FOUNDATION DOCUMENT REPORT
A Quality Assessment
The National Park Service was directed by Presidential Proclamation 9233 to complete a general management plan for the Pullman National Monument within three years of the date of the proclamation. The first stage in the general management planning process is the creation and approval of a Foundation Document.
On July 12, 2016, the Acting Superintendent shared this draft Foundation Document with members of the public. A public meeting was held on July 21st to discuss this document with interested members of the public. A public comment period was allowed through the National Park Service Public Environment Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) process. The public normally has 3o days to offer comment, but this period was extended due to technical difficulties on the part of the Park Service.
The Beman Committee, Inc., a group of technical consultants in matters related to historic preservation, reviewed this document and offered their assessment and submitted it through the PEPC system to officials of the NPS.
Mark Cassello, PNMPS"The serious deficiencies of the draft Foundation Document demonstrate precisely why an organization like the Pullman National Monument Preservation Society is needed: to ensure that the monument's resources are properly identified and cared for."
The Beman Committee, Inc. found that the draft Foundation Document for the Pullman National Monument was flawed in a number of key areas: (1) It misrepresents the NPS role in the management and protection of the monument (2) It misidentifies the Fundamental Resources and Values (FRV) of the monument (3) It wholly fails to assess planning and data needs of the monument. (4) It perpetuates inaccurate myths about the model town and oversimplifies the historical narrative. (5) It provides little or no information about the laws, executive orders, regulations, and NPS policies that apply to the FRV and Other Important Resources and Values (OIRV). Read the full assessment here.
