When I read the Jan. 26 headline “Air, space artifacts get new home” in The Columbian, I figured that maybe the National Parks Service had managed to fill our beloved Pearson Air Museum with something more than a boat and tractor. I was wrong.
It seems we get coverage of museums in other states because the NPS continues to allow our historical treasures to descend into disrepair and irrelevance. Somehow, in their minds, this is better than allowing the community to use and develop the space in a responsible and productive manner. In this day and age of budget cuts and sequestration, the Fort Vancouver National Trust’s handling of the museum should have been a blueprint for federal agencies. Unfortunately, Superintendent Tracy Fortmann and the rest of the NPS continues to treat it as their personal property while our community misses out on the benefits the Trust was providing.
It appears we will have to read about, and live vicariously through the successes in other communities.
Richard Kennington
VANCOUVER
