GPRA
ANNUAL
PERFORMANCE PLAN
APPOMATTOX
COURT HOUSE
NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
FISCAL
YEAR 2004
OCTOBER 1, 2003 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2004
Fiscal
Year 2004
Annual Performance
Plan
for
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
Approved
/s/ Reed Johnson April 30, 2004
Superintendent Date
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Approval page.....................................................................................................................
ii
Table of Contents................................................................................................................
iii
I Introduction................................................................................................................. 1
About
this plan ........................................................................................................... 1
Appomattox
Court NHP............................................................................................... 1
The
National Park Service............................................................................................ 1
Government
Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA)............................................. 2
II Mission Statement........................................................................................................ 2
III Strategies: Accomplishing Goals................................................................................... 2
Organization.............................................................................................................. .2
Facilities................................................................................................................... .2
Financial
Resources................................................................................................... .3
IV Key External
Factors..................................................................................................... 3
V
Goals………………………………………………………………………………………………........ 3
Ia1B Exotic Plant
Species……………………………………………………………………..4
Ia4 Water Quality……………………………………………………………………………..4
Ia5 Historic
Structures..................................................................................................
4
Ia7 Cultural Landscapes ......................................................................................... 5
Ia08 Archeological Sites……………………………………………………………………….6
Ib01 Resource Inventories or data sets .................................................................... 7
Ib2A Archeological Sites Inventory........................................................................... 7
Ib2B Cultural Resources Baseline: Cultural Landscapes............................................ 7
Ib2C Cultural Resources Baseline: Historic Structures.............................................. 8
Ib2D Cultural Resources Baseline: Museum Objects Cataloged................................. 8
Ib2F Cultural Resources Baseline: Historical Research Baseline………………………..9
Ib3 Vital Signs...................................................................................................... 9
IIa1 Visitor Satisfaction.......................................................................................... 9
IIa2 Visitor Safety................................................................................................ 10
IIb1 Visitor Understanding and Appreciation............................................................ 10
IVa3A Performance Plans Linked to Goals................................................................ 11
IVa4A,B,C
& D Workforce Diversity....................................................................... 11,12
IVa5 Employee Housing ....................................................................................... 12
IVa6B Employee Safety (Workers Compensation)..................................................... 13
IVb1 Volunteer Hours............................................................................................ 13
IVb2A Cash Donations and Grants .......................................................................... 14
Ivb2C Cooperating Association Donated
Value...............................................................14
VI Measuring Results...................................................................................................... .15
VII Annual Performance Plan Preparers.......................................................................... 15
I. INTRODUCTION
About This Plan
This
is the Annual Performance Plan (APP) for Appomattox Court House NHP, a unit of
the National Park System, administered by the National Park Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior. It covers Federal fiscal year 2004 (October 1, 2003
– September 30, 2004),
one-year of our five year (2001-2005) Strategic Plan period. This Plan includes
our mission statement, derived from the legislation establishing and affecting
this park. It contains our goals
organized under goal categories, mission goals (the “in perpetuity” goals that
encompass everything we do), and the quantified, measurable long-term goals
from our five-year Strategic Plan. The
focus in this Plan, however, is on our annual goals and what we plan to
accomplish this fiscal year.
The
content and organization of this Plan relates to the process established by the
National Park Service under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993
(GPRA) [see following sections]. Additional copies of this Plan, or copies of
our Strategic Plan, are available by visiting or writing park headquarters at:
National Park Service
Appomattox Court House NHP
PO Box 218
Appomattox, VA 24522.
We welcome questions
and comments, which should be addressed to the Superintendent at this
address.
Each annual goal is
results- or outcome-oriented, objective, quantified and measurable, with
performance measures built into each goal statement. A “Strategies” section
describes the organization, facilities, and financial resources available to
achieve the plan’s goals. The “Key External” Factors” shows those things that
may positively or negatively affect goal achievement. Each goal has one or more explanatory
paragraphs that gives background, detail, and other information useful to help
the reader understand the goal as well as how the goal will be accomplished and
measured. After these goal explanations,
there is an overview of how results will be measured. We have included a list
of those who prepared this Plan and who we consulted with in its development.
In addition to this
Annual Performance Plan, we also use internal management documents to guide
daily operations throughout the year. They detail the specific activities,
services, and products that will be carried out or produced to accomplish goal
results, and the dollars and people that will do it.
Appomattox Court House National
Historical Park
Appomattox
Court House NHP is a vital part of America’s national system of parks,
monuments, battlefields, recreation areas, and other natural and cultural
resources. Established by an Act of Congress
in 1936, Appomattox Court House NHP is located in Appomattox, Virginia.
Containing 1,743 acres, the park preserves in perpetuity the village of
Appomattox Court House where, on April 9th, 1865, General Robert E.
Lee surrendered the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to Union General
Ulysses S. Grant, and makes this valuable part of America’s heritage available
to over 195,000 visitors each year for their experience, enjoyment,
understanding, and appreciation. Please
see our Strategic Plan for more information about Appomattox Court House NHP.
The National Park Service (NPS),
established in 1916, preserves outstanding examples of the best of America’s
natural, cultural, and recreational resources for the enjoyment, education, and
inspiration of this and future generations. These resources of national
significance constitute a significant part of America’s heritage, character,
and future. The National Park System
consists of 378 units park units located in nearly every state and territory of
the nation. The National Park Service not only directly preserves these
treasures, it also makes them available to millions of visitors from throughout
the country and the world every year. NPS
also has legislated responsibilities for natural and cultural resource
conservation outside national parks in partnership with state and local
governments, tribes, and non-profit organizations. These programs provide a variety of technical
and/or financial assistance.
In
consultation with Congress, OMB and other interested parties, the NPS developed
its own implementation process to comply with the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA). Using an
8-step process, the NPS developed its
first
Strategic Plan in 1997. A copy of the current plan is available for
review at Appomattox Court House NHP. It
is also available on the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/planning.
As
part of its GPRA implementation process, NPS decided that each of its component
parks, programs, and offices would develop and submit their own Strategic
Plans, Annual Performance Plans, and Annual Performance Reports. These plans
address applicable long-term goals in the NPS Strategic Plan and may add goals specific to their own legislative
mandates, missions, resources, visitor services, and issues needs. The local plans are generally a blend of
national and local missions and goals.
The Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA)
This
Annual Performance Plan is written in part to fulfill the requirements of the
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).
Congress passed this law in 1993 to bring the federal government into
the “performance management revolution.”
Performance management is a goal-driven management concept and practice
already widely adopted by the private sector, state and local governments, and
many others. GPRA requires federal
agencies to develop 1) a Strategic Plan, 2) Annual Performance Plans, and 3)
Annual Performance Reports in order to more effectively and efficiently manage
their activities to achieve their missions, and to more effectively communicate
with the Congress and the American people.
Please see our Strategic Plan for more information about GPRA and
performance management.
II. MISSION Statement
To commemorate the surrender of the Army of Northern
Virginia by General Robert E. Lee to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and
the termination of the Civil War brought about by the Appomattox Campaign from
March 29-April 12, 1865 and to honor those engaged in this great conflict.
III. STRATEGIES:
Accomplishing Goals
We plan to accomplish
our goals using the organization, facilities, and financial resources
summarized below. These should give the staff, partners, stakeholders, and the
public a better understanding of what we are trying to accomplish and how we
plan to do it.
Organization
Superintendent Reed
Johnson leads the park staff, which is organized into five operating divisions:
Resource Management, Interpretation, Museum Services, Maintenance, and Administration. Staff expertise and specialties include five
permanent park guides and rangers, nine employees devoted to maintenance and
building preservation, one natural resource management specialist, one Curator,
one Museum Technician, one Historian, and an administrative staff of two. There
are six seasonal (temporary) park guides working in interpretation, and one
seasonal maintenance worker.
Our staff
will be supplemented and/or supported by assistance or expertise from various
other NPS parks and central offices, and/or and other partners or
organizations. Staff from the National Park Service’s Philadelphia Support
Office will work with us to assess and improve our preservation maintenance
efforts for Ia5 and continue our assessments of our archeological resources for
Ia08. The Museum Services Center located
in Boston will assist in accomplishing Goal Ib2D. Additional specific assistance in achieving
the park’s FY2004 annual goals will be provided by the National Park Service’s Harpers
Ferry Center.
Eastern National will continue to help accomplish education and visitor service
goals through literature sales and donations for interpretive and educational
purposes. (Goals IIb1 and IVb2C).
Facilities
Park facilities [and
infrastructure] for accomplishing the FY 2004 annual goals includes: one
visitor center (the restored Courthouse); the McLean
House, 35 historic structures comprising the historic village, and a
cooperating association sales outlet located in the Tavern kitchen. A six-mile hiking trail provides access to
additional historic features.
Financial Resources
Financial resources
available to achieve the park’s goals include a base operating budget of
approximately $1,255,000, which
funds a work force of 19 permanent
positions, and 3 seasonal positions.
This work force will be supplemented by 3944 hours of
Volunteers-in-Parks, and special project and program funds distributed by the
National Park Service regional and Washington offices. Achieving our goal performance targets is critically
dependent on our base funding and on these additional project funds, volunteer
assistance, partnerships and donations.
Therefore, in order to plan and organize goals and the work to
accomplish them, and to communicate and document it, all funding and staffing
sources, and major alternative sources of support and work, are included in
developing our Plan.
These figures are based on the NPS Green Book authorization
for FY2004 of $1,255,000. Highlights of the park's budget, which funds specific goals
in this annual performance plan, include:
$196,500
for resource preservation and management. This includes $90,000 for museum preservation,
collections management and curatorial services; $72,500 for natural resource
management and related research; and $34,000 in estimated fee revenue for
implementing the Clover Hill Tavern furnishings plan, producing room barriers,
and to continue the inventorying and cataloging of museum objects.
$451,400
to address visitor services. This includes $367,400 for interpretive programs and all visitor
contact activities by park personnel and $84,000 for maintaining the visitor
center, contact stations and restrooms.
$485,198
for facility operations and maintenance. This includes
$107,550 for maintaining the lawns, gardens, grounds, pastures, etc.; $245,750
for maintenance and preservation of the park’s historic and modern structures;
and $131,898 in estimated fee revenue for repairing the Cloverhill Tavern roof,
floors and walls; repairing the County Jail’s wooden stairway; repairing the
exterior of the fee booth; and repaving the Confederate Cemetery parking lot.
$298,800
for park administration. This will be used to provide
administrative support and overall program direction and management as well as
employee development and training.
IV.
KEY EXTERNAL FACTORS
The
park continues work on the General Management Plan, within this plan several
additional plans have been developed, like the Collections Management Plan and
the Natural Resource Management Plan and the Long-Range Interpretive Plan.
Using outside sources, cooperative agreements, regional staff and contractors
data is being gathered to compose these plans and based on these source
workloads and the parks completing of projects is uncertain. Continued fluctuation
of visitation due to visitors staying closer to home continues to be a concern.
V.
GOALS
Goal Categories, Mission Goals, and Long-term Goals
The NPS performance
management process requires all units of the NPS to organize goals and efforts
under four goal categories and broad, “in perpetuity” mission goals that state
ideal future conditions and encompass all we do. Long-term goals, developed for
each strategic plan period, move us toward mission goals. Annual goals (in the
next section) are the current year’s increments toward achieving long-term
goals, and they are listed by Goal Category, Mission Goal, and Long-term Goal.
Please see our Strategic Plan for more details.
Annual
Goals
Below are the park’s annual goals for fiscal year FY 2004, October 1, 2003
through September 30,
2004. The numbering sequence follows that
of the NPS Strategic plan. Goal numbers
may not be consecutive – where a number is left out there is no local goal
matching the NPS goal. Goal categories
and Mission Goals are in regular type.
Long-term goals are italicized.
Annual Goals are in bold type.
Since goal progress is not always equally spaced during a strategic
planning period, there is a note to show when no activity is scheduled this
fiscal year.
Goal Category I: Preserve Park Resources
Ia
Natural and cultural resources and associated values at Appomattox Court House
are protected, restored and maintained in good condition and managed within
their broader ecosystem and cultural context.
Ia1B. Exotic Plant Species - By September 30, 2005
Appomattox Court House NHP has reduced the amount of land infested with
invasive, nonnative plants by 5% from the baseline survey conducted in 2000.
Ia1B - Exotic Plant Species - By September 30, 2004, Appomattox
Court House has
treated (250 acres) of parkland to
control Johnson grass, Ailanthus, privet and multifora rose.
Exotic vegetation is defined as invasive, nonnative
plant species that pose a threat to native species and natural processes and for which effective and feasible
treatments are available. A herbicide
application will used on the nonnative plants of Johnson grass, Ailanthus
and Privet and multifora rose.
Exotic vegetation directly affects natural resources
and can result in severe and persistent changes to habit conditions and
ecosystem functions disrupting natural processes.
Additional research of surveying parklands for
invasives will be conducted to update the 2000 survey. Measurement of this goal will be measured at
the end of each fiscal year by determining the number of acres of restored land
within the infested land.
Ia4. Water Quality – By September 30, 2005,
Appomattox Court House NHP will not have unimpaired water quality.
Ia4 – Water
Quality - By September
30, 2004, Appomattox
Court House will not have unimpaired water
quality.
The Clean Water Act Section 303 and Environmental
Protection Agency Regulations (40 CFR section 130.7) require States to publicly
list all waters that do not support existing or designated beneficial uses,
such as recreation and aquatic life support.
Sources of pollution that frequently degrade water quality include, but
are not limited to, industrial and municipal point discharges, agricultural
non-point run-off, and atmospheric deposition.
Good water quality in parks is imperative to the persistence of natural
aquatic communities and to the consumptive and recreational use of water by
visitors. Ensuring the integrity of
water quality in parks, therefore, is fundamental to the mission of the
National Park Service.
Appomattox Court House NHP lies within the Chesapeake
Bay Watershed and contains 8.4 miles of streams within the park boundary. Water quality at the park is impaired due to
grazing and agricultural activities associated with the Historic Property
Leasing Program. Activities outside park
boundaries also threaten water quality including urbanization, industrial
activity and non-point source run-off from agricultural activities.
This goal will be measured each year by conducting
water quality monitoring of physical and chemical parameters, obtaining
information from State NPDES permits, notices of violation, and/or the State
section 303(d) list. Although Appomattox
Court House NHP will never have unimpaired water quality due to outside
sources, the park will continue to monitor and improve the existing streams.
Ia5. Historic Structures - By September 30, 2005,
41 of 55 (75%) of the historic structures listed on the 1999 List of Classified
Structures are in good condition.
Ia5 – Historic Structures – By September 30, 2004, 73% of
the historic structures listed on the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park 1999 List
of Classified Structures are maintained in good condition (40 of 55
structures).
The
List of Classified Structures (LCS) is the primary computerized database
containing condition information on the estimated 25,000 historic and
prehistoric structures in the NPS. Structures on the LCS are on, or eligible
for, the National Register of Historic Places, or are otherwise treated as
cultural resources.
Appomattox
Court House contains 55 “structures” on the LCS, which includes not only
buildings such as the McLean House (site of the Surrender meeting), Clover Hill
Tavern complex, Isbell House, Courthouse, etc. but roads, parking lots, and the
Maintenance Complex, as well. During FY
2003, we will rehab repair the County Jail's wooden stairway and repair and
rehab the Clover Hill Tavern roof, floors and walls using Fee Demonstration
monies. These will be completed under contract and represent the top priorities
in meeting this goal for the year. Park
staff will perform routine repair/rehab on all other structures as the need
arises. Quarterly Inspection of Building Condition will continue to be
performed by the Division Chief to assess and evaluate hierarchy of maintenance
needs.
This
goal will be measured and evaluated by the Chief of Maintenance using a
two-stage process. Each historic structure is currently undergoing a thorough
inspection and inventory using a computer documentation program that contains
information on current conditions, dimensions, architectural materials,
etc. Based upon this inventory, repairs
and/or preventative maintenance needs are prioritized. Upon completion of the necessary work, a
completion report is prepared.
Ia6. Museum Collections -
By September 30, 2005, 668
of 910 (73.4%) of preservation and protection standards for Appomattox
Court House National
Historical Park's
museum collections are met.
Ia6 - By September
30, 2004, 72% of preservation and protection standards for Appomattox Court House National Historical Park's museum
collections are met. (655 of 910)
The
preservation and protection of museum collections is essential to the NPS
mission. Environmental, security, and
fire protection conditions necessary to preserve and protect these important
resources are identified on the NPS Checklist for Preservation and Protection
of Museum Collections. Parks complete
the Checklist with data compiled nationally.
Parks update data by completing and submitting revised Checklists as
needed.
The
park is completely lacking any facility to store museum objects that meets
preservation standards, i.e. climate control.
All of the museum objects not on display in the visitor center are
forced to be stored in historic structures that lack any semblance of
compliance. To the maximum of this limitation, Park Curator Williams has
pursued this goal. Until such time as plans and funding are authorized to
construct a proper storage facility, we cannot truly meet this goal. The General Management Plan, currently under
preliminary development, is considered the key to gaining the storage facility
we need.
Measurement
of this goal will occur through annual completion and submission of the NPS
Checklist for Preservation and Protection of Museum Collections by Park Curator
Joe Williams.
Ia7. Cultural Landscapes - By September 30, 2005, 100% of Appomattox
Court House National
Historical Park’s
cultural landscapes on The National Park Service Cultural Landscapes Inventory
(CLI) with condition information will be listed in good condition. (2 of 2)
Ia7 – By September
30, 2004,
50% of Appomattox Court House National Historical Park’s cultural landscapes on the
National Park Service Cultural Landscapes Inventory (CLI) are maintained in
good condition. (1 of 2)
Cultural
landscapes range from large rural tracts covering several thousand acres, such
as the Gettysburg
battlefield and the Blue Ridge
Parkway, to formal designed
landscapes of less than two acres, such as Frederick Law Olmsted’s home and
studio. Cultural landscapes provide the physical environment associated with
historical events and reveal aspects of our country’s origins and development
through their form, features and use. They also illustrate the relationships
among park cultural and natural resources.
The CLI is a national inventory of all park landscapes having historical
significance. The CLI contains information on the location, historical
development, and current management of cultural landscapes including condition.
The Cultural Landscapes Automated Inventory Management Information System
(CLAIMS) is an analytical tool for assessing information associated with the
CLI. NPS Management Policies require that the cultural
landscape(s)
be maintained, as much as is possible, as they were in the time period that the
park is mandated to preserve, protect and interpret.
In
FY 2001, a level 2 CLI was completed for Appomattox Court House. One cultural landscape was identified for the
park in addition to one component landscape.
The village itself is one landscape and the area outside the village is
the other. The primary period of significance for the landscape was identified
as 1865. One-fifth of the ONPS budget is
spent maintaining the cultural landscape through mowing, pastures, fences,
roadsides, landscaping and related activities.
This includes routine preventative maintenance of Non-Historic structures.
The
measurement of this goal is the Servicewide Cultural Landscape Inventory
maintained at the Washington Office level.
The grounds, gardens, lawns, etc. that comprise the park are routinely
inspected and evaluated by the Chief of Maintenance and Natural Resource
Specialist. Mowing, gardening, forestry,
etc. is then prioritized and completed.
Ia08 – Archeological Sites - By September 30, 2005, 17% (11 of 68) of Appomattox Court
House National Historical Park's archeological sites NOT listed on the FY1999
National Park Service Archeological Sites Management Information System
(ASMIS), or listed without condition assessments, are in good condition.
Ia08 - By September 30, 2004, 20%
of Appomattox Court House National Historical Park’s archeological sites NOT
listed on the FY1999 National Park Service Archeological Sites Management
Information System (ASMIS), or listed without condition assessments, are in
good condition. (14 of 68)
Archeological
sites and their condition become the responsibility of NPS as soon as NPS takes
ownership or management of the land on which they occur. The condition assessment of an archeological
site should be performed, documented, and periodically updated by a
professionally qualified archeologist and/or park staff who has been trained by
professional archeologists in conducting condition assessments. The condition information is recorded in the
ASMIS (Archeological Sites Management Information System) as one of the data
standards for archeological site inventory and evaluation at the national
level. An assessment that a site is in
good condition indicates that the site is stable and its current archeological
values are not threatened. A site in
good condition is not deteriorating from either natural processes, such as erosion,
or human impacts, such as vandalism, looting, or visitor use.
Appomattox
Court House contains the archeological remains of a mid-19th century
county seat, which served as the setting for the ending of the American Civil
War and re-establishment of peace and unification. Archeological resources have been identified
within portions of the park, but an overall, systematic summary of the known
and potential archeological resources of the park does not exist. Currently, 68 known archeological sites within
the park have been entered into ASMIS, although site condition has not been
determined. Work continues on the
Archeological Overview and Assessment to determine the number and condition of
park archeological resources. Remote sensing
and site assessments were completed in FY02.
The work completed in FY02 put the Park on firm ground for the long term
planning process associated with the current GMP..
This
goal will be measured at the end of each fiscal year by determining the number
of sites, which do or do not have condition assessments.
Ib
The National Park Service and Appomattox Court House NHP contribute to the
knowledge about natural and cultural resources and associated values;
management decisions about resources and visitors are based on adequate
scholarly and scientific information.
Ib01 – Natural
Resource Inventories – By September 30, 2005, 11 of the park’s primary
natural resource inventories identified in a Resource Management Plan and
General Management Plan are completed.
Ib01 – By