Historical projects along national road can seek aid
Local projects that promote heritage tourism or historic preservation along the National Road are now able to submit a pre-application for financial help from the 2003/2004 Pennsylvania Heritage Park Grant Program through the National Road Heritage Corridor. The heritage corridor announced Monday that it is opening its pre-application grant period with completed pre-applications due in the NRHC office by Wednesday, Feb. 12.
The pre-application process is a way of finding out who will qualify to petition for a grant without requiring petitioners to complete an entire application at this point.
“The concept must meet the criteria of the program and have matching funds before they submit a whole application,’ explained Donna Holdorf, executive director of the National Road Heritage Corridor.
Projects which have received funding in the past include Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville, Searight Tollhouse in Menallen Township, Flatiron Building in Brownsville, George C. Marshall Memorial Park in Uniontown, the Hopwood Village Project and the National Road Heritage Corridor signs.
Holdorf said applicants must be a non-profit (501c3) or a municipality along the national road or within the viewshed.
For example, the Historic Springer Farm in North Union Township received funding last year for a feasibility study. Although the Springer Farm is not located along the National Road, it is in the viewshed and its story pertains to this era.
The national road in Pennsylvania runs along present-day Route 40 in Somerset, Fayette and Washington counties. Projects applying for a heritage park grant must be involved in historic or heritage tourism or historical preservation.
Holdorf said there are two types of grants available. There is one for a special purpose study, such as a feasibility study. That would be a 75 percent grant with a 25 percent match required. There is also an implementation grant for building, which is 50 percent grant and 50 percent match. Holdorf noted the latter also requires an amount equal to 10 percent of the total grant has to be from private funds and can’t be matched with in-kind services.
Applicants will be notified by early March if they will have the opportunity to submit a full application. The heritage corridor will provide help if needed.
Applications will be sent to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in May. Notice of the grant awards will be received as early as July and as late as October, Holdorf said.
For more information, contact the National Road Heritage Corridor at 724-437-9877.