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[[underlined]] National Postal Museum [[/underlined]]

On November 4, 1987, the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) rejected the roof addition for the main city post office building which would have provided funding for a national postal museum as part of a mixed use private-public redevelopment of that building by the United States Postal Service. Subsequently, members of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee unsuccessfully tried to transfer the building to Congress as part of the omnibus Continuing Resolution enacted in mid-December. Hearings on the Committee's proposal are expected to be held in late March. In the meantime, the Postal Service is meeting with the NCPC regarding a revised plan with a much reduced "penthouse" roof addition (about eight feet high), aiming for the Commission's approval in early March. The Postal Service will probably try to accommodate interests of both GSA and Congress within its redevelopment to avoid hearings on transfer of the building.

Funding of a national postal museum as part of a Postal Service development would come primarily from private investment capital and income generated by the project itself, though under scenarios involving Congressional takeover of the building funding would presumably have to come from Congress. (The fiscal year 1988 Postal Service budget has been considerably cut and now has no Postal Service funding for the building itself.)

Given the uncertainties over space allocations and the scope of redevelopment allowed by NCPC, the Postal Service remains uncommitted to a specific museum site and size, although the Service and its developer continue to want a museum as part of the project. The possible scope, location, and cost of a postal museum will be better known after the NCPC review and discussions with Congress and GSA have been completed. Postmaster General Tisch recently announced his intention to leave the Postal Service later this spring, and it is not clear whether this departure will affect the proposal to establish a national postal museum in the redeveloped main city post office building.

[[underlined]] Activities of the Council of Information and Education Directors [[/underlined]]

The Council of Information and Education Directors was established by Secretary Adams in 1985 to give offices engaged in major information, education, and outreach activities "a regular and systematic forum for exchanging pertinent information and discussing areas of joint interest and potential collaboration, ... to bring these offices into the mainstream of Smithsonian planning, and to provide for better and regular communication and coordination."

In its second full year of operation, the Council became a fully participating deliberative body within the general framework of Smithsonian planning and management. A mission statement for the Council was adopted, and its chairperson participated regularly as a member in meetings of the Secretary's Management Committee, the Council of Bureau Directors, the Development Committee, and the Secretary's Friday morning staff meetings. In its role as a forum for significant and emerging Smithsonian developments, the Council met with Secretary Adams and a number of other Smithsonian managers on a broad range of issues of concern to its members.