4 August 2006

Dear Mr. Maj:

In the meeting of 27 July, the Commission of Fine Arts continued the review of the concept for the Arlington National Cemetery Millennium Site Expansion Project. The Commission approved the concept submission with several recommendations for consideration as the project is further developed.

The Commission continued to raise concerns about the proposed combination perimeter, retaining, and columbarium wall. For the top of this wall, the Commission members recommended that the design find an alternative that would function to discourage seating on top of the wall and be appropriately simple and dignified. The Commission members praised the elegant simplicity, in both form and materials, of the existing committal shelters at the cemetery's columbarium complex. They recommended that the new committal shelter employ the same design and materials while incorporating associated items such as trash receptacles, bier, and podium, rather than add such items later as has been done in the existing shelters. The Commission members also encouraged the preservation of the site's existing topography and vegetation as much as possible and requested that a tree removal plan be provided so that they could clearly assess the extent of the proposed changes.

The Commission looks forward to continued collaboration with the Army Corps of Engineers and Arlington National Cemetery as this important project develops. As always, the staff is available to assist you and the design team.

Sincerely,

/s/Thomas Luebke, AIA
Secretary

Ronald J. Maj, P.E.
Chief, Military Design Management Branch
Engineering Division
Department of the Army
Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 1715
Baltimore, MD 21203-1715

cc: John C. Metzler, Arlington National Cemetery
John Forgue, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CENAB-EN
Frank Cirincione, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CENAB-EN-MP
Rich Opem, CDM