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Subject: NPS Ops Report (2) - Fourth Quarter, FY99
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Date: Mon, 22 Nov 1999 14:54:38 -0500
4.3 Fee Demonstration Projects - Jack Roberts
A policy statement is being developed which will define fee
demonstration projects by type and tell you how to request changes in
project submissions. When completed, it will be posted on the FMD web
page: http://165.83.218.50. The web site will also contain updates on
the status of fee demo projects (see below), a copy of the chart showing
the procedures for review and approval of projects, a copy of the fee
demo project call memo, ALL of the submissions, and ALL of the approved
projects.
The status of fee demo projects, as of mid-October, was as follows
(numbers are rounded):
o Fee demo 20% projects - A total of 357 projects valued at $42.6
million had been submitted. Of these, 344 valued at $34.0 million
had been approved.
o Fee demo 80% projects - A total of 1,699 projects valued at $247.8
million had been submitted. Of these, 1,586 valued at $192.7
million had been approved.
o Golden Eagle projects - A total of 41 Golden Eagle projects valued
at $615,000 had been submitted. Of these, 40 valued at $606,000
had been approved.
Overall, 1,970 projects valued at $227.3 million had been approved.
4.4 Hazardous Waste Management - Carl Wang, Terry Brennan
A Level I pre-acquisition environmental site assessment guidance manual
has been completed and was sent out to all regions in August. The
manual provides information on how to conduct a "systematic assessment
of potential sources of environmental liability associated with real
property" about to be acquired by the Service. It also documents the
level of inquiry needed to support an "innocent landowner defence" claim
under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and
Liability Act of 1980, more popularly known as the "superfund"
legislation) should the property prove to be contaminated and if the
assessment fails to identify the problem. Copies can be obtained from
regional hazmat coordinators and lands offices, or from the web site at
http://165.83.218.50.
Considerable efforts are also being expended toward implementing
CERCLA's "cost recovery/cost avoidance" - or "polluter pay" - provisions
at the park, regional, WASO and DOI levels. In September, the NPS
reached settlements on two major enforcement actions. The first
concerned a site in National Capital East. The Architect of the Capitol
agreed to perform a significant remedial investigation and feasibility
study at a cost of $100,000 at a site at Poplar Point. In the second,
the Service and the state of Pennsylvania reached agreement on a CERCLA
claim stemming from asbestos contaminated sites at Valley Forge NHP.
The state will fund and conduct a remedial investigation/feasibility
study at the site.
The "Green Energy" parks program, with strong support from the NPS, DOI
and DOE, is taking on a number of ground-breaking challenges. The MOU
signed in April by DOE and DOI set up a framework for working on
projects of mutual interest. A number of projects around the Service
have been funded in whole or in part by one of the three agencies. More
than $800,000 has been set aside for completion of various park projects
that focus on energy conservation, renewable energy, and energy audits.
A large photo-voltaic system at Alcatraz is just one of 17 projects that
are being set up by parks Servicewide to promote renewable technology.
Seed money is also available to parks to purchase alternative fuel
vehicles as part of a $1.7 million multi-year DOE initiative to promote
alternative mobility and access to the most heavily visited park sites.
A hybrid bio-diesel/electric bus and bio-diesel storage facility is
being procured for Yosemite NP as one of 27 projects to promote cleaner
burning fuel and innovative transportation technology. The
NPS/university energy audit program employs university students to
complete energy audits and recommend strategies for reducing energy
consumption. DOE and the NPS have funded five more park audits this
year, following up on the success of last year's pilot audit of
Shenandoah NP. Parks can utilize the Green Energy program as a platform
for influencing public thinking about energy awareness and environmental
sensitivity.
5.0 HARPERS FERRY CENTER
5.1 Media Inventory - Dave Nathanson
As of October 8th, Media Inventory Office staff had entered the
following into MIDS (Media Inventory Database System) - 8,843 media
forms from 395 parks and offices, including 999 audiovisual forms, 815
exhibit forms, 428 historic furnishing forms and 6,601 wayside exhibit
forms. Only wayside forms remain to be entered into the system. The
few remaining parks that have yet to respond have been contacted. We
have completed all data entry for 210 parks, and notified 204 parks that
they may request passwords so that they may update their own information
via the web. To date, 19 parks have been issued passwords.
The audiovisual portion of the interpretive media inventory was launched
by itself in 1998 by the Division of Audiovisual Arts. The other three
components of the inventory - wayside exhibits, exhibits, and historic
furnishings - were launched together via an introductory memo in
February. The deadline for response was June 1st, but forms still
trickle in. The project received $280,000 from the 20% fee money. We
have used money from that source for temporary personnel and equipment
for the project. We contracted for the development of an Oracle
database system to maintain the data. That contract resulted in MIDS,
which allows data entry and update over a web interface on the NPS
Intranet. The project has contracted with a person experienced in NPS
interpretation to provide Class C estimates for media reported as
unacceptable, beginning with the exhibit responses. We are also working
to develop an automated, web-based estimating utility for new work.
5.2 HFC Realignment - Magaly Green
On October 12th, associate manager for interpretive planning Andy Kardos
began a four-month assignment as deputy manager of Harpers Ferry Center.
This move will accomplish two primary purposes. The first will be to
allow HFC manager Gary Cummins to give more focus to HFC's participation
in the upcoming Discovery 2000 general conference, which is to be held
in St Louis in September, 2000. HFC is developing an opening video
presentation, planning a trade show, developing conference design
guidelines, and assisting in overall planning and coordination of the
event. Kardos will also begin the creation of a new HFC Client Services
Division. Client Services will oversee the HFC website
(www.hfc.nps.gov), develop programs for interpretive media evaluation,
oversee research of new and innovative interpretive media, maintain the
National Park Service interpretive media inventory program, and develop
programs to increase HFC/park contacts. The Client Services Division is
a central component in HFC's ongoing realignment process. The associate
manager for client services position (permanent) is being advertised for
a period of 30 days, beginning on October 31st.
5.3 Style Guide - Magaly Green
Harpers Ferry Center has begun exploratory work on the development of a
style guide that will establish a more consistent image for all forms of
NPS visual information, including interpretive materials, reports, news
releases, wayfinding systems, and plans. The process, similar to that
conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey last year, is expected to take
approximately one year. Melissa Cronyn, associate manager for
publications, and Phil Musselwhite, associate manager for wayside
exhibits, are leading this program.
6.0 YOUTH PROGRAMS - Bill Jones
6.1 Job Corps
Education Management Corporation presented training at all three Job
Corps Centers during the quarter. The training was designed for all
vocational and academic trainers; the purpose was to help prepare Job
Corps staff to develop new standards for their students.
Job Corps Center directors are in the process of seeking out companies
to provide training on team-building skills and computers.
Job Corps Centers performed well in the last fiscal year. Their ranking
among the 113 Job Corps Centers nationally was as follows: Oconaluftee,
28; Great Onyx, 39; Harpers Ferry, 44. Harpers Ferry and Oconaluftee
were again chosen by the Department of Labor as "school-to-work" sites,
thereby making them eligible for additional funding.
A multi-million-dollar contract was negotiated for provision of support
services at Great Onyx and Harpers Ferry. Plans have been completed for
renovation of dormitories at the latter center.
6.2 Public Land Corps Program
Reallocations of funds were made to several parks for equipment,
supplies and materials for PLC projects.
6.3 Student Conservation Association
A memo has been sent out to remind users of the national cooperative
agreement on procedures for utilizing SCA. Productivity with SCA
increased by 48% following dissemination of the memo.
6.4 Youth Conservation Corps
The YCC reference book has been printed and distributed to the regions
and parks. This year's interagency youth conference will be held in
Santa Fe, New Mexico, and will be hosted by the Forest Service. the NPS
will host the conference next year.
6.4 Other Actions
Other divisional actions include the following:
o A template for developing cooperative agreements with the National
Association of Service and Conservation Corps has been distributed
to the parks. The template will help eliminate some of the paper
work and give parks greater incentive to contact NASCC.
o The NPS joined with other land management agencies at a regional
workshop for Girl Scouts in California in October which focused on
exposing them to resource conservation careers.
o Youth Programs has a new web site which can be viewed by both NPS
staff and the public: www.nps.gov/youthprograms/. The site has
information on the two dozen youth-oriented educational programs
offered by the NPS.
o Youth Programs also has developed a newsletter on its programs
which is being made available to both the public and the NPS.
7.0 RISK MANAGEMENT - Dick Powell, Shirley Rowley
7.1 OSHA Agreement
Regional OSHA offices are continuing to work with their assigned NPS
park sites on conducting park baseline evaluations, developing written
programs (such as confined space entry programs), providing training
assistance according to park needs, and consulting on OSHA standards as
requested.
7.2 OWCP Case Investigations
The NPS has retained US Investigations Services to conduct Federal
Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) investigations and reviews of claims
by employees who may be abusing OWCP benefits, as administered by the
Department of Labor. US Investigations Service has already investigated
25 cases and has closed seven of them, having obtained evidence
demonstrating illegal receipt of OWCP benefits. Information is still
being gathered on the remainder of the cases. Reports on these cases -
minus specific information on the individuals or parks - will appear in
future editions of the Morning Report.
It's estimated that the NPS will save a total of $2,222,716 in lifetime
savings on just five of the cases presently under investigation,
depending on the action taken by the Department of Labor. The projected
first year savings in these five cases could reach $126,945.
The three new regional OWCP coordinators, their locations, the regions
they're responsible for (in parentheses), and their phone numbers are as
follows:
Mary Chandler, MWRO, Omaha (MWR, SER, IMR) Phone: 402-221-3994
Karlyn Payton, NCRO, DC (NCR, NER) Phone: 202-619-7297
Steve Rosen, PWRO, San Francisco (PWR, AR) Phone: 415-427-1319
A toll-free number has also been established that you can use to report
abuses of the workmen's comp program and false claims. The number is
877-709-1338. All information will remain strictly confidential. A
poster has been designed and produced which will publicize the toll-free
number and emphasize the seriousness of the Service's zero tolerance of
OWCP fraud and abuse.
The new OWCP coordinators will be working closely with the regions and
with Jo Ann Pena, WASO OWCP manager, to establish effective case
management programs, conduct training, coordinate case investigations,
and work with respective Department of Labor offices.
7.3 Park Assistance Contract
The three contractors who will be providing assistance to designated
parks to help them develop successful safety and occupational health
plans and programs and the parks they are assisting are as follows:
Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP Harding Lawson Associates
Apostle Islands NL DuPont Safety Resources
Denali NP DuPont Safety Resources
Ft. Sumter NM Harding Lawson Associates
Montezuma Castle NM/Tuzigoot NM DuPont Safety Resources
Pinnacles NM DuPont Safety Resources
White House Liaison, Office of Keystone International
Wolf Trap Farm Park Harding Lawson Associates
Cumberland Island NS Keystone International
Haleakala NP Keystone International
Independence NHP DuPont Safety Resources
The contractors have been in contact with their respective parks, are
beginning surveys of the existing park safety/occupational health
issues, and are planning with their parks to determine the best approach
to assisting them through the coming year.
7.4 Public Safety Initiative
The Risk Management public safety steering committee held its first
meeting in June to develop a vision and mission statement and a
strategic plan for public safety. The committee is continuing to work
on a Servicewide strategic plan for public safety, and is planning to
publish a Director's Order (50C) on public safety. A representative
from Parks Canada is working with the committee as a consultant.
7.5 Risk Management Executive Leadership Training
Twelve regional executive leadership training sessions were held in FY99
and funded by risk management program training funds. A total of 275
superintendents, deputy superintendents, and regional office managers
attended the two-day sessions. Many positive comments were received
from each session. Recommendations are being developed for the use of
program training funds for FY00.
7.6 Other Actions - Mary Davis joined the Risk Management Program Office
staff on August 16th as a program analyst. She will be responsible for
Servicewide SMIS coordination, employee injury data (including accident
rates and OWCP costs), and GPRA-related statistics. Mary is located at
the Main Interior Building, Room 7424, and her phone number is 202-208-
6241.