In a move designed to save some money, management of James A. Garfield National Historic Site and First Ladies National Historic Site is being placed under Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
National Park Service officials say the moves involving the parks in Ohio are "part of an ongoing reorganization of the National Park Service."
Under this reorganization, a permanent site manager who will oversee day-to-day operations will be hired at James A. Garfield National Historic Site, which is located in Mentor, Ohio. That position will report directly Cuyahoga Valley Superintendent Craig Kenkel. Details of the transition at First Ladies National Historic Site, which is in Canton, Ohio, were yet to be determined, a Park Service release said.
“While this assignment is necessary to resolve financial constraints for the two historic sites, we also expect there to be operational benefits and strategic opportunities by aligning all three national park units under Superintendent Kenkel,” said Patricia Trap, acting regional director of the National Park Service’s Midwest Region.
“I look forward to working with the staff and partners at James A. Garfield NHS and First Ladies NHS. My primary objective is to ensure each historic site has an on-site NPS manager and that staff and partners are better supported to achieve the site’s mission,” said Superintendent Kenkel.
The Garfield home at James A. Garfield National Historic Site remains temporarily closed due to installation of a new geothermal heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. The home will re-open to public tours in the spring of 2015.
First Ladies NHS consists of two properties; the home of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley and the seven-story 1895 City National Bank Building, which now serves as the site's Education and Research Center. The site honors the lives and accomplishment of our nation's First Ladies, and is managed by the National Park Service and operated by the National First Ladies’ Library.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park encompasses 33,000 acres along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio.
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