NPS Makes Major Contribution To Inaugural

This week’s inaugural for President Obama was a major undertaking for the National Park Service because of its management of so much of downtown Washington and because of the extensive security and enforcement responsibilities of the United States Park Police.

The National Park Service began planning for the inaugural right after the November election.  Staff from National Capital Region and its National Mall & Memorial Parks, President’s Park, the George Washington Memorial Parkway, together with the Park Police, worked tirelessly thereafter in support of the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC).  

The following were major contributors to the NPS and Park Police efforts:

• The leadership, direction and guidance of National Capital Region’s regional director, Peggy O’Dell, her deputy regional director, Lisa Mendelson-Ielmini, and Park Police chief Sal Lauro.
• The overall management direction from the National Mall & Memorial Parks leadership team, comprised of the acting superintendent, three deputy superintendents, and chief of visitor services.
• The overall management direction from the staff of President’s Park team, including Ann Bowman Smith, Maria Santo and White House Visitor Center site manager Scott Tucker.
• The three NPS employees – John Stanwich, Ricky Merryman and Leonard Lee – who worked as fulltime liaison to PIC and issued and monitored special use permits for inaugural activities on National Park Service lands. They worked most weekends and countless hours to ensure that inaugural activities protected park resources while allowing the freest use of park lands.
• The NPS Central Incident Management Team, under the leadership of Bryce Canyon superintendent Eddie Lopez. The eleven out-of-town personnel on the team assisted regional staff over the course of the past month with planning and preparation. A total of 20 different NPS staff assisted them over the course of a month.
• The National Park Service assigned over 450 personnel from all professions to the inaugural events on the National Mall, along Pennsylvania Avenue, and at Presidents Park. 
• The Park Police had a full commitment of personnel, totaling nearly 400 sworn officers. This included officers from the New York Field Office, the San Francisco Field Office, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and the regional offices. 
• While many U.S. Park Police members contributed greatly to the success of the inaugural events, the following deserve special recognition – deputy chief Kevin Hay, commander of the new Icon Protection Division, whose staff was responsible for the law enforcement planning management of this event; major Jonathon Pierce and captain Robert Maclean. who oversaw the inaugural planning and execution; administrative officer Ken Brodie and his staff, who oversaw support services and ensured all the equipment and support needed for the events were in place; lieutenant Scott Fear, who played a vital role in developing the transportation plan for the region as well as coordinating the escort of the President and other key figures; and sergeant Steve Booker, who played a major part in coordinating many special events and demonstrations associated with the inaugural period and was the primary Park Police planner for the welcoming ceremony concert at the Lincoln Memorial.

• National Capital Region’s Communications Office answered between 1,700 and 2,000 news media/reporter calls regarding all aspects of what the NPS contributed to the inaugural preparations and over 500 news media calls regarding logistical placement of satellite and microwave news trucks and on where to place tripods at various memorials. 
• The NPS Inaugural 2009 website (www.nps.gov/inauguration2009) was developed and received nearly 80,000 hits (since mid-December, when this site was made active).  The website featured maps, answers to frequently asked questions, presidential quotes and facts, a photo gallery of images from the Sunday concert at the Lincoln Memorial and of the inauguration itself, a podcast of National Park Service inaugural planning efforts, kids activities, and six news releases designed to make attending inaugural events as easy as possible and explain NPS-maintained road closures.
• NPS resource management staff evaluated, assessed and determined that Pennsylvania Avenue trees could easily be damaged if not protected. Staff accordingly built bleachers that surrounded the trees with bleacher support systems that did not damage or touch any trees or puncture tree roots.  
• National Mall visitors using their cell phones called “Guide by Cell” (202-747-3465) to listen to eight different recorded messages regarding past inaugural addresses, with one message designed exclusively for children.
• “Dream boards,” large posters hung at various NPS facilities throughout the Washington area, invited visitors to leave their handwritten personal thoughts of the dreams they had for America or for messages visitors wished the President could receive.
• Park rangers presented over 250 interpretive talks from January 16th through January 20th to over 8,500 visitors at parks throughout the region.  Talks were specially designed to connect visitors to presidential history.
• Park staffs contacted over 363,000 visitors throughout the region (not just the National Mall) on January 20th alone.
• The National Park Service printed and distributed 100,000 maps of the National Mall, thereby helping visitors to better understand how to enjoy their visit to the area.
• A total of 740,000 “rack cards” with facts regarding five different Presidents memorialized on or near the National Mall were distributed urging visitors to learn more about their past by visiting one of the presidential monuments.
• About 185,000 specially-designed campaign buttons for the inauguration, featuring 44 stars, the NPS arrowhead and the expression “Where History Happens,” were handed out free to appreciative park visitors throughout the weekend and on inauguration day.   
• President’s Park staff produced a colorful Junior Ranger activity guide and special inaugural Junior Ranger badge that educated children on facts regarding the President and White House.  These were extremely popular with young people.
• The National Park Service with the cooperation of PIC and volunteers cleared the National Mall of 95 to 100 tons of debris starting at 8 p.m. the night of the 20th, leaving the Mall clean by morning. Blankets, sleeping bags, folding lawn chairs and coolers had been left on the National Mall.  
• NPS contractors installed 17 miles of bike rack and chain link fence for both major events on the National Mall to protect monuments, natural resources and provide for visitor safety.
• Through a five-part partnership among the National Park Service, the D.C. Department of Health, the American Red Cross, the Department of Health and Human Services and D.C. Fire Department, 16 First Aid tents were staffed on the National Mall. Altogether, they assisted 3,240 patients.  
• Eastern National, a non-profit partner of the National Park Service, offered commemorative  items for sale through National Park Service visitor centers in the area, further connecting visitors to their national park visit and commemorating the inauguration.  
• Guest Services, Inc. (GSI), the NPS’ exclusive concessioner and partner for food sales on the on the National Mall, sold the following items between Sunday, January 18th, and Tuesday, January 20th – 140,000 kosher hotdogs, 15,000 sandwiches, 100,000 bottles/cans of soda and water; 130,000 cups of hot chocolate, and 50,000 Italian sausages.
• The National Park Service WebRanger website encouraged kids to answer questions regarding Presidents.