Congressman Shuler Announces $748,000 in Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Funding
Date Posted: 4/23/2007
FLETCHER—Congressman Heath Shuler announced today that Western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA) has received a federal appropriation of $748,955 for 2007. The BRNHA’s appropriation was the third largest amount allocated to any of the 24 National Heritage Areas which received federal funding this year.
"These funds will enable the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and its partners to continue the work they have been doing to preserve the heritage of our mountains while stimulating the economy of the region," Shuler said. "In the past three years the BRNHA has brought two times the amount of its federal appropriations into Western North Carolina through matching funds. It has proven to be a good investment for our people."
BRNHA Board Chair Janice Brumit noted that the federal money will come at an opportune time. "We have adopted a really ambitious plan of work for the coming year, and we are excited that we have received an adequate appropriation to enable us to go forward with it. We think this appropriation is an acknowledgment that we have been doing a good job, and we intend to continue doing that."
Over the past three years BRNHA has awarded almost $1 million in grants, mostly to non-profit corporations, which have been matched by more than $2.7 million in non-federal funds. According to BRNHA Executive Director Penn Dameron, some of the Heritage Area’s major projects for 2007 will involve the new Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center, which is scheduled to be completed this summer. "We have entered into an agreement with the Blue Ridge Parkway to provide some very sophisticated equipment for the Destination Center. We will purchase a 22-foot long interactive map of the Parkway, known as the ‘I-Wall,’ which features a television screen that slides along the map to highlight special places and attractions. We will also provide computer kiosks which will enable visitors to purchase tickets to attractions all over the region. " BRNHA will also provide some staffing for the Destination Center and will pay a portion of the cost of utilities for the building, Dameron said.
The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area consists of the 25 westernmost counties of North Carolina. Its mission is to protect, preserve, interpret and develop the unique natural, historical and cultural resources of Western North Carolina for the benefit of present and future generations, and in so doing to stimulate improved economic opportunity in the region.
For additional information contact Penn Dameron (828) 687-7234.
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"As a life-long resident of western North Carolina I can’t imagine a more beautiful or diverse place to live and work."
D. Samuel Neill
Attorney-At-Law & AdvantageWest Board Member
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