Published: May 12, 2009 11:53 pm      

Officials quit Flight 93 panel

SOMERSET — Two local members of the Flight 93 Federal Advisory Commission are resigning, saying they strongly disagree with the federal government’s plan to condemn private property in order to build a memorial.

Somerset County Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes and Stonycreek Township Supervisor Gregory Walker both are original members of the 15-person board.

But both now say they cannot condone the National Park Service’s reliance on eminent-domain laws to acquire land.

“I feel it would now be impossible for me to continue to serve in this official capacity to construct a permanent memorial to the crew and passengers of Flight 93,” Tokar-Ickes wrote in a letter to John Reynolds, the commission’s chairman.

Her letter was written last week but was not released until Tuesday.

Park service officials announced last week that they will pursue condemnation proceedings against seven landowners.

The government still needs about 500 acres for a permanent memorial.

And with a self-imposed completion deadline of Sept. 11, 2011, officials say they have no choice but to go to court to acquire the necessary property.

But some landowners reacted angrily, saying the park service had not negotiated adequately or fairly in recent years.

Furthermore, officials originally had pledged that they would work out amicable purchase agreements with willing sellers.

Tokar-Ickes said she is submitting her resignation “with deep sadness” but noted that she had first expressed her opposition to the use of eminent domain last year.

In his resignation letter, Walker wrote that he has listened to the concerns of local residents. Residents still support a memorial but are taking issue with how the process is evolving, he said.

“A trust that landowners had with the park service has quickly eroded away,” Walker wrote. “I always felt that it would never get to this point, but unfortunately it has.”

He also commended those who have “put long tireless hours” into the memorial process.

“I have tried to support all that the advisory board had to deal with, but now it is simply time to depart,” Walker wrote.

It was not clear how quickly the two vacancies would be filled.

A committee of another organization, the Flight 93 Memorial Task Force, originally had nominated 14 of the advisory commission’s 15 members.

Reynolds, a retired park service official, said the task force committee likely would “reconstitute” and recommend two new commission members to the U.S. Department of the Interior secretary.

He added that from his point of view, the appointments should be local residents so that the commission retains five members from this area.

“There needs to be people from the local community involved,” Reynolds said.

With the departure of Tokar-Ickes and Walker, the three remaining local members of the commission are Donna Glessner, a Shanksville-area resident; Gary Singel, former Shanksville-Stonycreek school superintendent; and Jerry Spangler, county district attorney.

In her letter, Tokar-Ickes said it was a privilege “to work with the dedicated and committed individuals on this panel.”

Reynolds said he had not yet received formal word that Walker was leaving. But he was well aware of Tokar-Ickes’ intentions and said she will be missed.

“I hold Ms. Tokar-Ickes in the highest regard with full respect and deep admiration,” Reynolds said. “She has been a dedicated commissioner with extremely sensitive insight and possessing the highest level of integrity.”

Reynolds added, however, that the commission supports the use of property condemnation because it has also endorsed the idea of having a memorial in place by the crash’s 10th anniversary.

“It’s necessary if we’re going to meet that commitment,” he said.

Also on Tuesday, the park service released a message intended to further support the decision to pursue land condemnation.

The memo, attributed to “Flight 93 National Memorial partners,” said the park service and the Families of Flight 93 organization “acted in good faith, working with the landowners for a long time” under a well-publicized deadline.

Property owners will receive “fair market value” for their land as determined by the court, the memo said.

“The NPS and the Families of Flight 93 are sensitive to the community’s concerns regarding the use of eminent domain and will work hard to alleviate those concerns,” officials wrote.