Thank You National Park Service!

With all the turmoil in Washington DC with the budget talks, federal folks at the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service did get something right. Wednesday, the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, officially announced the boundary expansion of the Truman National Historic Landmark District. This should be a time of celebration and pride, but more importantly; this should be a call for us as a community to roll up our sleeves and get to work. This means all the newly designated properties are now eligible for several tax credit programs for rehabilitation and preservation. This means our beloved Courthouse which has been struggling for funding is now eligible for more grants. Logic and common sense leads most folks to conclude that what is important to the nation should also be important to local citizens. So let’s move forward to expand the local Truman Heritage District boundaries to align with the national boundaries. And last but not least, this means our Tourism Department, economic development community, Chamber of Commerce, Community Development Department, and our business community of bankers, realtors, restaurants, etc. have more ammunition to promote our historic community. Congratulations to the citizens of the United States for this effort led by past Superintendent Jim Sanders and the entire team from the NPS. Thanks also to local citizens to traveled to Washington DC to provide testimony in the public hearings. You will probably here on City 7 at Monday’s City Council meeting city officials take credit for this action. The fact is that direct decisions by the City Council to approve several demolitions on Truman Road actually caused the NPS to go back to the drawing board with the application and reduce the boundaries of the district (you won’t hear that on City 7). City Hall will deserve praise and credit only after the local Truman Heritage District boundaries are expanded to match the federal district. Preservation happens primarily at the local level. It sounds like the Historic Preservation Manager position at City Hall is not just important but will be critical to the future success of the new and improved Truman National Historic Landmark District. By the way, that position is currently vacant.