Pallone should back up his words with action

Congressman Frank Pallone has signaled a change in his position on plans for privatization of the Fort Hancock buildings on Sandy Hook.

On Saturday he stated unequivocally that he is against putting the buildings in the hands of a private for-profit operation, Sandy Hook Partners. Now it is time for Pallone to back up his words with action.

As the area’s congressman, Pallone is uniquely positioned to pressure the National Park Service to give up on its efforts to lease the buildings to Sandy Hook Partners and to deal more forthrightly with surrounding communities about the possible effects of any development.

First and foremost, Pallone needs to demand that, before the park service goes ahead with this or any plan that will significantly increase the number of people heading to Sandy Hook each day, there be a real study done to see how the increase in traffic will affect area roads.

As it stands, local communities, which will see little if any benefit from greater use of the Hook’s facilities, will see their already crowded roads become even more clogged.

If Pallone is serious about applying pressure on the park service to drop what he now admits is a flawed plan for exploitation of park resources, he also must consider the effect his own actions have in making the plan more or less viable.

In Congress, Pallone is on the front lines of fighting for outside funding to enhance park operations.

Recently Pallone’s office trumpeted his success in obtaining $2 million in funding for a permanent ferry dock at Sandy Hook. Previously he had obtained $1 million that also is targeted to fund the construction of the dock.

Although a dock clearly improves the accessiblity of all of the Hook’s facilities, it also likely plays a very large role in improving the viability of Sandy Hook Partners’ plans for commercialization of those facilities.

If the congressman were to signal his willingness to see such funding be shifted elsewhere, it is likely his compatriots in Congress would happily oblige him.

If the park service is serious about its mission of serving the public, it would get the message before things went that far. If Pallone is serious in his opposition to Sandy Hook Partners’ plan, there’s no reason for him to help the company and park service defy his wishes.