National Parks

National Park Service records show that 98 percent of the 2,510 monuments at the 11 Civil War battlefield parks GAO reviewed are in good or fair condition, meaning that they need little or no repair. The remaining two percent--54 monuments--are in poor shape, with statuary and pedestals suffering from the following problems: broken or missing parts, chips and cracks, and wear and erosion. The most common causes of these problems are weathering and vandalism. Other causes include erosion, structural deficiencies, and neglect. Park officials estimate the cost to repair 34 of the monuments at $2,403,000. Cost estimates were not provided for the other 20 monuments because officials were unsure what work was needed or how much it would run.

GAO found that: (1) 98 percent of the monuments at the 11 sites reviewed are in good or fair condition and need no or limited repairs and rehabilitation; (2) in general, the remaining 2 percent of the monuments need substantial repairs for broken or missing parts and pieces, chips, fractures, or cracks in the base or statuary, and wear or erosion of the base, bronzes, or stone inscriptions; (3) weather and vandalism have caused most of the monuments' structural problems, and other causes of deterioration include erosion, structural deficiencies, and neglect; and (4) the Park Service estimates that it would cost about $2.4 million to repair 63 percent of the monuments in poor condition, with most of those monuments requiring less than $10,000 in repairs.