NCT Regional Office Town Recipient of Preserve America Grant

Village of Shawnee, Ohio (photo by Lost in the Hills)

from a news release of the Department of the Interior
with additional comments

Preserve America Grants in 17 States Announced; First Preserve America Stewards Designees Announced

Mrs. Laura Bush, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) Chairman John L Nau, III, have announced the first round of Preserve America Grants for FY 2009 for a total of nearly $3 million.

Preserve America is a White House initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our nation’s heritage. Scarlett and Nau co-chair Preserve America. Mrs. Bush has served as Honorary Chair of Preserve America since its inception in March 2003.

"The Preserve America Initiative was launched by President Bush to promote cultural and natural preservation and to encourage greater appreciation of our national heritage," Mrs. Bush said. "Thanks to each of these grant recipients for the work they are doing to preserve our nation's important historical landmarks."

The Preserve America Grant program is administered by the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service in partnership with the ACHP. The competitive matching grants fund Preserve America Communities, State Historic Preservation Offices, and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices to support their preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education and historic preservation planning.

“These Preserve America Grants help weave cultural and natural heritage into the economic, educational, and social well-being of communities by promoting heritage tourism,” Scarlett said.

Shawnee, Ohio will receive $100,000 for a Priority Property Asset Plan

The Village of Shawnee, which serves as a gateway to the Little Cities of Black Diamonds region and the Wayne National Forest, will identify the most vulnerable properties of its Main Street Historic district and plan for their restoration and reuse. Funds will also be used to design a streetscape for the downtown historic district in an effort to spur tourism-based economic development.

NCTA Regional office recently relocated to Shawnee

Andrew Bashaw, Regional Trail Coordinator for Ohio and Pennsylvania announced in November that the Harrop House in historic downtown Shawnee will be the new home to the regional office of the North Country Trail Association, the Little Cities of the Forest Collaborative, and the Ohio's Hill Country Heritage Area.

See New NCTA Ohio Regional Office