Welcome!

This website will serve as your outlet for information on the Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee. The Committee, appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, will make recommendations to the National Park Service on the adaptive reuse of buildings within the Fort Hancock Historic District, located within the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. Here you will find critical documents, background material, meeting minutes and other useful information concerning the Fort Hancock Historic District.

The time and place for the next meeting of the Committee will be Thursday, May 16th at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch, N.J., from 9 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Meetings are open to the public. Public comments will be taken beginning at 4 P.M.; signup is first-come, first-served.

What is the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)?

The FACA law, passed by Congress in 1972, governs the operations of the Fort Hancock 21st Century Advisory Committee (Committee).

Timely Notice of Public Meetings

FACA requires timely notice (generally 15 calendar days notice) of each Committee meeting, to be published in the Federal Register to inform the public of the time, place and agenda of each meeting.  Committee meeting notices will appear in the Federal Register, Gateway's Facebook page, National Park Service (NPS) press releases and this website. 

Public Attendance

FACA requires the Committee to hold public meetings. Interested persons may attend meetings, appear before the Committee to make public comment at specific times and to submit written statements with the Committee, subject to regulations. Written statements become part of the public record and can be posted online. They may be submitted to:

Gateway National Recreation Area  

Linda Canzanelli, Designated Federal Official 

210 New York Avenue 

Staten Island, New York 10305

Document Availability

Under FACA, the Committee is required to keep detailed minutes including a record of the persons present at the Committee meetings, and documents received, issued or approved by the Committee. Publicly available documents will be made available on this website.

Informal Working Groups or Subcommittees

To facilitate the work of the Committee, some business may be conducted by informal working groups that will make suggestions to the full Committee as appropriate. 

Informal working groups can:

• Gather information
• Develop work plans
• Draft reports
• Discuss preliminary findings

Informal working groups cannot:

• Function as the de facto parent advisory committee.
• Make recommendations to the Committee that are "rubber stamped" without further action or consideration by the full Committee.
• Make decisions that are binding on the Committee.
• Speak on behalf of the full Committee without prior approval.
• Make direct recommendations to the NPS.

As long as there requirements are met, FACA does not require meetings conducted by informal working groups to invite public participation or make public notices.