GLEN ECHO PARK, NPS: THEY'RE WITH "STUPID" ON STREETCAR GIVEAWAY

CURSORY SALE PROCESS RAISES

QUESTIONS ABOUT GSA PROPERTY

REMOVAL PROCEDURE,

PARTNERSHIP BOARD INVOLVEMENT

The Glen Echo streetcar story made The Washington Post yesterday.  And as I predicted Friday, we are going to learn more and more about this fiasco as time goes on.

My scoop that the General Services Administration tried to sell the People's Streetcar on eBay was solid.  Try as they might, Glen Echo and the National Park Service have to admit it happened.  And fortunately, the evidence was presented here on this blog for all to examine.

One new bit of information to come out of John Kelly's column, is that there was in fact a monetary sale made, by the GSA to General Machine.

But it was a "stupid" price, according to Ken Rinehart, CEO of General Machine.  The clear interpretation in this context, is that it was a joke of a low price.  A giveaway, essentially.  Surprising, given the GSA's eBay demand of $30,000 minimum.

This raises questions about the whole sale process.

I am not an expert on GSA "property removal" procedure.  Whatever it consists of, was it followed in this case?  And if it was, is it flawed?  Because if the GSA handled all government property sales this way, wouldn't it have cost the country a fortune in lost sales revenue?

First of all, when the streetcar issue came up, what involvement did the Glen Echo Partnership Board have in this debate?  Who concluded that sending the streetcar off for scrap was an acceptable option?

Second, should NPS have to solicit at least three estimates for the restoration cost for the streetcar before making a final decision?

Third, once the mystery decisionmaker(s) decided to give up on the car, what were the GSA guidelines for the sale process?

One would think that the selling of government property would first invilve establishing the market value of the property.

If the GSA placed an overpriced listing on eBay, and then gave up and sold it for a "stupid" price, that would almost certainly indicate that the GSA did not bother to determine the market price of this particular piece of government property.  Is that legal?  Again, if such a casual process is truly legal and standard practice, how much did such underselling cost the American people last year?

Consider that Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys and the San Diego Vintage Trolley Line wanted to assist in raising restoration funds and/or adopting the streetcar.  Instead, the NPS bypassed that opportunity 3 years ago, and placed the car - which belonged to you, me and every other American - into private, for-profit hands.  And, according to Rinehart's interview with Kelly, those non-profits will now have to pay him a "price" in order to adopt the streetcar.

Wow.  Do you realize what happened there?

A couple other of points:  We, the People owned this car, and were never alerted or consulted about the pending sale to private hands.  Sunshine laws, anyone?

And ultimately, what was the idea in allowing the car to decline in the first place?  Why should the streetcar and its supporters get a raw deal, if park stewards willfully neglected this piece of public property they were given responsibility for?

How come we haven't heard word one from Glen Echo's appointed board on this matter?

It's all quite troubling.  You can't blame Rinehart in the least in this situation.

When NPS says it would like to acquire a "real" Glen Echo trolley (yeah, there are a lot of those around.  Hee Haw.), you first have to laugh.

But this debacle is more serious then that  The fact is that, while I'd definitely like the DC area to acquire any DC streetcar it can, the SEPTA car was actually more valuable - having been refurbished in 1985, it was in great running condition when it arrived at Glen Echo.  The GSA rated its interior 89 out of 100 on eBay (which totally contradicts the NPS claim of expensive interior renovation being necessary).  It had all new wiring.

In short, the car we lost could actually have been brought to life and run.

That's worth way more than a "stupid" price.

As a result, we lost our streetcar, and the American people lost the difference between the "stupid" price and the true market price (there being such, since both San Diego and San Francisco restore and operate PCC streetcars just like this).

Bottom line:  What did they know, and when did they know it?

EXCLUSIVE: NON-PROFIT TRIED TO RESCUE GLEN ECHO STREETCAR 3 YEARS AGO, WAS REBUFFED BY NPS

SAN DIEGO PRESERVATION GROUP

WANTED TO GIVE A HOME TO

PARK'S NEGLECTED TROLLEY,

MOVED TO CHEVERLY SCRAPYARD

TUESDAY

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

The plot, as they say, thickens.  As I reported yesterday, Glen Echo Park's beloved 1947 PCC streetcar was abruptly hauled away by a scrap metal company, by order of the National Park Service and the GSA.  This after the GSA tried to sell the trolley on Ebay (as you can tell from yesterday's entry, I'm not making this up, folks!).

The NPS initially did not respond to my inquiry Tuesday, and gave an "exclusive" to The Gazette, which printed an NPS-centric version of events.  Needless to say, the additional exclusive details I uncovered were not quite as flattering to Glen Echo and the NPS.

Wednesday, I finally got a response by contacting the park manager.

I am still waiting for some follow-up communications today about questions that remain unanswered.  NPS and Glen Echo should hardly be surprised that people who care about streetcars and history are understandably upset about the way this was handled.  

Right now, what I've heard from NPS gives me more questions than answers.

One disturbing point is that the NPS apparently sent the streetcar off believing it would be destroyed for scrap metal.  In fact, it was sent to a scrapyard.  The scrapyard owner, however, is quoted saying he wants to keep and restore the car in his scrapyard.  It's entirely possible that the purchaser paid nothing for the car but the cost of moving it.

But this is where it gets interesting.  The NPS has claimed it attempted to raise funds to restore the car, and that it could not afford what it said is a $100,000 restoration of SEPTA Car 2732.

Later, among the feedback I received on yesterday's post, was a very interesting and enlightening email from Harry Donahue of Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys.  Needless to say, these folks know SEPTA trolleys, and are a far more authoritative source than NPS on restoration.

Remember the claims of failing to find donors, $100,000 restoration fees, and there being no alternative but to have the GSA "remove excess government property," a.k.a. the People's Streetcar?

The NPS statement said, "We had sought grants to restore the streetcar...two different donors expressed interest...Each of them later changed their minds."  Ultimately, NPS says, no money was available.

But according to Donahue, FPT "tried to rescue this car 3 years ago."

He says that the San Diego Electric Railway Association would have loved to adopt the Glen Echo streetcar at that time, and still wants it today.

"Unfortunately, we could get no answers from Glen Echo/NPS," wrote Donahue, adding that they sent an FPT member to the park in person, "to no avail."

The claim of $100,000 restoration by NPS?  Donahue's group has restored another SEPTA PCC for the Baltimore Streetcar Museum for "just under $40,000."  He included a photo, and SEPTA car #2168 literally looks like it just rolled off the assembly line!  Incredible work.

As far as outreach to the public or streetcar fans and restoration groups?  Yesterday, I challenged the NPS to show us the articles or ads to prove these efforts, because I've heard not a single word that we were in danger of losing our streetcar.

It turns out that FPT's sole mission is raising money to restore former Philadelphia streetcars - of which our #2732 was one!

Did NPS reach out to this most logical source of funds?

"We never heard anything (about NPS) seeking funding for #2732," reports Donahue.

I think NPS and the directors of Glen Echo have more explaining to do.  Particularly the way this was handled.

It's a sad day in Glen Echo and Bethesda without our streetcar.  But very heartening to hear from this group and Mr. Donahue, who are doing all of this work for free to restore streetcars, so that history can be remembered, and for the enjoyment of others.  FPT's work helps to create new generations of streetcar fans each day.  I hope people consider supporting this and other preservation groups.

The information he has shared is extremely helpful, as we in the community try to get answers about how and why we lost our streetcar, and were not consulted about its sale/giveaway - when we, the People, own it!

To summarize, we had a fully operational PCC streetcar, Glen Echo and NPS neglected it, NPS ignored offers from groups who would restore the damage so it could remain at Glen Echo, and - if not - even had a specific home for it in San Diego where it was wanted, and would actually be run on an active streetcar line(!!)...

And, instead, the streetcar is spirited away with no public warning, and now sits in a scrapyard?

What is this world coming to, ladies and gentlemen?

It's outrageous.

SEPTA #2732 - and Bethesda - deserve better.  The indignity!