Park Service seeks nominees for Fort Hancock committee

The National Park Service is seeking nominations for individuals to be considered for appointment to the Gateway National Recreation Area Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee.

The committee is charged with defining practical, long-term solutions for preserving Fort Hancock, according to Gateway Superintendent Jennifer T. Nersesian.

Eight of the committee’s 20 members have terms that expire in late August.

Anyone interested in being a member, including current members whose terms are expiring, must submit materials in hard copy to the office of Gateway’s superintendent no later than July 14. Nominees should describe and document their qualifications and include a résumé. The committee is capped at 20 members.

Committee members will be selected based on their ability to collaborate; ability to understand NPS management and policy; and connection with local communities.

Nominations are sought to represent the following communities: real estate, recreation, cultural resources and historic preservation, business and hospitality.

Nominations are not limited, however, to representatives of these groups. Members of the committee currently include representatives from Monmouth County and the municipalities of Highlands, Sea Bright, Rumson and Middletown Township.

Registered federal lobbyists are not eligible to serve on the committee, whose members serve without compensation. After they are selected, the nominations will be vetted through the Department of the Interior and the White House. Members are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior for a term not to exceed three years or the life of the committee, whichever is shorter.

Recently, the park received more than 40 proposals from prospective leaseholders for the historic buildings at Fort Hancock, and the committee is advising the park on an upcoming Request for Proposals to lease and rehabilitate the buildings.

Since its first meeting in January 2013, the committee has advised Gateway National Recreation Area concerning the future of the Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historical Landmark.

More than 100 historic buildings dating from the U.S. Army era are located within Gateway’s Sandy Hook Unit. Most are vacant, but could be saved through adaptive reuse by other leaseholders, according to a press release from the park service.

Nominations should be mailed to: Gateway National Recreation Area, Office of the Superintendent, 210 New York Ave., Staten Island, New York 10305

The Call for Nominations has been published in the Federal Register. See http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014- 06-12/pdf/2014-13778.pdf.

Fort Hancock, a U.S. Army fort, was established in 1895 and operated until it was deactivated in 1974.