Nation's front yard needs big fundraiser

The sad state of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is by no means the most pressing problem in the country, but fetid pools and ruined lawns are a visible reflection of decline that we citizens should not tolerate.

Everyone is aware that the public space affectionately known as America's front yard needs costly attention, but members of Congress have skimped. They are more interested in sending earmarked money back to their home districts.

No one is eager to claim ownership of the grassy 650 acres that link some of the country's proudest monuments and most illustrious museums.

The nonvoting delegate representing the District of Columbia in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, says we should be ashamed of what mall visitors see. We should, but shame alone won't restore the grass, shore up sinking retaining walls, repair sidewalks, install restrooms, and clean up the water in the fountains and pools. Even while the National Park Service plans a major overhaul of the mall, a reported backlog of $400 million in needed repairs is likely to remain largely unfunded.

The mall is prime stomping grounds for tourists who pay nothing for the experience. Some 25 million people visit each year from all over the world. If the mall were a golf course that busy, someone would be teeing off every two seconds.

The various monuments and museums in Washington have their loyal supporters, but the mall itself has few friends. Seven years ago, the editor of The Washington Monthly called it "a parched and barren expanse presided over by a despotic Park Service bent on stamping out any trace of fun or enjoyment."

That assessment remains on target today. As long as the maintenance budget is inadequate, it doesn't make sense to encourage even more people to use it.

One possibility for improvement would be to give the Washington delegate full voting rights to claim a fair share of earmarks, but that change raises many political complications. Another option would be to lease rights to vendors, which could create a carnival atmosphere many visitors would not see as an improvement.

A more straightforward approach would be to do what volunteer fire departments, friends of the library, and PTAs do: Hold a fundraiser.

The National Mall has been the site of many grand events, including the "I have a dream" speech by Martin Luther King. It would be a great venue for a concert, hosted by the president himself. Musicians could be invited to donate their time, as many have for other worthy causes over the years.

It could become an annual event with a different musical genre featured each year.

The mall is worth the trouble. The president of the American Society of Landscape Architects calls it "an enduring symbol of our country's heritage and democratic ideals." Margaret O'Dell, regional director, National Park Service, has said the "great swath of green in the middle of our capital city and stretching from the foot of the United States Capital to the Potomac River is America's civic stage ... for expression of commemoration, remembrance, celebration, and public assembly."

So why not for one weekend a year turn it into a musical stage and sell tickets?

Then again, remembering how the concert-goers mangled the field at Woodstock, perhaps Congress should just hire a few good landscapers.

Whatever solution is chosen, the mall needs attention soon. Its decline lends the nation's capital a gloomy atmosphere unhealthy for the national spirit.