Norton get "Rest Stop" Federal Buildings Open, Extended Metro Hours, & Flexibility on January 20th
Norton gets "Rest Stop" Federal Buildings Open, Extended Metro Hours, and Assurances of Flexibility on January 20th
January 15, 2009
The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-Dc), chair of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the General Services Administration, said today she had gotten several government buildings to remain open on inauguration day as "rest stops" for people to get relief from the cold and the crowds and to use restrooms. The Old Post Office Pavilion (12th and Pennsylvania Ave NW ) will open at 5 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., the Ronald Reagan Building (13th and Pennsylvania Ave NW) will be open for 24 hours, and both the Federal Aviation Administration buildings 10A and 10b (8th and Independence Ave SW) and the Ford House Office Building (3rd and D St SW) will be open for regular business hours. Norton also negotiated extended Metro hours on January 19th, from midnight to 2 a.m., in a meeting with Metro General Manager John Catoe, to accommodate the thirty pre-inauguration events held that night.
The swearing-in starts at 11:30 a.m. on January 20th, but people with tickets will need to leave home several hours before to be able to catch a subway or bus that is not too crowded to stop, to have time for a long walk, and to be able to get through security, which closes at 11:30 a.m. Concerned that large sections of the city are shut down for all except walking on January 20th, Norton met with the Director of the Secret Service, the Capitol Police Chief, the House and Senate Sergeant at Arms, MPD Chief Cathy Lanier and Deputy Mayor Dan Tangherlini. Norton emphasized the balance that must be kept between the justifiable expectations of the public and admittedly serious security concerns, such as the need for medical staging and protecting the large crowd itself. The officials agreed to be flexible in receiving the largest crowd in U.S. history, while taking every available step to avoid discomfort and disappointment, particularly for those who have never attended an inauguration and will have no tickets. Norton said that her work to assure the opening of some federal buildings and the early 8 a.m. opening of the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Castle Building was particularly vital.
Norton reminds people that even though she was able to get Metro to stay open late on January 19th, and regardless of the Mall's capacity, even Metro is limited in its capacity, even running extra trains continually. For all intents and purposes, walking from distant points will be the only reliable mode of transportation, and considering the crowds, walking will be difficult the closer people get to security. After the annual July 4th Mall celebrations, for example, people often must walk two or three subway stops to get on a train, and some stations have limited the numbers who can come into stations at one time.
The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-Dc), chair of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the General Services Administration, said today she had gotten several government buildings to remain open on inauguration day as "rest stops" for people to get relief from the cold and the crowds and to use restrooms. The Old Post Office Pavilion (12th and Pennsylvania Ave NW ) will open at 5 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., the Ronald Reagan Building (13th and Pennsylvania Ave NW) will be open for 24 hours, and both the Federal Aviation Administration buildings 10A and 10b (8th and Independence Ave SW) and the Ford House Office Building (3rd and D St SW) will be open for regular business hours. Norton also negotiated extended Metro hours on January 19th, from midnight to 2 a.m., in a meeting with Metro General Manager John Catoe, to accommodate the thirty pre-inauguration events held that night.
The swearing-in starts at 11:30 a.m. on January 20th, but people with tickets will need to leave home several hours before to be able to catch a subway or bus that is not too crowded to stop, to have time for a long walk, and to be able to get through security, which closes at 11:30 a.m. Concerned that large sections of the city are shut down for all except walking on January 20th, Norton met with the Director of the Secret Service, the Capitol Police Chief, the House and Senate Sergeant at Arms, MPD Chief Cathy Lanier and Deputy Mayor Dan Tangherlini. Norton emphasized the balance that must be kept between the justifiable expectations of the public and admittedly serious security concerns, such as the need for medical staging and protecting the large crowd itself. The officials agreed to be flexible in receiving the largest crowd in U.S. history, while taking every available step to avoid discomfort and disappointment, particularly for those who have never attended an inauguration and will have no tickets. Norton said that her work to assure the opening of some federal buildings and the early 8 a.m. opening of the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Castle Building was particularly vital.
Norton reminds people that even though she was able to get Metro to stay open late on January 19th, and regardless of the Mall's capacity, even Metro is limited in its capacity, even running extra trains continually. For all intents and purposes, walking from distant points will be the only reliable mode of transportation, and considering the crowds, walking will be difficult the closer people get to security. After the annual July 4th Mall celebrations, for example, people often must walk two or three subway stops to get on a train, and some stations have limited the numbers who can come into stations at one time.