May 11, 2004

FROM: The Woodstock Preservation Alliance

The Woodstock Preservation Alliance continues to dedicate itself to the historic preservation of the site of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Arts Fair within the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The property under consideration (as defined in the WPA Preservation Support Document  remains the original concert bowl and adjoining upper plateau. This area which constitutes approximately one third of the actual property eligible for placement on the state and federal historic registers, though gaining some approval for development by the Bethel Planning Board, requires approval at the state level (SHPO). In adherence to best practices in historic preservation the WPA, will as it has stated previously, request a review of the Gerry Foundation’s development plans as they pertain to the original Woodstock site by federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). With the Gerry Foundation accepting both state and federal (public) funds for the development of Bethel Woods, the public deserves full accountability and disclosure to those agencies charged with the preservation and protection of matters of State and National heritage. Supporters of the preservationist cause continue to have difficulty resolving issues with the Gerry Foundation’s minimization of preservation planning and adherence to best practices with this unique historic property. We now shift our focus towards a request of a Section 106 review, as the logical next step in our desire for a closer review of the Gerry Foundation’s development plans prior to any irreversible damage occurring to this historic site.

Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague

The Woodstock Preservation Alliance