Lawmaker impressed with bombing memorial
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By Jennifer Mock
Published: June 1, 2006
Representative has threatened to withhold funding.
A
North Carolina congressman who has threatened to try to withhold funding from the
Oklahoma City National Memorial said he was "impressed" during his first visit Wednesday but stopped short of agreeing that the monument deserved more federal funding.
The trip came at the urging of memorial officials after
Rep. Charles Taylor, a Republican who heads the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the
National Park Service, publicly resisted allocating $2 million already promised by Congress to the memorial.
Taylor, who also has worked to block funding for a United Flight 93 memorial in
Pennsylvania, explained his position in April. He said the
Oklahoma City Memorial had fewer visitors than estimated and was unable to raise enough private money.
"They are now requesting millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to step in and replace unmaterialized pledges," he said at the time.
Taylor said Wednesday he had inaccurate information and hailed the cooperation between the private and public groups in Oklahoma City as a model that could be used across the country.
He called the memorial a "sound business operation."
Kari Watkins, executive director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, called the additional federal money "critical to our long-term success."
The $2 million is part of a $5 million matching fund authorized by Congress in 2004. The money is meant to establish an endowment to continue memorial operations.
Watkins said the state of
Oklahoma matched the $5 million promised, and an additional $7 million was privately raised to build the endowment. Now it's time for the federal government to live up to its promise, she said.
"Congress is good on its word," she said, saying Taylor gained some perspective of the impact the memorial has had on the community during his visit.
She said if the money is not allotted this year, she will continue to fight for the promised funds.
Taylor would not promise memorial officials the outstanding $2 million, saying federal lawmakers are having to balance funding programs and trying to contain the country's growing deficit.
In the future, he and his fellow congressmen need to consider the long-term sustainability of memorials and parks before committing money to such projects, Taylor said. A vibrant community willing to continually chip in local funds should be the key to any successful memorial, he said.
"My concern is still there, but that is no reflection on Oklahoma City," he said. "We have to look beyond the immediate shock and see how can we maintain (these memorials) in a respectful and fiscally responsible way."
The bill appropriating the funding for the memorial is likely heading to conference for further negotiations within the next 90 days, Taylor said. The House version does not contain the $2 million for Oklahoma City, he said.
"We owe a certain contribution, but the question is what amount and for how long?" he asked.
