The National Park Service held a public symposium at the Navy Memorial Wednesday to hear complaints about the National Mall’s facilities, ranging from restrooms to handicap access.
The symposium is part of an NPS planning initiative for improvements and preservation to the National Mall launched after Congress declared the Mall a “substantially completed work of civic art” in 2003. The declaration was part of several amendments to the Commemorative Works Act, which prohibit additional memorials on the Mall after the completion of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The planning initiative should be completed in December 2007 after NPS presents a draft of findings for additional public comment sometime after May, said Vikki Keys, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks.
“This is America’s front yard,” Keys said. “It represents us on the world stage.”
Susan Spain, an NPS planner, said the National Mall is a unique preservation site. While the mall contains delicate plant life and grassy areas, it is required to be open to the public for demonstrations, she said. Spain cited numerous court decisions that called the Mall a designated area for government protests and said this requirement overrides concerns for natural resources.
“Our values and our courts have shifted the balance here for use in this area,” Spain said.
She said hundreds have already submitted their public comment online. Possible improvements that NPS presented were increased restroom and service capacity.
“The facilities weren’t designed for current levels of use,” Spain said. “They need to be up to the standard.”
Spain said gravel walkways were a major concern because of the damage they cause to wheelchairs and their irritating dust. Other suggestions included building restroom facilities around the Smithsonian museums and widening the sidewalk around the tidal basin.
D.C. resident Yasmin Abdul said she is not sure the government will resist the urge to fill in the Mall. She said although she doesn’t visit the area often, she does have strong feelings about the space.
“It wouldn’t be D.C. if (the Mall) wasn’t here. D.C. is identified by the Mall,” Abdul said.
Students said they enjoyed the Mall’s proximity to campus. Going for jogs and studying are some of the common activities students use the Mall for. Many students interviewed last week said their experience at GW would not be the same without it.
“We’re really lucky to be so close to the monuments because they’re really motivating,” junior Leah Gould said. “It’s really inspiring.”
Gould said she visits the mall 3 to 4 times per week for NROTC physical training and running. She said she is training for the National Marathon in March and trained on the Mall for the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 30.
Renovating the gravel pathways was he only possible change that concerned the runner.
“As long as they don’t make it sidewalk,” she said. “Sidewalk is really bad to your knees. Black-tar asphalt is a little better.”
Marc Heisterkamp, an MBA student, said the Mall should be in the best shape possible because it is a national symbol.
“I think there could be some improvements that would be useful,” he said. “It’s a centerpiece for the country.”