National Park Service, Office of Concession Program Management, 600 Harrison Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, California 94107-1372

M -- NOTICE OF INTENTION TO EXTEND AN EXISTING CONCESSION CONTRACT-NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK POC Margie Allen. The National Park Service intends to extend a concession contract which will expire on December 31, 1998, at Lake Chelan National Recreation Area within the North Cascades National Park Service Complex for a period of three years. The current concessioner has performed satisfactorily and retains its right of preference pursuant to the provisions of Section 5 of the Act of October 9, 1965, (79 Stat. 969; 16 U.S.C. 20 et esq) and 36 CFR 51.5, under this administrative action to extend the existing contract. This extension is necessary to allow the continuation of public services and implement the General Management Plan requirements for Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. The National Park Service will not renew this contract for an extended period until the planning process is completed and sufficient funding can be obtained for the required infrastructure for the relocation and construction of new concession facilities. This procedure will have a direct influence in determining the future direction for concession services within North Cascades National Park. The process is expected to take as long as five years to complete. Until the planning process and its associated requirements are completed, it will not be in the best interest of North Cascades National Park to enter into a long term concession contract. For these reasons, it is the intention of the National Park Service to extend the current contract for a period of three years. (225)

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