The National Park Service officially launched its partnership yesterday with the Trust for the National Mall, a
nonprofit national organization dedicated to raising money to restore and maintain the National Mall.
The partnership, formed three years ago, hopes to raise much of the estimated $350 million required long-term
to restore and maintain the Mall, Chip Akridge, chairman of the trust, said at a ceremony at the Department of
the Interior.
"The National Mall truly is 'America's Front Yard,' " he said. "Repairing and restoring it to a world-class park will
require support from across the country." Possible projects could include, among other things, rehabilitation of
the Lincoln Reflecting Pool and Constitution Gardens Lake and repair of the seawall walk around the Tidal Basin,
officials said yesterday.
