AUBURN - Plans to establish a Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn took a step forward Tuesday night as the National Park Service's representatives unveiled their progress report at a public meeting at Auburn's city hall.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Bob McIntosh, the assistant regional director of the National Park Service, explains the study the service performed on the Harriet Tubman-associated sites with a focus on historically significant areas in Maryland and Auburn to an audience at city hall on Tuesday.
Bob McIntosh, the assistant regional director of the National Park Service, explains the study the service performed on the Harriet Tubman-associated sites with a focus on historically significant areas in Maryland and Auburn to an audience at city hall on Tuesday.
Bob McIntosh, associate regional director for the Northeast Region of the National Park Service, said a draft report indicating the agency's preference should be issued by late summer.
He said the likely preference would create a National Historical Park on the 32 acres at the Tubman Home at 180-182 South St. and the AME Zion Thompson Memorial Church, where she worshiped.
The sites would be managed jointly by the NPS and the AME Zion Church.
Congress ordered the preservation study in 2000, which named sites in Auburn and others in Dorchester, Caroline and Talbot counties in Maryland, as places associated with Harriet Tubman.
After the draft report is proposed, a 60-day public comment period will allow people to submit opinions in writing by mail or at the NPS Web site. The final report will summarize the public response and be sent to the secretary of the interior and Congress.
“We hopefully will have the (final) report completed by the end of the year,” McIntosh said.
And work has started to move the process along.
“Four congressmen are already drafting a bill to make the proposal a reality. They will probably introduce the legislation prior to the study being completed. If the law is passed by the end of the year, the next session begins in October 2009. It would be a little over a year before we could get the first funding.”
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has already announced plans to introduce legislation.
He said the end result could be millions of dollars for preservation and protection of the site.
“Congress wants to do what the public wants,” McIntosh said. “With a lot of positive public support, the bill will go forward.”
“We at Harriet Tubman reached out to the NPS as the best way to honor Harriet Tubman,”said Karen Hill, executive director and chief executive officer of the Harriet Tubman Home. “Harriet Tubman being recognized through the creation of a national site for a historical park is the first one for an African-American woman. She was a social giant whose life revolved around issues of equity and justice.
“For Auburn, this is such a tremendous moment to have this uplift,” she said. “This is a key moment in the Tubman history.”
Hill pointed out the plan didn't begin with preferred option and it took a lot of work to arrive at that recommendation.
The recommended plan is the best of three options that would also garner the optimum funding for the site.
The Tubman Home and associated buildings as a unit of the National Park System would receive NPS matching federal funds for the site, with NPS and the AME Zion Church, owner of the property, managing it together.
NPS would hold an easement on the property, and NPS staff could come to Auburn to develop and run interactive programs.
The other options recommended limited NPS management and funding. NPS rangers would guide visitors. A management plan would then identify nearby property for park administration and visitor services.
Creation of a national organization with the help of Tubman Historical Park would inform and advance Tubman's life story.
In Maryland, NPS would technically assist county, local, and state agencies for education, interpretation, and preservation of resources.
Last year, about 9,250 visitors visited the Tubman Home.
Cayuga County Tourism Director Meg Vanek has said the potential to expand on that number would be enormous with the professional expertise of the National Park Service.
Several of the 30 or so people assembled for the presentation spoke, with most of the comments positive.
Many present had some expertise in Tubman's legacy.
“The stronger our sense of history, the stronger our sense of destiny,” Abdur Rahim Mohammed said.
“It's really important to bring things together,” said Barbara Mackey, project manager for NPS Northeast Region. “We would like to keep track and make sure people keep in touch.”
For more information, visit www.harriettubmanstudy.org.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
He said the likely preference would create a National Historical Park on the 32 acres at the Tubman Home at 180-182 South St. and the AME Zion Thompson Memorial Church, where she worshiped.
The sites would be managed jointly by the NPS and the AME Zion Church.
Congress ordered the preservation study in 2000, which named sites in Auburn and others in Dorchester, Caroline and Talbot counties in Maryland, as places associated with Harriet Tubman.
After the draft report is proposed, a 60-day public comment period will allow people to submit opinions in writing by mail or at the NPS Web site. The final report will summarize the public response and be sent to the secretary of the interior and Congress.
“We hopefully will have the (final) report completed by the end of the year,” McIntosh said.
And work has started to move the process along.
“Four congressmen are already drafting a bill to make the proposal a reality. They will probably introduce the legislation prior to the study being completed. If the law is passed by the end of the year, the next session begins in October 2009. It would be a little over a year before we could get the first funding.”
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has already announced plans to introduce legislation.
He said the end result could be millions of dollars for preservation and protection of the site.
“Congress wants to do what the public wants,” McIntosh said. “With a lot of positive public support, the bill will go forward.”
“We at Harriet Tubman reached out to the NPS as the best way to honor Harriet Tubman,”said Karen Hill, executive director and chief executive officer of the Harriet Tubman Home. “Harriet Tubman being recognized through the creation of a national site for a historical park is the first one for an African-American woman. She was a social giant whose life revolved around issues of equity and justice.
“For Auburn, this is such a tremendous moment to have this uplift,” she said. “This is a key moment in the Tubman history.”
Hill pointed out the plan didn't begin with preferred option and it took a lot of work to arrive at that recommendation.
The recommended plan is the best of three options that would also garner the optimum funding for the site.
The Tubman Home and associated buildings as a unit of the National Park System would receive NPS matching federal funds for the site, with NPS and the AME Zion Church, owner of the property, managing it together.
NPS would hold an easement on the property, and NPS staff could come to Auburn to develop and run interactive programs.
The other options recommended limited NPS management and funding. NPS rangers would guide visitors. A management plan would then identify nearby property for park administration and visitor services.
Creation of a national organization with the help of Tubman Historical Park would inform and advance Tubman's life story.
In Maryland, NPS would technically assist county, local, and state agencies for education, interpretation, and preservation of resources.
Last year, about 9,250 visitors visited the Tubman Home.
Cayuga County Tourism Director Meg Vanek has said the potential to expand on that number would be enormous with the professional expertise of the National Park Service.
Several of the 30 or so people assembled for the presentation spoke, with most of the comments positive.
Many present had some expertise in Tubman's legacy.
“The stronger our sense of history, the stronger our sense of destiny,” Abdur Rahim Mohammed said.
“It's really important to bring things together,” said Barbara Mackey, project manager for NPS Northeast Region. “We would like to keep track and make sure people keep in touch.”
For more information, visit www.harriettubmanstudy.org.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
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