Sequester Causes Garfield Site to Close on Sundays

The impact of the U.S. Senate's failure to reach an agreement to stop $85 billion in federal cuts was immediately felt in Mentor.

The James A. Garfield National Historic Site announced this weekend that it would close on Sundays until further notice.

"Sequestration means an automatic cut of $34,440 from our annual, (federally) appropriated operating budget," site superintendent Sherda Williams said in a news release. "These cuts are permanent, so those funds will not be retroactively restored to us."

The site is also considering foregoing the hiring of summer employees and cancelling all special events through the end of September. According to the news release, the site will announce any changes in the coming weeks.

For now, the only public hours are on Saturdays, from noon to 5 p.m. Daily operations begin on May 1, but the Sunday closures are expected to last through at least September 30.

"We sincerely apologize to the visiting public for these inconveniences, but we are required by law to operate within our now-reduced budget," the news release reads. "The public should rest assured, however, that the National Park Service remains committed to providing the best possible care and protection of the site’s nationally significant buildings and resources.

"We will do so while continuing to be responsible stewards of Americans’ tax dollars and adjusting to our new budget.”