QUARTERLY PARK OPERATIONS UPDATE
            FIRST QUARTER, FY00: OCTOBER - DECEMBER, 1999
  
                               PART 2
   
  
  February 11, 2000                                                00-01 
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  5.0   HARPERS FERRY CENTER
  
  5.1   Media Inventory - Dave Nathanson
  
  As of December 21st, the staff had entered 10,393 media forms from 396 
  parks and offices into MIDS (Media Inventory Database System). These 
  included 999 audiovisual forms, 865 exhibit forms, 433 historic 
  furnishing forms, and 8,096 wayside exhibit forms. All forms received  
  have now been entered into the system. The few remaining parks that 
  have yet to respond have been contacted and 24 are actively working on 
  their inventories. All data entry has been completed for 344 parks; 
  all of them have been notified that they may request passwords so that 
  they may update their own information via the web. To date, 42 parks 
  have been issued passwords. 
  
  The audiovisual portion of the interpretive media inventory was begun 
  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, 1999. The deadline for response was June 1, 1999, but forms 
  still trickle in. The project received $280,000 from the 20% fee 
  money. That money has been used for temporary personnel and equipment 
  for the project. Development was contracted for the development of an 
  Oracle database system to maintain the data.  The contract resulted in 
  MIDS, which allows data entry and updates over a web interface on the 
  NPS Intranet.  The division has contracted with a person experienced 
  in NPS interpretation to provide Class C estimates for media reported 
  as unacceptable, beginning with the exhibit responses.  In order to 
  simplify her work, spreadsheets have been developed that automate the 
  exhibit and waysides estimating procedure.  Efforts are also underway 
  to develop a web-based estimating utility for new work.
  
  5.2   HFC Realignment - Magaly Green
  
  The vacancy announcement for the an associate manager for client 
  services at HFC closed on December 17th.  Numerous applications were 
  received, and a certificate of eligible candidates was expected by the 
  end of January.  The person eventually chosen for this new position 
  will be responsible for creating a new HFC department.  The Client 
  Service Department will focus on improving communications between HFC 
  and its park/clients as well as developing new services that will 
  enable the parks to better meet their interpretive media needs.  The 
  associate manager for client services will oversee the HFC web site, 
  the HFC-centered interpretive media database, the park/client database 
  operation, the new Interpretive Media Institute, interpretive media 
  evaluation programs, and research and testing of new interpretive 
  media products and services.  
  
  5.3   Style Guide - Magaly Green
  
  As part of the National Park Service "Message Project," Harpers Ferry 
  Center has been directed to plan, design, and produce a comprehensive 
  design standards package that will ultimately apply to virtually all 
  forms of NPS internal and external visual communications. Once 
  adopted, these standards will provide formats and designs for 
  everything from report covers to business cards, from exhibit labels 
  to park directional and information roadside signs.  HFC is 
  instituting a version of ICS in order to create a temporary 
  organization structure to carry out this important function in the 
  most expeditious manner possible.  Phil Musselwhite, the current 
  associate manager for wayside exhibits, will be the IC, with Melissa 
  Cronyn, the current associate manager for publications, serving as a 
  deputy IC. Within the next two months, HFC will create a web site 
  dedicated to the this Message Project undertaking.
  
  5.4   Other Actions
  
  Harpers Ferry Center has been assigned major responsibilities for 
  September's Discovery 2000 conference in St Louis.  These include 
  production of a conference video (this will be re-edited in 2001 to 
  become the NPS employee orientation video), a conference design 
  (overall look, logo, colors, etc.), a trade show (Expo 2000, which 
  will be a forum/market place for companies and non-profit partners to 
  display their products with a futuristic slant), and a web site with 
  conference information and updates.
  
  HFC management has asked for a management review of the HFC 
  audiovisual equipment depot operation to determine if the depot is 
  operating in the best interests of the NPS and in the most 
  cost-effective manner possible.  The review began on December 13th 
  under the direction of Frank Seng, program manager for the NPS Offices 
  of Audits and Accountability.  A final report is expected in March.
  
  6.0   YOUTH PROGRAMS - Bill Jones
  
  No submission this quarter.
  
  7.0   RISK MANAGEMENT - Dick Powell, Shirley Rowley
  
  7.1   OSHA Agreement
  
  Several OSHA partnership parks have received final comprehensive 
  inspection reports from OSHA.  Efforts to remediate the hazards 
  identified in the inspection reports are continuing in each park.  
  Follow-up inspections will be conducted by the regional OSHA offices 
  this fiscal year.  Some parks received site-specific OSHA training; 
  neighboring parks were invited to attend some of the training 
  sessions. Parks also received assistance with the development of 
  required OSHA programs, such as the programs on confined space entry 
  and hearing conservation.
  
  7.2   OWCP Case Investigations
  
  Training for the three new regional workers' compensation coordinators 
  was held at the Interior in December.  Regional risk managers and 
  human resources personnel were also invited to attend. The focus of 
  the training was on the reduction and management of  regional workers' 
  compensation claims so the new coordinators will be able to provide 
  technical support and guidance to the individual parks in their 
  regions.
  
  The three new coordinators are:
  
  o     Mary Chandler, MWRO, Omaha - MWR, SER, IMR
  o     Karlyn Payton, NCRO, DC - NCR, NER
  o     Steve Rosen, PWRO, San Francisco - PWR, AR)
  
  A regional coordinator and an investigator from U.S. Investigations 
  discovered that an NPS employee on the periodic rolls had died, but 
  that monthly OWCP payments were continuing to be dispensed for a total 
  amount of $7,000.  Proper action was taken, the checks were stopped, 
  and the person receiving the money will be required to pay back the 
  entire $7,000.        
  
  7.3   Park Assistance Contract
  
  The park assistance contract will continue in FY 2000; the following 
  parks have been selected to receive assistance from a designated 
  contractor:
  
  o     Buffalo National River
  o     Gateway National Recreational Area
  o     Petrified Forest National Park
  o     Prince William Forest Park
  o     Redwood National Park
  o     San Juan National Historical Site
  o     Sitka National Historical Park
  
  Additional parks may be designated in FY 2000 if additional money is 
  available.  
  
  The three contractors who will be providing assistance are DuPont 
  Safety Resources, Keystone International, and Harding Lawson 
  Associates.  A briefing session was held for park representatives in 
  January to determine which contractor would best fit each park's needs 
  for development and implementation of a successful site-specific 
  occupational safety and health program.
  
  7.4   Public Safety Initiative
  
  The public safety steering committee met in November to continue work 
  on the draft strategic plan for NPS public risk management.  Four 
  major focus areas are identified in the plan - leadership and 
  strategic direction, prevention, emergency services (readiness and 
  response), and program support. Objectives and core strategies were 
  developed for each focus area.  A subcommittee is currently writing 
  additional objectives and strategies needed to complete the plan.  The 
  next step will be a review process.
  
  Director's Order 50C and Reference Manual 50C will be developed to 
  emphasize NPS commitment to and implementation of the strategic plan.  
  Parks Canada's public safety and visitor risk manager, Per Nielsen, 
  continues to work with the committee as a partner to provide 
  consulting services.
  
  7.5   Other Actions
  
  Director's Order 50B, "National Park Service Occupational Safety and 
  Health Program," was signed by the director on December 22nd. DO-50B 
  and RM-50B are available on the NPS web site under the "Reference 
  Desk" heading.  The publication of these two final documents concludes 
  a three-year effort to update and replace NPS-50, published in 1991.   
  
  A draft Lyme disease education, awareness, and immunization program 
  has been developed and submitted for preliminary review.  Based on the 
  urgent need to institute policy and implementation plans prior to the 
  upcoming Lyme disease transmission season, requests for administrative 
  approval will be sought following the incorporation of the review 
  comments.
  
  During the risk management national advisory council meeting in 
  November, the council recommended continued funding of executive level 
  safety leadership training sessions for FY 2000, include management 
  teams, as appropriate.  Money has been transferred to each region from 
  the risk management program's designated training funds for the 
  continued training sessions.
  
  Fiscal year 1999 lost-time accident rates and continuation-of-pay data 
  for GPRA comparison/reporting has been distributed.  The national 
  lost-time accident rate will be reported using both FTE's and labor 
  hours, as an effort to ensure accurate data.
  
  The WASO Risk Management Office is requesting information from parks 
  and regions on "best practices" for both employee and visitor safety 
  and health.  These good ideas will be shared Servicewide by the Risk 
  Management Office.
  
  8.0   PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE - John Hanley
  
  8.1   Staff Changes
  
  There will be a number of staff changes and actions over the coming 
  year:
  
  o     Commander Barry Hartfield will EOD in Northeast Region on March 
        17th and will be responsible for public health issues in parks 
        and offices throughout the region - except for Virginia, 
        Maryland and West Virginia, which will be handled by NCRO.
  o     Commander Alan Schoeder has been reassigned from the PHS office 
        in Santa Fe to the Facility Management Division, effective 
        February 1st. He will work in that division's hazardous 
        materials program office. The announcement for a successor has 
        closed and a replacement will likely be selected within the 
        coming month.
  o     An announcement has been issued for an assistant chief for the 
        Public Health Service's WASO office. The person hired will be 
        charged with providing environmental health support to both that 
        office and the field.
  o     Captain Phil Pollard will be retiring from the Seattle office 
        (responsible for old PNR and Alaska) in June. The announcement 
        for his successor closes on February 18th.
  o     Captain Barry Davis will be retiring in November from the Denver 
        office, where he is responsible for parks in the Colorado 
        Plateau Cluster. The job has not yet been announced.
  
  8.2   Interagency Agreement
  
  The NPS will soon be signing an interagency agreement with the Public 
  Health Service which will result in cost savings to the NPS and 
  reaffirm and strengthen current operational arrangements between the 
  two organizations. It will be signed by the director and the surgeon 
  general.