ignoring agency jurisdictions. Go to them after we have an agreement. Coordinate and consult along with NCPC, FAC—their role in this effort is like any other project—review and approve. NCPC is charged with the review of federal projects—all public buildings. Their jurisdiction was created in 1926 legislation. Comprehensive Planning responsibility for federal agency guidance came because of safety and sanitation concerns. They have a small unit that deals with special projects—stresses legacy Plan. They are not appropriate to review day-to-day maintenance.
NPS needs to engage input from NCPC and FAC. Beware NCPC and FAC will go down the road without talking to anyone.
The person who pulls all the information together to ensure that we don’t have conflicting designs needs to beholding to NPS and the Trust.
Make sure the right people get involved at the right time.

Goldstein and Keys
Downtown BID; Golden Triangle BID. They both have been helpful with work and disseminating information. Don’t put aside the opportunities to have ambassadors.
NPS and partner groups struggle with models that have too many people at the start. Focus on the principles and decision-makers. They have to be the core of this effort.
Reach out to DC, all the Advisory bodies, the National Capital Planning Commission, National Trust, State Historic Preservation office; Historic Preservation Review Board; Bid’s; two neighborhood advisory councils; other park managers; Greater Washington National Park Fund; National Parks & Conservation Association; National Parks & Recreation Association; Washington Bicycle Club; Trust for Public Land; all green groups.
Invite the outreach groups after the first stage/ step of the agreement. After the feasibility study/fundraising plan then we go public. Get the representatives from other areas. Possibly use a focus group to see what their image of the national Mall is?
Don’t go public until we reach a plateau.

Jill Nicoll
Core group of decision-makers. Don’t be expansive.
Earlier you can get contributors involved the better.
Bring in major foundations early to get ideas before you finish decision-making process. Bring in people for expertise and ownership at the earliest possible stage. Have an information meeting to brief key donors.
Consider interviewing key donors
Is Congress a partner? Who else is funding the Mall? We need champions. Early involvement is important.
Could we get an appropriation as part of this and have an announcement with Congress?
Communication with NPCA and Sierra Club for philanthropy and advocacy.
Georgina Sanger-Trust
Strive to have as little resistance as possible. NCPC, FAC, Charlie Atherton, etc.—involve these organizations right-off-the-bat so that it’s really a partnership. Do the project so it is really a partnership. Do the project from the beginning collaboratively. Figure out a way for these folks to be part of the process so they will feel and say, “We did this from the beginning together”.
Then involve the White House, which will help with money and the legacy (i.e. Lady Byrd Johnson). We want this country to look good—in the end.
Feels strongly that NCPC and FAC—and the White House are involved. Then figure out how to approach Congress.
Involve the Botanical Garden, Smithsonian, and all the organizations that abut the Mall. Do some-type of Partners for Public Spaces analysis.
Consider involving the national Arboretum, the Center for Urban Ecology, NCR Regional Horticulturist, Jim Urban, Arborist at GSD; Nina Bissuk from Cornell U.; etc. Have the best people addressing this effort and strive for a cohesive vision.
Get NCPC and FAC involved as soon as possible. Have a meeting, a get-together to discuss roles and talk about who is the right person for specific tasks. Work out the roles from the beginning—work out an agreement with NCPC and FAC. Involve John Parsons, Sally Blumenthal, and Hillary Altman—as a link to the DC Planning Office.
Lanny and Georgina met with the White House staff on the idea.
Should we involve the Architect of the Capitol? What is their domain? She has heard that they are working on their part. Don’t do things piece-meal—look at everything together.


6. Where is the project area boundary?

Terry Carlstrom
Agrees that it should include the Mall, Tidal Basin to Lincoln Memorial.

Joe Lawler
What is Ann Smith’s interest?
Include Ellipse, West Potomac Park, Mall from the Capitol reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial

Ann Smith
We’d have to VET President’s Park to the WH. The Park to H Street would be good. Will need to VET with WH Council—be ready with all the pieces of the project before this is discussed.
Be BI-partisan! Groups that have done so have been most successful and sustainable. There should be a commitment to do this for the people. What kind of organization do you pull together? What is the perception? It needs to be ???????
Parsons and Blumenthal
1st St. to Grant Statute/ Reflecting Pool to Potomac River and 14th St.
Take it to the Georgetown Waterfront eventually—stage 2 boundary.
Tricky part is Pennsylvania Ave. Would like to have it included but is it logical? It isn’t part of the story. Consider for stage 2 boundary.
The expansion of the Mall identity and concept is only recent.

Keys and Goldstein
L’Enfant Plan—his vision.
A gelatinous L’Efant Plan. What did L’Enfant envision? Start with the Mall and work outward.
The boundary could go beyond the Mall. Focus areas. Include Pennsylvania Ave. National Historic Park—the Avenue of the Presidents and Inauguration route. There are very limited park resources available to maintain this area. It also presents the opportunity to explore other management approaches, e.g. Heritage Area, revised management policies, etc.

Jill Nicoll. NPF
Don’t spread this too thin. Must hold together and be doable financially. Needs to respond to the story and case statement pitch. Less is more in a lot of cases.
All boats will rise by bringing attention to the Mall/ Core Area.
Include Pennsylvania Ave. if it offers an opportunity with the First Lady to use as Public Relations tool and launch pad. White House as backdrop makes fundraising more likely.
Sheila Burke was curious about the definition of the Mall.
Georgina Sanger-Trust
Take the boundary up to the White House—Lafayette Park is up to Ann Smith. From the base of the Capitol, include the Ellipse, President’s Park, Lincoln Memorial, and West Potomac Park.
PA Ave. isn’t a part of this story.
Is the PA Ave. Development Commission a model for this effort? It might be good to look at. It took a long-time—it’s an example of "the don’t give up approach".


7. What is the name of this effort?

Terry Carlstrom
Renewal of the Mall.
Greening of the Mall.
Reinvigoration: Greening of the Mall and Spirit!

Joe Lawler
Trust for the National Mall—good local name, unsure of how it sounds nationally? Mall of America? Maybe something more descriptive?

Ann Smith
Too early to select a name. Do a brainstorm. Derive this from the vision. It’s hard to do a name until both partners are there.

Parsons and Blumenthal
Trust for the National Mall. See Webster’s dictionary for Trust definition.

Keys and Goldstein
Trust for the National Mall!
A focus group could help do this.

Jill Nicoll
NPF can bring in Mike Bento into this project as a resource.
Bates Nieman is working with the Board and has ad agencies that could help.

Georgina Sanger-Trust
Totally agrees that a brainstorming effort would be a good idea to select a name.
Considered “Campaign for the National Mall”.


8. How do we best communicate, to the public and to other park partners, what we are doing? What is the “message”?

Terry Carlstrom
Start with what it was like 40-50 years ago. What is it today? Show people how we are bringing it back. Reinvigorate the National Mall. Green spaces of the Nation’s backyard—not asphalt and parking lots.
Tie this into the transportation patterns and public access points. Note, in 2005 the Tourmobile contract expires. Sue Hinton and NCPC are doing the alternative transportation study.
Talk with Rob DeFeo and Jim Sherald of NPS about baseline information.
Convene the public and describe what was, is and the future. This is how we get there!
Make a connection between people and the Mall—how have they experienced, or been touched by, the Mall?

Joe Lawler
Private citizens who care about the conditions of America’s foremost public gathering place, have formed an organization to maintain it as a world class area for current and future generations, in cooperation with the legislative stewards.
Terrific thing when people step forward to do something. Not like Washington Monument or Statue of Liberty.

Ann Smith
America/ DC/ People ought to feel better about itself.
When a park isn’t right, a city isn’t right. Public trust in the polity, opportunity to restore this.
Emotional pieces to the message early on. Need to address the fragmentation of the parks and feel at ease and under control.
Wants the grass to be green—subconscious effect of being able to do quality things—the name has to get at that.
Quite homework needs to happen before the big announcement. Before we announce everyone needs to be on board. The public announcement is the last piece. We need to speak to: what are the problems? Here’s what we are thinking of? Here’s what we are going to do?
Use small meetings/ one-on-one meetings to pick people’s brains—we need to do this at every major step.

Parsons and Blumenthal
Do it quickly with a questionnaire. Design the questionnaire to make for predictable answers.
Newsletter and website.
Let Lanny talk and take some of his best sentences.
Be careful—I don’t know how you can do this without making it seem like NPS has failed.
Look at some of the comments Brian O’Neill and Fran Mainella have made.
Georgetown waterfront fundraising is an example of the problems that occur when you ask people to give money for a federal project.
See Central Park Conservancy buzzwords about why it was the right thing to do.
See Crissy Field.
Put together a “Did You Know That” fact sheet (i.e. Constitution Gardens is filled with drinking water; $XXX is spent on trashcan replacement; $XXX is spent on sod replacement.). Finger facts rather than judgmental statements.
Ask people trick questions and if they answer them right they get on our team. (I.e. do you think you need your name on the Washington Monument if you make a donation? Do you think it is a good idea to use the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for events?). Use a series of questions that describe what this effort is about or not about.
Focus on an inner circle of donors. There are donors that we need to be willing to walk away from (i.e. the lady who wants her name of the Georgetown Waterfront).
Get people engaged—plant bulbs in the fall.

Keys and Goldstein
We have a lack of identity.
Design Greater Washington National Park Fund involvement. This effort needs to relate to the Fund. It could be a mutual advantage. Help people understand NPS plays a significant role in the quality of life for the greater Washington area. Possibly hire someone to help with messaging. Mike Bento of NPF was mentioned as a resource.

Jill Nicoll
Smithsonian is doing fundraising and is constrained and getting criticism.
Work with firm locally to review NY and other proposals (See Philadelphia Inquirer article and Fairmont Park Commission story) and see how it resonates with Washington, DC.
Fully realize the potential of the National Mall—it’s not broken.
The message needs to connect Trust to the larger National Park System. Tie to the NPS Message Project.
Factor into name and signage. Use of arrowhead is very valuable.

Georgina Sanger-Trust
Meet with people. Introduce them to the idea. It’s a one-on-one thing. Sit down with people. She is working on a list of people to talk with.
A meeting with FAC and NCPC is more of a all-of-us meeting—they have to say yes.
The message is, “Make it an urban green space worthy of its situation so that it enhances what it houses rather than detracts. Create a space that makes people want to linger. A space that inspires reverence, enjoyment and relaxation”.
L'Enfant—“Attraction to the learned and an affordable diversion to the idle”.


Others??? Not everyone questioned had additional comments

Parsons and Blumenthal
Public service vs. private gain is an issue. Stay on tract. As the circle of interests involved gets larger the effort could get lost. Don’t add people that create demands that can’t be met. Recognition should equal personal satisfaction rather than recognition that is carved in stone (i.e. Crissy Field)
Detractors feel that unless we have a cultural landscape report we shouldn’t do anything. (I.e. how do you know where to plant a tree? Barriers require a cultural landscape report!). CLR has stalled us. It has been done for the Lincoln Memorial; for the Washington Memorial; we are doing one now for the Jefferson Memorial. The treatment recommendations are the most important part of the CLR. It would document old photos of the L’Enfant Mall. Information for decisions won’t be good enough without a CLR. Expect to be tarred by worse because the Trust is the private sector.
We are pushing hard for a CLR on the Washington Monument grounds. We need a CLR from 1st to 14th St. Doing one for Constitution Gardens would be insanity. It could stand a 50-page description of why it is the way it is.
Noted the approached used with “the Nation’s River Bass Tournament” as a way to friend-raise, involve different sectors and youth.

Goldstein and Keys
Possible tour, and peer exchange, of Central Park by the principles to understand that model.
Development (i.e. Memorials, etc.) comes from Congress. We aren’t looking to fund new development.
Frequently, new areas/memorials are added to the park but budget increases to manage and operate them are not received at all or only cover partial costs (e.g. Pennsylvania Ave. NHP, Vietnam Veterans Memorial)
When operating increases do come it is generally after the project is developed and dedicated (i.e. one year after).
NCP-Central encompasses natural and cultural resources and historical sites that are an amalgamation of designations over time. Currently, NCP-Central is comprised of eleven units of the National Park System, totaling more than 1,000 acres within the Monumental Core of the Nation’s Capital.
A big problem is the homeless. There are many complaints about the impact of the homeless. We need to address this issue. Note: Arnie and Vikki expressed interest in Georgina’s reference to the Bryant Park experience. Perhaps Bryant Park could be a stop during the Central Park trip/ exchange.
The use of Federal parkland within the Nation’s Capital for the exercise of our 1st Amendment Freedoms as well as for special events and other public gathering activities has a strong, well-established regulatory basis. We administer to and permit use of parkland for all these activities within the regulations. Special events are different than 1st amendment activities in that the park can require organizers of a special event to post a bond to cover unbudgeted costs, including damage repair. Under the existing regulations, the park is unable to recover any operational or damage costs associated with 1st Amendment activities. Modifying the regulations would be difficult and should not be something that the Trust tries to take on. There are 1,500 events each year on the National Mall and ~3,000 throughout the 11 units of the NP System that comprise NCP-Central.
The intensity of use will be an issue. Donors’ perception of the impact on park values will be important. Donors’ expectations are important—will they be met?
It’s important to remember the political overlay. Closing the Mall requires a consultation process with political leaders. The reality is that sometimes NPS gets rolled and has to reverse decisions about restoration schedules (i.e. setting lawn areas aside to regenerate).