Contest Details

2026 Contest: Safely Decorating and Raising the Garrison Flag at the Old Courthouse Rotunda

For decades the Fourth of July decorations at the Old Courthouse brought a sense of national pride to park visitors. Bunting, banners, greenery, patriotic symbols and the eye-catching centerpiece of a 20x36ft garrison filling the Rotunda were a period appropriate way of celebrating the season. In all seasons, park maintenance staff accessed the higher levels of the Rotunda to clean and maintain the historic light fixtures.

In 2025 the Old Courthouse reopened to the public after a massive renovation of the historic structure. The renovation, while an overall great positive, highlighted some existing safety issues and created new barriers for staff. A park safety officer also reviewed the past work procedures and found them to be unsustainable. The question for this year’s GANPEC is how the Park maintains this tradition of decoration and care while also incorporating the changes made to the Courthouse with a particular focus on staff safety.

Engineering Problem

Teams are tasked with creating a process to allow staff to safely access the higher levels of the Rotunda to maintain the historic lighting fixtures and to annually decorate the Old Courthouse rotunda, while achieving these main objectives in the order of importance:

Ensure employee safety by adhering to the National Park Service’s Hierarchy of Controls, which mitigates hazards from the most effective to the least effective.
Impacts the process will have on the building shall be examined and defined. The proposal shall outline how The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties were applied in the project and how the proposal meets the standards and addresses Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Devise a procedure for employees to safely access the third, fourth and fifth floors in order to access and maintain historic lighting fixtures. In addition, access to decorate the chandeliers and sconces with greenery on each level safely.
Hang the 20 ft x 36 ft garrison flag in the Rotunda at a height where it makes for a notable impression on visitors.
Provide safe and efficient access beyond plexiglass barrier to first balcony to drape eight (8) red, white, and blue banners over the first balcony.
Thread the greenery in the Rotunda in a way that best complements the garrison flag and banners.
Develop a detailed yet appropriately concise procedure for the annual set-up, removal, and storage of all decorations. The instructions should be clear enough for new employees to follow. Teams need to come up with easy to store device(s) to gain access to the rotunda including light fixtures and barriers.

No decorations covering the lunettes.
Flags should be displayed in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code.
No decorations in the exhibit galleries.
Maintain the historic appearance of the building consistent with its period of significance (mid-1800s).

Resources

Previous Instructions for Raising the Garrison Flag are included at the end of this document for reference.

Information on the NPS Hierarchy of Controls can be found here: Hierarchy of Controls

Criteria for Evaluation

Teams will be judged on the following:

Meeting the highest level of safety, as stipulated by the NPS Hierarchy of Controls
Assessment of how the process ensures the highest positive and patriotic impact on visitors to the Old Courthouse
Efficiency of process, which considers:
- Time necessary to complete the task from beginning to end (this includes set-up and take-down time, in addition to storage of items)
- Number of NPS employees needed to complete tasks
Cost of the proposed process, including any required equipment, devices (e.g., ropes, cables), and storage items
Quality and format of the proposed implementation guide, including organization, clarity, completeness, appropriate level of detail, and ease of use by NPS employees
How well the proposal meets the Secretary of the Interior’s standards and consideration of the Section 106 process

Timeline

Teams need to schedule site visits by emailing Jennifer King at Jennifer_King@nps.gov.

September 1 – Mid-October 2026: Site visits at the Old Courthouse (OCH) will be available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Friday, November 6, 2026 by noon: Executive Summaries are due.
Saturday, November 14, 2026: Team Presentations will be held at the Washington University McKelvey School of Engineering from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.