For Immediate Release
March 11, 2011
GGBHTD Partners With Parks Conservancy for Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary Celebration & Improvements to the Visitor Experience
In July 2009, the District began exploring the option of working with a non-profit partner that was already established to assist with the development of events, activities and celebrations associated with the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge (May 27, 2012). The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Conservancy) very quickly became a potential partner as a neighbor to the Golden Gate Bridge, and as a highly successful non-profit having lead the renovation of Golden Gate National Recreation Area's (GGNRA) Crissy Field, and made significant visitor improvements for the GGNRA.
On Friday, March 11, 2011, at 10 am the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (GGBHTD) Board of Directors (Board), unanimously approved moving forward with a partnership with the Conservancy to assist the GGBHTD in planning and implementing celebration activities in connection with the much anticipated 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge (Bridge), now 15 months away on May 27, 2012. The Conservancy and National Park Service (NPS) will also work with GGBHTD to improve the visitor experience at the Bridge.
The collaboration between these three entities – GGBHTD, Conservancy, and NPS — is a natural extension of the Bridge’s location as a centerpiece anchored within Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). The Conservancy has a 30 year long history of demonstrated expertise in enhancing the visitor experience in GGNRA, in cooperation with the NPS, on such improvements as the transformation of Crissy Field, restored trails at the Presidio leading to the Bridge, overlooks and trails at Lands End, and audio tours, community programs, and interpretive items at Alcatraz, to name a few.
According to GGBHTD Board President Janet Reilly, “With the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary on May 27, 2012, the timing is right for the Conservancy to assist us with the program development for the 75th celebrations and to support our long term vision of an improved visitor experience. The Conservancy, working in concert with the NPS, has done an amazing job of enhancing the park visitors’ experience through the preservation and interpretation of GGNRA park lands. This is the kind of expertise we need for the Bridge celebration and visitor improvements to be well balanced in these economic times.”
“Teaming with the GGBHTD, we can provided the expertise for a community-based 75th Anniversary celebration. As a mutual partner with the GGBHTD and NPS, the Conservancy will advance greater coordination between visitor enhancement projects occurring at the Bridge and those occurring on adjacent GGNRA park lands. We welcome this opportunity to work with both agencies to achieve common objectives as we move forward together,” said Greg Moore, Executive Director of the Conservancy.
GGNRA Superintendent Frank Dean looks forward to this collaboration. “Visitors to our national park lands and the Bridge will have a seamless experience that provides for a memorable, educational and comfortable visit. Working together, we can create a variety of visitor programs and services that tie together the natural and cultural heritage of the Bridge and the park lands it connects.”
75th Anniversary May 27, 2012 – Summary of What We Know Today
75th Celebration kicks-off at the Marin County Fair in 2011: The Marin County Fair, June 30 to July 4, 2011, will be the official kick-off for the 75th Anniversary celebration. Golden Gate Bridge also will have a 75th Anniversary celebration presence at the Del Norte County Fair, August 4 to 7, 2011; Napa Town and County Fair, August 10 to 14, 2011; Mendocino County Fair, September 16 to 18, 2011, with plans pending for the Sonoma County Fair, July 27 to August 14, 2011.
75 Tributes to the Golden Gate Bridge: The 75 tribute programs are envisioned as stand alone, community based programs, with Golden Gate Bridge-related themes ranging from art to music to engineering to education. A Request for Proposal will be released by late March 2011, with submittals due in May 2011, to invite proposals for community-based celebration programs (“programs” is intended to be inclusive to event and activity concepts). All programs selected must be self-funding as there will be no Golden Gate Bridge toll revenues used for 75th programs.
Coordinated Celebrations for the 75th Anniversary will be on May 27, 2012: This aspect of the program is under development.
Visitor Experience Enhancement: This aspect of the program is under development.
A 75th Anniversary website is established at www.goldengatebridge75.org. The site will provide an opportunity for everyone to follow and participate in the 75th programs as they are developed.
The use of the 75th Anniversary logo (see below) will be limited to authorized celebration partners.
Media Contacts
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About the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary
The 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge is a project of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in collaboration with the National Park Service and The Presidio Trust. The year-long celebration and visitor services improvements are funded by private contributions, with major underwriting provided by Wells Fargo, Genentech, HP, and Kaiser Permanente. Anniversary events include The Golden Gate Festival along the San Francisco waterfront on May 27, 2012; 75 Tributes to the Bridge, a year-long series of public programs presented throughout the Bay Area; renovation of the historic Round House and construction of a new visitor Pavilion; and enhancements to the Bridge Plaza and Golden Gate National Recreation Area parklands on both sides of the span. For additional information and all public inquiries, please visit www.goldengatebridge75.org.
About the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
The Parks Conservancy is the nonprofit membership organization created to preserve the Golden Gate National Parks, enhance the experiences of park visitors, and build a community dedicated to conserving the parks for the future. The Conservancy is an authorized “cooperating association” of the National Park Service, and is one of more than 70 such nonprofit organizations working with national parks around the country. To learn more, please visit www.parksconservancy.org or call (415) 561-3000.
About the National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior charged with managing the preservation and public use of America’s most significant natural, scenic, historic, and cultural treasures. The NPS manages the Golden Gate National Parks, as well as 394 other park sites across the U.S. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/goga or call (415) 561-4700.
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