The Steinwehr Avenue neighbors aren’t very pleased by the shape in which the old Visitor Center Lawn has been left. This photograph was taken at the driveway near Steinwehr Avenue looking toward the Quality Inn Motor Lodge. This view was taken from the south facing north at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.
The old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center between the Taneytown Road and the Emmitsburg Road will be torn down sometime this summer, and the area restored to look closer to what it did in 1863. In the meantime, what should the Park Service do about this property? They decided not to spend time and money cutting grass around the property and the parking lot islands, but the neighbors along Steinwehr Avenue complained. The Steinwehr Avenue neighbors believe the unkept look of the ground will not be good for their businesses. But does the Park Service have an obligation to spend time and money on an area that will have a complete facelift?
The lawn on the south side of the old visitor center. This view was taken from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.
The main sign containing churches and other organizations welcoming visitors to Gettysburg needs a lot of work, or it needs to be removed. This view was taken from the southwest facing northeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.
We’ll call this the Park Service “compromise cut.” Along the roads and the parking lot, the National Park Service has now cut a six to eight foot wide strip of lawn. This is the old “lower bus parking lot” on the west side of the building. This view was taken from the south facing north at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.
The Park Service opened this parking on Memorial Day Saturday, and Memorial Day Monday of this week. The lot was opened Monday because of the parade that ended in the Soldiers National Cemetery on the other side of the stone wall in this photo. This view was taken from the northwest facing southeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.
The Park Service also cut the grass off these parking islands. We have had a significant amount of rain this year, and the grass has been growing much faster than in previous, drier years. This view was taken from the north facing south at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.
The area around this sign along the Emmitsburg Road entrance has been cut, and the “compromise cut” may be seen on both sides of the driveway leading to the parking lot. This view was taken from the northwest facing southeast at approximately 4:45 PM on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.