Hampton is alone on Fort Monroe's fate
The Virginian-Pilot
October 16, 2006Imagine, for the sake of argument, that the federal government discontinued its oversight of Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for veterans of the nation's wars. Hundreds of thousands of people are buried at this sacred, historic site. No one would expect the Arlington County government to, all by itself, administer the operations and upkeep. That's neither plausible nor fair.
In a similar way, no one should expect the city of Hampton, population 146,000, to - all by itself - maintain and oversee centuries-old Fort Monroe. The Defense Base and Realignment Closure Commission decided the military facilities there would close and the federal ownership end by 2011.
But this is no ordinary base; its "Pointe Comfort" was the anchorage site for the Jamestown settlers. And it was the stage for crucial decisions that turned the Civil War into a fight over slavery. State and federal authorities, who so far have shown an attitude of benign indifference, must not treat it as the mere shuttering of some ordnance depot.
City officials in Hampton have already done laudable work in trying to chart Fort Monroe's future, from collecting public input on its reuse, to appointing an authority to oversee the process. Options include creating a large open park space and allowing some type of development there; some activists fear historic preservation will get short shrift in the process.
In the meantime, Hampton officials need and deserve help, in money and resources, from both the state and federal officials. Hampton's plea, and plight, were evident in a recent article by The Pilot's Kate Wiltrout. The city-appointed Federal Area Development Authority already has spent $248,000 on planning consultants and studies, and the city has run up an additional $200,000 in legal costs. The expenses demonstrate why Hampton, or any city, is unsuited for the task of leading this project.
It's unclear what role or to what extent the state will pitch in. An aide to Gov. Tim Kaine said the state will be involved but won't rush the planning. "There's nothing wrong with doing it very deliberately," said Bob Crouch.
That's true, to a point. Hampton is facing costs of $15 million annually to maintain the base. It obviously could use financial commitments from state and federal officials.
Hampton has been trying to hammer out a "memorandum of understanding" with the commonwealth, so both sides know their roles and duties. City officials will meet with Kaine on Wednesday. Federal officials have a role to play, as well, for a base that is truly a national treasure with historic features. But none of the candidates for U.S. Senate or the 2nd Congressional District, in which the fort is located, have taken a position.
That's no reason for confidence that the state and feds will meet their obligations to the history of the nation.