20th of October, 1998
Gary J. English
1504 Fairmont Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Mr. Dan G. Deibler
c/o Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission
Bureau for Historic Preservation
Post Office Box 1026
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17108-1026
Dear Mr. Deibler:
On August 6, 1998, I had filed an application
with the Pennsylvania Historic Landmarks & Museum Commission. The application was
filed with the intent of preserving Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium while placing it on
the National Registry.
The application process states that all
applications will receive a response within 30 days of filing. Sixty-seven (67) days
later, I receive a response. This is over twice the time period that Commission
regulations have in responding to applications.
The response came as no surprise, as I had
telephoned the PHMC Commission and spoke to staff person, Mr. Doug Reynolds regarding this
application. After advising him of the over-due response, I had expressed my concerns of
politics getting in the way of the decision. I had questioned Mr. Reynolds about the
process and further asked about how the Chairwoman & Director obtained their
positions. Mr. Reynolds had informed me that these positions are appointments made by
Governor Tom Ridge, and further stated that the appointees serve at the pleasure of the
Governor.
Governor Ridge's public policy on stadiums is
well known. The Governor has pledged to fund up to one-third the cost for new stadiums in
Allegheny County. Due to the fact that the Chairwoman and Director serve at the pleasure
of the Governor, approving this application would contradict the Governor's public policy
on stadiums. Therefore, the outcome was a foregone conclusion that it was based on
politics not on the merits of the historical values.
Your letter of October 13th is an
apparent reply to the email I had sent the commission. This does not address these issues
that I have raised. Again, I await your response.
Respectfully submitted,
Gary J. English