Re: American Memorial Park

We would like to take this opportunity to comment on recent articles in the paper and letters to the editor about American Memorial Park, and try to clarify some points for the general public. Most of these comments were provided to the House Resources Committee on Senate Bill 11-26.

To quote the enabling legislation that established the park, “The Park shall be administered for the primary purpose of honoring the dead in the World War II Mariana Islands Campaign.” In addition, the legislation provided that “the Secretary shall transfer administration of the park to the government of the Northern Mariana Islands at such time as the Governor, acting pursuant to legislation enacted in accordance with sections 5 and 7 or article II of the Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands, requests such transfer. All improvements including real and personal property shall thereupon be transferred without cost to the government of the Northern Mariana Islands and thereafter the full cost of development, administration and maintenance for the park shall be borne by the government of the Northern Mariana Islands. “The National Park Service (NPS) was entrusted to care for American Memorial Park (AMME) when it was established in 1978, and since then the NPS and the Commonwealth have been able to accomplish many things that fulfill the mission of the Park.

The accomplishments that we refer to include but not limited to the construction of Flag Circle, the Carillon Bell Tower, amphitheater, and the tennis courts. All of these facilities were constructed with access to the expertise of the National Park Services, the engineers, realty specialist, hydrologists, biologists, surveyors, and park rangers. Currently, AMME has a visitation of almost a million people annually, and it is the only spot on Saipan that can handle the thousands of people that attend the special events at the park, such as Flame Tree Festival, the Liberation Fair, the Taste of the Marianas, Inaugurations, and graduations. In addition to commemorating the important role of Saipan during WWII, AMME fills a recreational need for residence and visitors. As a living memorial, the Park has staff on sight to interpret the history of the war and Saipan’s involvement in the WWII Pacific campaign. It is an excellent example of a successful Federal-local partnership and functions as an important center to community activities.

The funding of the park comes from a variety of sources: NPS funds, Marianas Public Land Trust (MPLT) funds and donations. For the current fiscal year, the NPS is expecting to obligate about half a million dollars towards the management of the park, and in fiscal year 2000, that amount is expected to be a little under $800,000. Currently, there are four full time positions dedicated on sight to park management. An addition three to four positions are devoted to park management that come in the form of support from other park areas and regional offices.
As stated above, Marianas Public Land Trust Funds are another source of support for the management of the park. We would suggest that should a management transfer ultimately occur, that the entire current balance of the trust funds remain in the trust and continue to be invested and managed in accordance with the current MPLT policies. That would include the current policy of only spending the income from the principle on park operations. An additional factor to consider is if a transfer were to occur what responsibilities the CNMI would have to the United States in enduring proper care and management of the Memorial.

An additional issue that has come up in recent weeks deals with the flying of the Commonwealth flag over the park. Several years ago, the previous administration requested that the flags be taken down. The National Park Service complied with that request and the flags were removed. We have recently been asked to put the flags back up and are making plans to do so.

As you can see, a significant amount of money and personnel from the National Park Service go into managing American Memorial Park. Should a transfer occur, the Commonwealth would be responsible for development, administration and maintenance of the park according to the legislation that established the park. The park;s significance and the positive strikes that the NPS and the Commonwealth have made in park development have made American Memorial Park a high quality facility that all can be proud of. The future of the park can be very exciting with careful planning and a common focus, and the NPS would like to continue the collaborative relationship it has with the Commonwealth.

Karen Gustin
Superintendent