The National Park Service is considering plans to overhaul the National Mall. The project will be looked at from a visitor's view and will focus mostly on renovating facilities that have taken a beating from the more than 25 million visitors who go to the Mall every year. No new monuments or other attractions are under consideration.
The Park Service is soliciting public input for the project, which is the most comprehensive overhaul in a century. A Web site has been set up to receive public comment about the new projects and a public meeting will be held next week.
Although the Mall is long overdue for a cleanup, the first thing that should be fixed is security, particularly at night. There were several reported robberies and two sexual assaults near the Washington monument and surrounding blocks this summer.
The main problem with the Mall at night is that it isn't well lit. The surrounding area is also largely deserted at night (the Department of Agriculture isn't exactly a hopping nightspot). Also, the Smithsonian Metro entrance onto the Mall closes at 10 p.m. each day, forcing people to take a longer walk in the unlit, deserted area to the Independence Avenue entrance, furthermore dissuading nighttime visits (although that, sadly, may be the point).
The lack of safety at night keeps the Mall from being a gathering place for locals like other comparable national areas are. Parisians can gather at the Eiffel Tower without fearing for their safety (they get a nifty light show at midnight, too). Although the Mall is primarily intended to be a gathering place, it would be nice for the government to consider ways D.C. residents, not just tourists, could enjoy the public space.
Other more tangible changes, like the ones proposed by the Park Service, will undoubtedly help the Mall overall. First, the Park Service should consider getting rid of the gravel along Mall pathways. All it does is get in people's shoes. They should also consider adding more restrooms. The ones that are there don't meet the present need and it's not always convenient to walk into one of the museums.
They should also consider expanding the food options beyond overpriced museum food and innumerable hot dog and soft pretzel carts. A few more restaurants or vendors with more varied and inexpensive food would only attract more people to the Mall.
Whatever your opinion about the renovations, make your voice heard. There certainly isn't going to be a national roller coaster if no one asks.
