Sandy Hook Partner's (SHP) long-awaited source of financing has finally been made known. But as all know, except for the NPS and its adherents, it is nearly seven years too late, since it was required of all offerors on Nov. 8, 1999. My Goodness! By Supt. Richard Well's own words, "Sandy Hook officials have yet to review the documents to determine if they are acceptable."

Based on articles and editorials in local newspapers, and other sources, I am forced to muse upon the following and I invite the concerned citizenry to do the same:

1. At ongoing Senate confirmation hearings for the proposed National Park Service (NPS) Director Mary Bomar, wherein dubious preferential treatment (seven extensions, et al) given Sandy Hook Partners/Wassel Realty was cited, questioned, and remained unresolved. Additional written explanations were requested of Bomar by the Senate committee concerning inappropriate, preferential, treatment including the seven extensions for proof of funding given to Sandy Hook Partners/Wassel Realty. Did this cause the Wassel camp to come forward, seven years too late, with the source of its funding?

2. Irrefutable proof of the purported lease having been awarded improperly by the NPS is displayed by Superintendent Wells' statement to the local daily newspaper that "Sandy Hook officials will review the details of the financial agreement".

Such a review should have been done, and was mandated by federal procurement laws and regulations, prior to selection of the successful offeror and the awarding of the purported lease on 7-9-04.

3. The Programmatic Agreement has yet to be obtained, and is required by the Historic Preservation Act. To obtain the Programmatic Agreement, signatures of approval must be obtained from the head of the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of the Interior, Office of Historic Preservation.

From all accounts this still has not been accomplished. It was required to have been done prior to release of the Request for Proposal which occurred in August 1999.

The NPS' actions in this matter just continue to besmirch its public image, and destroy the public's trust of an organization that was once trusted to be stewards of our nation's environmental treasures, our national parks.

Peter P. O'Such Jr.

Fair Haven