Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 6, 1995 TAG: 9506060117
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Proposed congressional budget cuts may close the Booker T. Washington National Park in Franklin County and many other federal park sites, according to U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.
Babbitt has released a list of the 200 parks he believes are jeopardized - more than half of the parks and monuments in the federal system.
"This is not budget gamesmanship," he said in a news release.
A spokeswoman for Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said Warner believes there are other ways to reduce costs instead of closing park sites.
``This is an attempt by the Department of the Interior to be dramatic,'' she said.
Gamesmanship or not, the Franklin County park's acting superintendent is paying attention.
Ellie Long said she has not been contacted directly by anyone about the situation.
``But anything can happen,'' she said.
Long said the only correspondence she has received is a memo from Babbitt in May that outlined the impact of the cuts on all bureaus within the Department of the Interior.
``These sites are our history,'' she said, ``and they're important to all of us. I mean, this is the birthplace of Booker T. Washington. It's one of the only African-American sites in the Park Service. It's also part of the slavery and Reconstruction era of our country. It's unique."
Washington was a leading educator, author and spokesman for American blacks. He was born in 1856 on the Burroughs Plantation, a tobacco farm in Franklin County.
The park and national monument encompasses 224 acres near Smith Mountain Lake.
Rep. L.F. Payne, D-Nelson County, whose district includes Franklin County, said he opposes closing the Booker T. Washington Park or the other park in his district, the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park.
Appomattox Court House, where Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant signed the agreement that ended the Civil War, also is on Babbitt's list.
Payne said he understands that Babbitt sent the memo to show ``what kind of thing that might be considered if the Republican-favored cuts are approved.''
If a national referendum were held, Payne said, he would bet most people would oppose shutting down national parks.
One of those people is state Sen. Virgil Goode, D-Rocky Mount, who said Monday that the Booker T. Washington Park should remain open. He said he plans to contact Payne to voice his concern.
``Maybe they should cut a few of Babbitt's assistants before they shut down Booker T.,'' he said.
Long said the park's entire operations budget - $477,000 this fiscal year - is federally funded.
In addition to the Booker T. Washington Park and Appomattox Court House, four other Virginia sites are on Babbitt's list: Richmond National Battlefield Park; George Washington's birthplace in Westmoreland County; the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Richmond; and Manassas Battlefield Park.
The congressional proposal would cut Park Service operations by 10 percent, or $108 million, in 1996 and establish a freeze through 2002. Babbitt believes the freeze - with inflation taken into account - would amount to a 33 percent reduction in spending.
President Clinton wants to increase the $1.08 billion Park Service budget to $1.14 billion next year.
According to The Associated Press, the General Accounting Office reported in March that the Park Service faced a backlog of $4 billion in needed maintenance at parks and federal monuments and suggested that it generate more revenue, cut visitor services or limit the number of parks.
Congress should consider adopting a visitors' fee to help offset national parks' maintenance costs, Payne said.
by CNB