Letter to William Thomas

United States Department of the Interior
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
National Capital Region
1100 Ohio Drive. SW.
Washington. D.C. 20242

March 20, 1995
D22(NCR-WHL)

Mr. William Thomas
P.O. Box 27217
Washington, D.C. 20038

Dear Mr. Thomas:

I want to take this opportunity to bring you up-to-date on the process to develop the Comprehensive Design Plan for the White House. In 1993, during the early phases of planning, many individuals and groups joined with us in identifying the problems facing the site. The generous and enthusiastic sharing of what people and agencies saw happening at the White House and President's Park provided much of the base for this planning.

A number of individuals also identified the way in which the study area should be functioning 20 years in the future - by the year 2015. With both the problems and the visions for the site identified, we were then able to develop alternative concepts ror the future operation of the White House and President's Park. Those concepts are about to begin public review.

During the month of April 1995, we invite you to join with us in a public dialogue about the alternative concepts for the study area.

We welcome and encourage your continued participation in this planning process. It is only through the exchange of perspectives about this site's future that together we can identify the best courses of action.

Within the next week or so you will be receiving a newsletter which describes the alternative concepts and asks for your response in a number of areas. Please feel free to expand your comments beyond those questions included in the response form enclosed with the newsletter.

On Monday, April 10, a public forum will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the new White House Visitors Center, Baldrige Hall, Department of Commerce, 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20230.

During this informal day of discussion, members of the planning team will be available to discuss elements of the alternative concepts. We hope to see you at the forum both to discuss the concepts and so you can see this wonderful new space and the exhibits now available for visitors to the White House.

In addition, members of the planning team also will be available on April 11, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. in their offices in Room 3360, Main Interior Building, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20240. If you would be interested in talking with members of the planning team during that afternoon, please call our offices at (202) 219-1007. Appointments will aid your entrance to the building and ensure that there is adequate space for everyone to see the concept graphics and talk to tepm members that afternoon.

When public review of the alternative concepts is complete, our next step will be to develop a draft plan for the site. We expect the draft plan to be available for public review late this fall.

We remain grateful for your participation in this process which seeks to serve the Presidency and the people while ensuring the continued protection of those incomparable historic resources which comprise the site.

If you have any questions, please call me or Ann Bowman Smith, Project Coordinator, Comprehensive Design Plan for the White House, at (202) 219-1007.

Thank you. We look forward to seeing or hearing from you.
Sincerely,

Regional Director, National Capital Region


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