Media coverage since December 2012 http://www.dailypress.com/news/hampton/dp-nws-fort-monroe-december-meeting- 20121214,0,843952.story Consultant: Sustainability decades away at Fort Monroe Conservation groups asking preservation not take a back seat to economics By Robert Brauchle,
[email protected] | 757-247-2827 December 14, 2012 HAMPTON — The cost of operating Fort Monroe will continue to outpace revenue indefinitely unless the state agency overseeing the property finds creative ways to earn money, according to an accounting firm hired to plan the property's future. Just three options are being considered for Fort Monroe's master plan, all of which run an operating deficit exceeding $3 million annually, according to a presentation given Thursday by master planner Sasaki Associates. Those options include reusing the existing buildings for civilian uses, creating a Wherry Quarter park, and building homes in Wherry. Wherry Quarter — an area north and east of the stone fort that is not included in the National Park Service monument — has been a focus for Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park, which has lobbied for that 72-acre area to remain park land. The area has been a wild card of sorts throughout the planning process. While public input has overwhelmingly supported green space in Wherry Quarter, state officials have said developing that property may be vital to making Fort Monroe economically sustainable. "We see it as an economic benefit to use that area as park space," said Scott Butler, of the Citizens group. "There are some tourism revenues that we feel haven't been considered." The Fort Monroe Authority has hired consultants to create a master plan to transition the property from military uses to civilian uses.