USFS Military Wall Project
Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:34 pm
In response to a thread of comments in the online guide I want to give an update on the Military Wall project. As I am posting this in the suck forum you can probably already guess that it is not goods news. This project was progressing earlier this year. The Forest Service had a surveyor produce a detailed topographic map of the area w/the assistance of RRO. A preliminary landscape plan was the prepared by a Landscape Architect working for the Forest Service. Then the project got derailed when the FS employee that was preparing the Environmental Assessment for the project transfered to another position in the FS Regional Office in Atlanta. The Daniel Boone National Forest is experiencing serious staffing problems and they are not able to fill this and other empty positions. The short of it is that the Military Wall project has been taken off the table for 2008. They hope to take the project back up when they have sufficient resources.
In the comments thread the innuendo was made that due to the focus on the PMRP purchase, the RRGCC was not "doing anything with the Forest Service." Most on this bbs know that nothing could be farther from the truth. The RRGCC is very active in the ongoing LAC process with myself, Shannon, Dwight, and Jim attending most meetings. In addition to LAC we intermittently engage with the FS through phone calls and meetings on specific issues. The issue with Military is not money, at least our money. If the Forest Service could get this project through their system I'm sure that we could come up with an Access Fund grant and any additional money for materials and could provide the labor to make it happen.
In the comments thread the innuendo was made that due to the focus on the PMRP purchase, the RRGCC was not "doing anything with the Forest Service." Most on this bbs know that nothing could be farther from the truth. The RRGCC is very active in the ongoing LAC process with myself, Shannon, Dwight, and Jim attending most meetings. In addition to LAC we intermittently engage with the FS through phone calls and meetings on specific issues. The issue with Military is not money, at least our money. If the Forest Service could get this project through their system I'm sure that we could come up with an Access Fund grant and any additional money for materials and could provide the labor to make it happen.