National Mall a National Disgrace?

So there is an article in todays Examiner about DCs delegate to congress (non voting member of course) spoke about how the current state of the national mall is pitiful and needs $500 million in repairs and renovations.

As one who frequents the national mall on a somewhat regular basis for kickball amongst other things I have to say I couldn't agree more that the current state of the national mall is nothing short of embarrassing. I'm not sure it presents the best image of America to visitors both foreign and domestic when they see the torn up lawn that is mostly dirt holes with a few sparse patches of grass here and there, the cracked and uneven sidewalks, and the fetid reflecting pools that are just gigantic breeding grounds for mosquitoes and lined with pollen and trash. So there is no doubt, in my mind at least, that the national mall needs some serious sprucing up. However, I am fairly certain that it should not cost $500 million to re sod the grass, repave and fix the concrete sidewalks and to drain, clean and install proper reflecting pools that support good waterflow. That seems a little bit excessive for what should really be just a facelift. Of course, as with everything here in Washington, nothing is what it seems on the surface.

Looking more into the $500 million dollar proposal, it would appear that they don't just want a good scrubbing of the mall, they want to totally redo it. They want to add areas for restaurants, attractions and other such touristy type amenities that I personally believe at best are totally unnecessary and at worst contradictory to the very ideas of what the National Mall is supposed to be about. It is supposed to be a wide open, pastoral place in which to reflect on the country and to gather in the shadows of the great monuments. Not a place to grab lunch and catch a movie, it really would take away from the gravitas that a place like the National Mall is supposed to have.

So yes, lets clean the place up, in its current state it is an embarrassment to the city and the nation but lets just leave it at that, I really dont want to be playing my next game of kickball in the shadows of the Washington Monument, Capitol Building and the Golden Arches of McDonalds.