This historic Army post may have won over a most important ally on Wednesday: Cabinet member Ken Salazar, secretary of the interior. Salazar toured the 570-acre base in Hampton before meeting with about 150 citizens, almost all of whom indicated strong support for making Fort Monroe a national park after the Army departs in September.
As head of the federal agency that oversees the National Park Service, and as President Barack Obama's point man on preserving and protecting the nation's heritage and natural resources, Salazar could be pivotal in making that happen.
He was clearly impressed with what he saw inside and outside the moated stone fort at the heart of the property.
"This is an incredible place," he told the audience gathered at Bay Breeze Community Center on the fort's easternmost beach.
Later, at a meeting with The Virginian-Pilot editorial board, Salazar said Fort Monroe could become a great example of an urban national park, and it is clearly in line with Obama's great outdoors initiative.
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