Stewardship and Management of National Park Service Mission 66-Era Facilities - Comment Deadline

Public Review Period Now Open on Proposed Program Comment on Stewardship and Management of National Park Service Mission 66-Era Facilities (1945-1972)

Read the proposed Program Comment for NPS Mission 66-Era Facilities. 

Summary

The National Park Service (NPS) is requesting the subject Program Comment to facilitate continued use and preservation of Mission 66-era historic properties by providing parks with an optional tool that will reduce or eliminate external reviews for certain straightforward Mission 66-era focused undertakings. It will also allow superintendents to consider Mission 66-era facilities as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places when they reference the Mission 66-era Multiple Property Determination Form, thereby addressing NPS’s identification backlog.

A program comment is an alternative process the NPS may use to comply with the requirements of Section 106 of the NHPA.

NPS has within its jurisdiction approximately 20,000 comfort stations, picnic shelters, campgrounds, visitor centers, park staff housing units, maintenance buildings, warehouses, roads, and other infrastructure from this era, and about half of these facilities are in poor or serious condition. These facilities contribute to the NPS deferred maintenance and repair backlog, which totaled $23.3 billion as of the end of fiscal year 2023.

Recent laws provided NPS with funding and charged them with improving the visitor experience, ensuring adequate housing for staff, and addressing accessibility requirements. NPS wants to meet these mandates using these facilities and reinvesting in the historic properties from this era.

The ACHP plans to make a decision on this Program Comment request by November 4.

To Comment

The ACHP is accepting comments on the proposed Program Comment through Friday, October 18, 2024. The ACHP will consider these comments in responding to the NPS’s request in accordance with the provisions of 36 CFR § 800.14(e). Comments should be sent by e-mail to program_alternatives@achp.gov with the phrase “Mission 66” in the subject line so the e-mail will be routed properly. 

Additional Background Information

Program Alternatives

Program Comment Questions and Answers

NPS’s website on the Program Comment

Contact

ACHP Program Analyst / NPS Liaison (Parks) Kirsten Kulis (202) 517-0217 kkulis@achp.gov

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