National parks shouldn't be corporate parks

President Obama promised more transparency in his administration, but not surprisingly the National Parks Service (NPS) apparently missed the memo.

Hence, details of James Wassel's long-overdue funding plans to rehabilitate 36 Fort Hancock buildings for commercial use at Sandy Hook are considered "propriety information."

We taxpayers have a right to know how Wassel's inexperienced company was chosen in 1999 to bring commercial tenants into a national park, especially since it lacked the financing required by NPS rules. But don't expect the NPS to explain its myopic oversight. And, unfortunately, federal courts recently declined on technical grounds to hear a suit challenging this and other highly questionable NPS discrepancies.

One example is the Sandy Hook superintendent's insistence that the NPS signed a lease with Wassel in 2004, hoping to make its privatization plan a fait accompli. Only other NPS officials publicly denied it was a lease, calling it instead an "agreement to agree."

Then we have Wassel repairing three buildings — maintenance a homeowner routinely does — that had been maintained by the taxpayers or rehabbed by a nonprofit group. Easy pickings.

When queried about this work, the NPS declared, "Sandy Hook Partners use of the chapel is authorized under the July 9, 2004, lease (there's that word again) … "

First, the document includes no such provision. Second, how could he have funded these repairs when he only recently claimed he finally has his long-missing financing?

The NPS is bending its rules to wedge Wassel's foot in the door.

Also, the Department of the Interior's Inspector General on July 2, 2004, declared the NPS properly followed its leasing procedures with Wassel.

But it backed off from that rosy absolution on Nov. 3, 2008, when it admitted to Rep. Frank Pallone (D- 6th District) that "Our investigation revealed the need for NPS to establish better policy and procedure for the administration of the NPS leasing program."

The recommendations include, "Establish consistent financial requirements on prospective lessees for various phases of the lease process prior to the lease execution."

Stripped of the bureaucratic bull, the IG admits the NPS has been winging it.

Meanwhile, fort buildings continue to rot, with porches now collapsing, while NPS mis-managers insist only commercial development can undo their incompetent stewardship.

The NPS has proven it's no match for Wassel's skillful blandishments and will stand on its head in reviewing his financing to keep its privatization plan alive.

Only our federal representatives — especially Rep. Pallone and Rep. Rush Holt (D-12th District) - can save our National Parks by:

• Insisting on complete transparency in evaluating Wassel's financials

• Better than that, legislatively ending this Fort Hancock fiasco, and finally

• Prohibiting reusing vacant buildings in all national parks for commercial purposes.

Our elected officials must stop our national parks from becoming corporate parks.
George Moffatt
Oceanport
Board member
of Save Sandy Hook