Fort Monroe backers see Obama's visit as opportunity

HAMPTON

There's one person in the world who could, with the stroke of his pen, declare Fort Monroe a national monument and ensure its inclusion in the national park system.

It just so happens that man - President Barack Obama - is coming to Hampton next week as part of a three-day tour touting his jobs plan.

Local and state officials hope that isn't a coincidence, but they're not taking any chances. Mayor Molly Ward, who has been aggressively lobbying federal officials to commit to a federal role at the historic former Army base, is encouraging park supporters to wear green and hold signs while lining the route Obama's motorcade will travel on Wednesday.

"This is the mayor's and city manager's No. 1 priority - making sure the president is aware of the community's full support for a national park or national monument at Fort Monroe," said Bruce Sturk, Hampton's director of federal facilities support.

Ward, a Democrat, had planned to accompany Terrie Suit, Virginia's secretary of veterans affairs and homeland security, to Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Suit will be testifying in support of legislation that would transfer more than half of the 565-acre property to the National Park Service.

Instead, Ward will submit written testimony and remain in Hampton to host Obama on Wednesday.

The thrust of Obama's visits in North Carolina and Virginia next week is to rally support behind his ideas to promote job growth and improve the economy.

His bus tour begins Monday in western Carolina, with stops that day in Asheville, Millers Creek and Greensboro, where he will spend the night.

On the second day, Obama will travel to Jamestown, N.C., and Emporia, Va., before spending the night in Hampton.

According to a White House official, the president will be joined by first lady Michelle Obama for the final leg of his bus tour Wednesday, including a visit to Joint Base Langley-Eustis.

Robin McCormick, a Hampton spokeswoman, said it's still unclear where the president will stay in Hampton and what route his motorcade will travel. She hopes supporters can turn out on short notice.

"It's an excellent opportunity for citizens and people who are backing a national park at Fort Monroe to show how much they care,"McCormick said.

McCormick was working Friday on getting large signs printed with the message "Make Fort Monroe a National Park."

Phyllis Terrell, marketing director of the Fort Monroe Authority, said authority staff would love to give Obama a tour of the 565-acre property. As of Friday afternoon, they hadn't gotten any requests.

The authority is a state entity tasked with overseeing the re-use of the fort, including miles of Chesapeake Bay waterfront, a 332-slip marina, hundreds of buildings and more than 1 million square feet of office space.

Built in the 1830s to guard the waterways leading to Washington D.C., Fort Monroe stayed in Union hands during the Civil War, when it became known to slaves as Freedom's Fortress. In the early days of that conflict, a Union general granted asylum to three escaped slaves who asked for protection, a decision that spurred thousands of freedom seekers to flock to the post.

It also was home to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who spent almost two years in federal custody after the war.

After Hampton, the president will visit other Virginia locations before returning to Washington. The White House didn't name specific sites.

The Associated Press had reported last week that Obama would visit four Virginia localities: Danville, Charlottesville, Newport News and Fredericksburg.

In a statement Friday, the Virginia Republican Party suggested Obama's itinerary was changed so he wouldn't harm the re-election efforts of several state Democratic legislators in hotly contested races this fall.

Earlier this week, Gov. Bob McDonnell asked Obama to add a Louisa County stop so he can see the roughly $15 million in property damage caused by an earthquake in August. The Federal Emergency Management Agency turned down McDonnell's request for federal disaster aid.

McDonnell was informed by FEMA officials Friday that Obama will not stop to see quake damage during his tour.

Pilot writer Julian Walker contributed to this report.

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com