The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Project Foundation has applied for a permit from the National Park Service so it can start construction in November on the $120 million memorial on the National Mall.
H
arry Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Memorial Foundation, said Wednesday that he was confident the permit would be authorized. All requirements set by the commissioner of fine arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, such as that the memorial fit in its surroundings and be easily maintained, have been met, Johnson said.
Changes to initial construction plans for the memorial include the addition of 188 cherry blossom trees on the site, a bookstore and more buildings for information kiosks.
“The bookstore will serve as a nice place for people to relax and enjoy the memorial,” Johnson said.
Johnson also said security measures have been added, as have more restrooms to meet a growing need on the Mall. Efforts to make the memorial environmentally friendly include “changes to landscaping and to the materials used in the project,” he added.
These changes, combined with a weakened economy, have increased memorial costs from $100 million to $120 million, a bill paid in full by private donors.
“Building costs have gone up,” Johnson said. “No one would have expected five years ago that we would be paying so much for gas.”
Bill Line, a spokesman for the National Park Service, said the agency was in the process of reviewing the foundation’s application for a permit and that there was no time frame or date by which it has to be approved.
