WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- Congress is being urged to fund a much-needed overhaul of the
National Mall, the stretch of land that runs from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol.
Witnesses at a House subcommittee hearing say it could cost as much as $500 million to restore
the 650-acre property to its former elegance, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The mall's poor condition has been evident for years but only recently has an array of plans,
programs and legislation been proposed to remedy the situation.
"Thirty-four years ago, when I came to Washington, the mall didn't look the way it looks today,"
says John E "Chip" Akridge, chairman of the Trust for the National Mall.
Judy Scott Feldman, president of the nonprofit National Coalition to Save Our Mall, urged
lawmakers to create a special commission.
"This is not a task just for government agencies," she said in the Post report. "It requires the
best creative minds in the country."
