Presently,
the NCHA is in a "Start Up" phase and has
received three federal appropriations of $250,000 each
through the National Park Service. With these funds the
NCHA is preparing a management plan that will be reviewed
by the Secretary of the Interior. Once the plan has been
approved and projects have been identified for funding,
up to $1 million per year could be appropriated by
Congress for a total of $10 million. The Steering Committee recently
selected three early action initiatives for funding by the NCHA and more
projects will continue to be considered in the future.
What Is A Management Plan?
Presently,
the State has contracted with a consulting firm, Parsons
Brinckerhoff, Inc., to develop the management plan. This
plan has four main purposes:
To inventory the
existing coal mining related sites, structures,
and artifacts
To build
partnerships between interested local
governments, organizations, individuals, and
others
To identify future
implementation projects and prioritize them based
on resource risk and community capacity
To establish an organizational structure for best managing the National Coal
Heritage Area so that it can be an effective
focus for change in the communities and the
region
Local
community support is probably the single most significant
factor to the success and sustainability of not only each
project, but the heritage area as a whole. Public
participation is a key element in the process for
developing the plan and determining local needs and
priorities. The planning team has held public meetings
in many communities throughout the region to solicit
local input as to what the NCHA should become and how it
will work with groups around the region. In addition,
there will continue to be outreach efforts to work with
county commissioners, development authorities, landmark
commissions, historical societies and other local
entities. These efforts will encourage all to participate
in the development process and to identify future
projects that can be implemented with support from the
National Coal Heritage Area.
What Are We Doing Currently?
Throughout
the past year, the National Coal Heritage Area has been involved in the
process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement. It is a
requirement of the National Park Service that this document accompany
our 10-year management action plan when submitted to the Secretary of
the Interior for approval. This has been a lengthy, but necessary
part of the formation of this 11-county heritage area, but with these
two formalities approved, we will be free to begin aggressive action to
enact the and move forward project oriented activities. You will
find a draft of this document on the new Environmental Impact
Statement page of this website.
In
the interim, the National Coal Heritage Area has been focused on
educational outreach programming. The NCHA has entered into a
partnership with the Division of Culture and History to create a series
of traveling displays that will tell the many stories of the southern
coalfields. The first installment is entitled “Black
Diamonds.”
It portrays a day in the life of the miner and, through the use
of several hands-on “work stations,” raises awareness as to the many
disciplines a miner must master to extract coal from the earth. It
is our intention that the display will travel, first throughout the
11-county region, and eventually around the state. On a first
come, first served basis, the display will be made available to schools
and other civic venues.
Another
focus for the NCHA has been the creation of a more formal organization
to oversee its progress, as outlined in our Strategic Management Action
Plan. Hopefully this will be remedied during the 2002 Legislative
session. At this time, a bill has been drafted to create a
governing entity for the NCHA. This will place the organization in
the state code and provide a more solid foundation for our activities.
One
of our “early action” projects has made great strides.
The
Nellis Archives, formerly a non-denominational church in the Boone
County community of Nellis, nears completion. This church will act
as a repository for the archival material of the county’s first
historic district and will tell the intimate story of the relationship
between the ebb and flow of the community’s residents and the coal
mining operation that spawned it.
Currently,
the draft Strategic
Management Action Plan has been completed, reviewed by the Steering
Committee and final revisions are nearly complete. A copy of the draft
Strategic Management Action Plan is available for viewing on The
Management Plan page of this web site. The Management
Plan will be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior for approval
when completed.
With
the formalization of the NCHA organizational structure and the approval
of our management plan, we hope to begin making great strides in putting
the plan into action. As a part of this process, you will see the
creation of a formal granting program that will help to stimulate growth
of the program. Please continue to watch this site for details, and, as
always, feel free to contact Executive Director Jeff Harpold with your
comments or suggestions.
What Can You Do?
Please
think about your own local community. What makes it
special to you? What are the elements in your community
that you would like to preserve? What do you want to
share with visitors? Please send this information to Jeff
Harpold at the NCHA or David Hafley at PB.
