[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 522]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY CENTER

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I wish to discuss the current situation 
with regard to siting of the American Revolution Center at Valley 
Forge, a museum dedicated to interpreting, honoring, and celebrating 
the complete story of the entire American Revolution, within Valley 
Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania.
  I have been working with the American Revolution Center for a number 
of years, and there has been no shortage of challenges. The current 
challenge is related to zoning issues in Lower Providence Township, 
Montgomery County. The township has approved a zoning ordinance to 
enable development of the American Revolution Center on a 78-acre 
parcel of land that is within the federally authorized boundary of 
Valley Forge National Historical Park but not owned by the National 
Park Service. The 78-acre parcel is part of a larger 125-acre tract of 
land that is in danger of housing development. Not only would the 
American Revolution Center, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, 
develop a museum dedicated to the Revolutionary War, but it would also 
preserve the remaining 47 acres as open space.
  I have supported appropriating Federal funding to acquire the 
aforementioned land that is in jeopardy of residential development. In 
fiscal year 2005, I helped secure $1.5 million for the National Park 
Service to begin acquiring 85 acres that were related to the 125-acre 
tract that is now connected with the American Revolution Center. In 
fiscal years 2006 and 2007, I supported the appropriation of $9 million 
and $3.1 million, respectively, for the Park Service to complete the 
125-acre acquisition. However, due to increasing fiscal constraints, no 
funding was available at that time to continue the project. 
Additionally, in fiscal year 2004, I helped secure $5 million for the 
National Park Service to acquire other land within the Valley Forge 
boundary to also prevent it from housing development.
  By the American Revolution Center taking possession of this land, it 
is easing the financial and obligatory burden of the Federal Government 
to preserve this sacred ground. Additionally, I am confident that those 
in charge of the administration of the American Revolution Center will 
be responsible stewards of the historical integrity of the land and 
ensure its conservation for generations to come. I am also confident 
that the Lower Providence Township managers, the local governing 
branch, will appropriately manage the zoning ordinance for the 125-acre 
tract under current direction of the American Revolution Center to 
guarantee its conservation should the museum ever vacate the property.
  Thus, recognizing the importance of Valley Forge to the founding of 
the United States, the creation of a museum to celebrate its history 
and preserve the park's integrity is a positive development. Local 
government decisions regarding private land use ought to be respected, 
and I strongly urge the Department of the Interior, the National Park 
Service, and the American Revolution Center to work cooperatively to 
expedite the creation of this museum, which is long overdue.

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