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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

YAHOO! WHAT A MONTH JULY HAS BEEN! THERE IS A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN.

YES! First, Don Fisher recognized that no way in hell was he going to be able to build his art museum as he wanted, where he wanted, on the heart of the historic Presidio. He packed up his marbles to play elsewhere. Thanks to the public for that - those hundreds who wrote letters and attended endless meetings.

Then, The National Park Service named Jon Jarvis to be the new head of the National Park Service in Washington. Jon has been a professional with great integrity to protect Park Service values. As the recent Superintendent of the Pacific West Region of the NPS, he was the head Smokey the Bear fighting against Trust projects that would impair the Presidio National Historic Landmark. It is wonderful to have him as the top man in Washington.

Today, July 29, the Secretary of the Interior named his designee to the Presidio Trust Board of Directors to replace Dave Grubb, the construction executive who now holds the key position as President of the Presidio Trust Board. The new Secretary of Interior appointee is John J. Jarvis, a very experienced high level retired Park Service professional who is deeply familiar with the Presidio situation. John Reynolds was at the Presidio when it was transferred from the Army to the Park Service. He rose to be the number two man in the Park Service. He has great judgment and skills working with the pubic - qualities that will help the Trust Board.

What does all this mean? To me, it means that the Park Service will no longer look the other way when the Trust wants to ruin the Presidio as a national park. There is a new sheriff in town. I also believe that these great developments could signal a new era of cooperation of the Presidio Trust, the National Park Service and the public to bring to reality the great promise that the Presidio has a wonderful national historic park.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting blog. So the Presidio has all these plans to build a hotel or a multi-plex or an extravagant green area. Who comes up with all these ideas ?? It has to cost some significant cash just for the studies and the architectural plans. At the same time there's more than a few derelict buildings left empty and there's really no mention of any plans for rehabilitation on the Presidio Trust website.
--Presidio Hiker.

Anonymous said...

John J Reynolds is the new board member. He was a regional park director and he now lives in Virginia.

Anonymous said...

This statement from the Main Post Update just kills me:

"The Presidio Trust is building on two decades of community planning to fulfill the Main Post’s promise as the heart of the park. The Trust seeks to bring back the Main Post’s character and welcome the public; to preserve and animate its historic buildings; and to create new ways for visitors to experience history and culture."

1) The US Army was in the Presidio two decades ago and I am sure they had no plan for a luxury hotel or a modern art museum.
2) The community doesn't want the Trust's plan for th Main Post.
3) I can't imagine how one would preserve a historic building with a bulldozer.
4) I chatted recently with a park employee who told me the Trust still wants to develop the bowling alley site.
Sounds like the whole Main Post thing has yet to be resolved. Plus the Presidio cut down how many trees for the Doyle Drive project? --James Hartman, Santa Rosa, CA