FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 1, 1999

CONTACT: Ivonne Cuñarro (202) 606-1479 iccunarr@opm.gov

OPM Issues Guidelines For Federal Employees in Preparation for Historic NATO 50th Anniversary Summit

WASHINGTON D.C. As the nations capital prepares to host the historic North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 50th Anniversary Summit, the NATO Summit Working Group and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) today announced measures to minimize traffic congestion in downtown Washington while also facilitating the visit of over 40 heads of state and their staff during this event on April 23 through 25.

For Friday, April 23, the NATO Summit Working Group and OPM concurred that federal agencies and executive departments should excuse from duty, without loss of pay or charge to leave, executive branch employees who work in buildings located in and immediately adjacent to a perimeter defined below.

K Street NW from the intersection of 19th Street to 7th Street; 7th Street from K Street NW to the Dwight Eisenhower Southwest Freeway; the Southwest Freeway from 7th Street SW to 14th Street SW; 14th Street SW from Southwest Freeway to Independence Avenue (Alt. 50); Independence Avenue from 14th Street SW to 17th Street SW; 17th Street from Independence Avenue to Constitution Avenue; Constitution Avenue from 17th Street NW to 19th Street NW; and 19th Street NW from Constitution Avenue to K Street NW. (See attached map.)

An exception will be made for executive branch employees who perform duties related to national security, defense or other comparable public business. Moreover, an exception to this request also applies to employees who work in the Smithsonian museums or other federally-operated museums located in the perimeter described above, including the National Archives and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, which will be operating under normal hours.

To further reduce traffic congestion, the NATO Summit Working Group and OPM are asking federal agencies to encourage executive branch employees, who work in locations not excused from duty but within Washington DC and Arlington, VA and who may be spared from duty on April 23, to use compensatory time off, their annual leave, or flexible work schedules on that day. Employees also may be encouraged to use compressed work schedules and alternative work schedules (AWS), seek supervisory written approval to telecommute from home or to work at a telecenter. Those who report for duty are encouraged to use public transportation.

We are encouraging federal employees to support this once-in-a-lifetime event, by making use of their pre-arranged flexible work schedules, public transportation, or a day of annual leave, OPM Director Janice R. Lachance said.

The 50th Anniversary NATO Summit is the largest gathering of world leaders ever to be hosted in the nations capital. The event will commemorate the signing of the NATO treaty on April 4, 1949, and it will be held at the same place the treaty was originally signed the Andrew Mellon Auditorium, located between the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Old Customs building.

NATO Summit participants will engage in work sessions and meetings to discuss U.S. and European allies initiatives to ensure that NATO is able to respond to the challenges of the 21st century.

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