Pearson Air Museum without a home after contract dispute
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VANCOUVER, Wash. – Workers on Tuesday moved planes and other assets out of the Pearson Air Museum because of a contract dispute between the National Park Service and the city of Vancouver.
Moving trucks came and went, and by the end of the day much of the museum was cleared out.
Pearson Field is the oldest operating airfield in the West. And the museum, built in 1995, teaches the history of aviation in the area. It is run by the nonprofit Fort Vancouver National Trust on behalf of the city of Vancouver.
But the National Park Service owns the land, and the two parties have had several disagreements over using the space particularly on how the museum hosts outside events that don't keep with National Park Service rules.
So yesterday the park service terminated its contract with the city, effectively ordering the museum staff to vacate. That contract was supposed to run through 2025.
It's not clear what the park service plans to do with the museum space, but everything inside is owned by either the national trust or by donors who have loaned assets to the museum.
For now, those assets are being moved to a nearby hangar for safe storage.
"It really is heartbreaking and it is also quite troubling that the park service has determined that, although this has clearly been developed as a community asset and supported as such, that simply because they own the property on which the museum is built, they have the right to come in and take it over," said Elson Strahan, president and CEO of Fort Vancouver National Trust.
"A lot of people are really upset with what's happened with the museum and are demanding answers," said Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt.
The National Park Service did not immediately respond to phone calls for comment Tuesday.
Museum supporters are now turning their attention to Congress hoping local lawmakers will get involved and intervene.
Staff and volunteers at the museum will be back Wednesday morning to finish the job of clearing out what's left.
Lets do something about it!
Help out http://www.facebook.com/SavePearsonAirMuseumÂ
Support  http://www.facebook.com/PearsonAirMuseumÂ
Make a change http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-pearson-air-museum/signaturesÂ
Want to help? http://www.pearsonairmuseum.org/images/Stakeholder_Briefing_-_The_Future_of_Pearson_Air_Museum.pdf
Everyone who would like to support the museum should contact their representatives, participate in NPS protests, and Like this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SavePearsonAirMuseum
katu, the plans are to continue to have an air museum there, but instead of a privately funded non profit museum it is going to be a federally funded money losing museum paid by the tax payers
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Must've been all those bachelor parties, candy raves and keggers they were holding in the museum.
Ken Jernstedt of Hood River died this morning. Jernstedt was a Marine Air Corps officer, Oregon state Senator and Mayor of Hood River, and he was P-40 double-ace with the Flying Tigers.
 @Playanekes R.I.P indeed. P-40 is easily the best-looking fighter of the entire war...Â
well...my dad flew the P-51 and that wasn't too bad eiter!
One more article written by a news company that has obvious issues with waiting for the whole story. Now they have people screaming at maybe the only government branch that cares more for the citizens than any other. The National Park Service's, which is run by the Bureau of Land Management, main job is provide you and me with wonderful places to go and at affordable prices! Imagine what it would cost to go to Yellowstone if it were a privately owned business. Or Yosemite for that matter. Then all the National Forests like Mt. Hood! Almost all the public land that is open for you to go play and camp in is in The National Park Services control in one form or another, be it National Monument, Park or Forest. There is many millions of acres of land they have open to our "FREE" usage. What private company does that? Now really think about this, there was a valid contract for usage in place until 2025. There must be a very good reason for the NPS to void this contract and lose those revenues. Before we hang them with complaints of injustice and "big brother" accusations, and by the way we all voted these people the powers they now have,  why don't we wait for them to give us their reasons for this action? Or is it more fun to "bully" someone who gets bad representation by a private news media?
@MickRoh
It has been pretty widely distributed already, but if you would like more information on this unfortunate situation take a look at: www.pearsonairmuseum.org/images/Stakeholder_Briefing_-_The_Future_of_Pearson_Air_Museum.pdfand http://www.pearsonairmuseum.org/images/NPS_Special_Events_Permit_Denial_Analysis.pdf
 @MickRoh The NPS did not like "outside" functions that did not conform to NPS "Rules". Things like the city hosting USO dances without fees being paid to the NPS. The issue has been extensively written about in both the Columbian and Oregonian.
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 @MickRoh Wrong. The Pearson Air Museum is a national treasure. It's the only reason the airport is still there. That hangar is historic, and instead of honoring local aviators, teaching aviation to thousands of youngsters, hosting USO dances that were so amazing that granparents turned out in their uniforms and kids learned to swing dance from them... it's empty now.The museum was trying to make money. The park is trying to preserve authority. Other than the bureaucrats and business along Officer's Row, nobody uses the park for anything but weddings, the airport and the reproduction of the original fort. This problem is nationwide.
@Playanekes Wrong? Everything I said about the NPS is an absolute fact. I said nothing of the conflict or eviction of the museum!!!! Read what is written before replying. Or do you just like to use strong arm tactics? I just told those of you who are complaining about the eviction on just the merit of this story to maybe wait until they have the whole story before forming a linch mob. Don't misuse my words for your agenda!Â
If rules were broken then there must be consequences. Or is it now okay to break rules or conditions laid out in a signed and legal contract? This last statement does not pertain to the eviction of the museum, it pertains to all areas in your life!
I just wrote a letter to the National Park Service expressing my displeasure about this. Seems very heavy handed on why and how this is being handled. We love to bring guests from Portland to the Museum and the Fort. It is sad that the museum is being forced out, much less in such a mean spirited way. Tracy Fortmann, superintendent at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, really owes the city and community a detailed explanation on why this is happening.Â
 @Elliott @Playanekes You can also show your support by attending NPS protests and Liking this Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SavePearsonAirMuseum
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 @Elliott Good idea, and thank you. I'm spreading the word among the aviation community.
The National Park Service takes away another "service" of teaching avionics to people everywhere, and now has an empty building with zero - that is ZERO - rent. That budget is going to fail.
Frankly - I hope the staff and museum find a much better place with a more amiable landlord. Good luck to them!
This is an abortion of bureaucracy. They should all be very, very proud of the service they've done to Vancouver and America by kicking out the most popular element of the park.Way to go, guys.Â
Just tax the hell out of the National Park Service land. That will fix them.
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When are people going to wake up and stop allowing the federal government to have all this power? States need to take back the power they have given to the feds.
I have to agree with Scotty9...another government employee with a big ego, who made a statement and now has to prove to everyone that everyone has to do what he says. About the same thing with DHS taking kids away from a good home..."because he says it has to be that way". Hopefully Congress will do something, but with the worthless pukes we keep reelecting to Congress there is little hope of that...there is no money into the Congressmens pocket for something this small...Oh, I forgot...none of them take money under the table or do the 'pork' thing for their own gain!
So, what are the events that don't keep with national park service rules? That's the one thing the article should say, but doesn't.
@correct
It has been pretty widely distributed already, but if you would like more information on this unfortunate situation take a look at: www.pearsonairmuseum.org/images/Stakeholder_Briefing_-_The_Future_of_Pearson_Air_Museum.pdfand http://www.pearsonairmuseum.org/images/NPS_Special_Events_Permit_Denial_Analysis.pdf
 @correct They do a civil-war style "rounders" game (baseball) with people in civil war uniforms...but only Union uniforms because they gray ones are bad m'kay. So the event gets half or less of the attention it might because history geeks don't like to have history dictated to them.
 @correct I had the exact same question.  It seems the answer should have been as simple as coming to an agreement on the events that were causing the problem (like not having them anymore)...??Â
 @'CouvGuy I wonder if they had liquor, and hussies, and rock 'n' roll...Â
 @correct  @'CouvGuy The events were published in the Columbian. This is a on going battle. The NPS tried to shut Pearson down in the 1990's. That is why the The Fort Vancouver National trust was formed by congress. Now the Park Service is back to their old tricks. Tracy Fortmann, superintendent at the Fort Vancouver National Historic site did a very poor job. Now she controls a empty building with out airplanes, exhibits, workers or Volunteers. She has donors, volunteers,employees, citizens upset she has lost big time. This is a case study in "Power struggles and How to avoid them". Tracy Fortmann has made a career ending move.
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 @correct  @'CouvGuy ....and I didn't get an invite.  OK, boot 'em out...!!...;-)
 @correct exactly, kinda defeats the purpose of even reporting on the event.
This really irritates me. And the Park Service expects locals to visit?Â
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Come on KATU... Who is the Power Tripper? Get the story and tell us who got their wittle feewings hurt and had to show the rest of us who is boss.
Somebody got their ego bent out of shape and had to let the little people know who's boss. Recipe for confrontation:
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Blend 1 part ego with two parts pride, stir in a little boredom add a big splash of power and wallah!
 @Scotty9 "wallah"??
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Perhaps you meant to say voilà ?
 @correctÂ
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Exactly, but I'm never too proud to speak phonetically. I googled wallah and it means "by Allah"  Almost makes sense!
Theirs got to be more to this story.
More dysfunction in government??? Now there's a freaking surprise!
Seriously??
Really? This is the best you guys could come up with?
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From the article, no idea what is really going on, but just wanted to remind both sides that they are "owned" by the same group of people, the taxpayers. If any private business found out that two of its subsidiaries were involved in such a dispute, there would be pink slips handed out.
""A lot of people are really upset with what's happened with the museum and are demanding answers," said Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt."
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I do believe it was covered here... You know, those pesky rules they ask you to follow and all.
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"particularly on how the museum hosts outside events that don't keep with National Park Service rules"
 @Peregrine The National Park Service makes rules in DC that apply to places like Gettysburg and Yosemite. Great.  You can have 20,000 Confederate civil war reenactors film a movie at Gettysburg but they don't allow Confederate colors at Fort Vancouver which precludes living history, museum displays and all kinds of stuff they don't care about elsewhere."How the museum hosts outside events" ...ie, how the museum attracts taxpayers to the park. Because other than the old fort itself, nothing else there does. It's a waste of money.
@Playanekes They do not forbit Confedrate colors... The baseball games are a reenactment of the games played historically.. there were no confederate soldirs stationed at Vancouver Barracks.. therefore they would not have been playing. Until the details of why the outside events did not meet the rules of the National Park Service, are explained, you can not say it is just someone pushing their weight around.. It is a hard job to keep our National Park sites "unimpaired for future generations"
 @Playanekes  @Peregrine Let's remember which side the State of Oregon was on in the Civil War and that anyone displaying the rebel flag would have been shot on site. I feel the same way today.
 @dynamited77  @Playanekes  @Peregrine Not sure what Oregon has to do with this. This museum is in Vancouver, WA....
Wow, this is ridiculous!
So what was the dispute? Â Did the museum give preferential treatment to the KKK and the Blackpanthers, and not to John Schmidt who simply wanted a nice wedding? Â Come on KATU, give us some details.
 @Benjamin Schniffle The Museum held Weddings and other special events but didn't apply for permits from the NPS (who would have denied them) and I assume there is a fee associated with the permit application...
 @Kevin VanGelder Well then.  They deserved it for breaking the rules.  I won't let my renter break the no pet rule and I have sent them out on the streets.  You enter into an agreement, you enter into trust.  Break it, reap the dismal rewards.  Good for the parks people.
 @Benjamin Schniffle If it were in the contract they would have been kicked out within the first year of the contract, but we are over halfway through a 30 year contract, and the Museum is doing nothing different than they have been for years. In other words, the NPS canceled the contract, it wasn't violated or broken. And what on earth makes the NPS think they can seize the museum's assets and the on-loan exhibits?You can read the story with lots of details here: http://www.pearsonairmuseum.org/images/Stakeholder_Briefing_-_The_Future_of_Pearson_Air_Museum.pdf
Bummer, that was a cool place to visit...
 @kramr Please show your support for the museum by contacting your representatives, participating in NPS protests if you are available, and Liking this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SavePearsonAirMuseum