Nearly 800 park projects across the country will receive funds used for construction, deferred maintenance, energy efficient equipment replacement, trails, abandoned mine lands and road maintenance.

The park projects were chosen because they are expected to generate the most jobs in the shortest period of time and provide lasting value.

One particular piece of good news is that $55,825,000 is slated for the National Mall, which has a $400 million maintenance backlog. Congress had stripped $200 million for the repair of the National Mall from the final stimulus package, which prompted the formation of a six-member ad hoc panel comprised by members of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Institute of Architects and the American Planning Association. The panel?EUR??,,????'?????< www.landscapearchitect.com/research/article/11901. The panel called for repair of the Tidal Basin seawall, replacement of the Capitol Reflecting Pool, redesign of Union Square, and revitalization of severely compacted lawn areas.

Included in the National Mall restoration funding is $30 million for the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, which is often filled with stagnant water. An estimated $7.3 million will allow the NPS to restore the District of Columbia War Memorial to a bandstand. Several million will be used for the Jefferson Memorial seawall, which has been slowing sinking into the tidal basin.

Secretary Salazar deemed these funds a down payment on the challenges facing the National Mall.