Monday, Sep 17, 2007
On September 13th, a U.S. District Court judge in Trenton, New Jersey, issued a final ruling on a lawsuit that was filed to stop the National Park Service from proceeding with its plan to preserve 36 buildings in the Fort Hancock Historic District of Sandy Hook.
The lawsuit had challenged the National Park Service's lease of the 36 buildings to Sandy Hook Partners, citing environmental and historic preservation laws as well as the statutes that created the National Park Service and the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area.
The district court rejected those challenges and ruled that the National Park Service had fully complied with those statutes: "Only after engaging in ... extensive efforts to obtain input from various state and federal agencies and the public, and thoroughly evaluating all potential effects of rehabilitating and utilizing the Fort Hancock buildings, did [the National Park Service] enter into a lease with [Sandy Hook] Partners in July 2004."
“We are extremely happy that the court has dismissed this lawsuit and that the National Park Service can move forward and fulfill its obligation to preserve the buildings of historic Fort Hancock, buildings that are one of Sandy Hook’s great cultural treasures,” said Sandy Hook superintendent Richard Wells. “We also see this as an opportunity for all the many people who have taken an interest in this project, those who have supported it and those who did not, to come together as one community to support the goal of preserving the cultural history of Fort Hancock.”
“This project was never about commercializing this historic site,” said Wells regarding the charge made by some opponents that the leasing effort would commercialize Fort Hancock. “It’s about using private funds to restore these empty, crumbling buildings to their former splendor, and return them to productive use. Sandy Hook and Fort Hancock will always be part of the National Park System. They are special places set aside for inspiration, education, and enjoyment, and we will always be true to that idea.”
Asked when the project will proceed Wells noted that “the clock is ticking.”
“According to the terms of the agreement between the National Park Service and Sandy Hook Partners LLC (SHP), they have 90 days from the date the court issues its decision to submit their remaining financial documents,” said Wells. “A team of NPS and outside financial experts will then study these documents to determine the acceptability of the financing commitment submitted by SHP.”
“Since we announced our intentions in 1999 to use a congressionally sanctioned leasing authority to preserve 36 historic structures, a preservation tool used by many National Parks across the nation, we have received considerable support from both preservation groups and the general public. To all who saw our vision of a restored Fort Hancock, one that will benefit both current and future generations, we express our deep appreciation.”
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