Additions proposed to state heritage tourism areas

By Brenda Wintrode

The stewards from three certified heritage areas in Maryland are urging the state to expand their borders, including an area that spans much of Anne Arundel County’s waterfront.

Cultural heritage areas receive scholarship opportunities, attract history buffs, and help boost the state’s tourism industry.

The director of the Four Rivers Heritage Area this week is putting a proposal to a state board to explain why certain historical assets should be placed in the state’s cultural treasure chest.

The 13 certified heritage areas included in the Maryland Heritage Areas Program had an economic impact of $ 2.4 billion in 2019 and raised $ 319.8 million in state and local taxes, according to a statewide impact study. Tourists from the cultural heritage are usually overnight guests. they tend to spend more; They tend to stay longer, ”said program administrator Jen Ruffner, which means more dollars are going straight into the Maryland economy.

However, before new real estate is brought into the revenue stream, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA), the appointed body overseeing the program, must hear the public response to the proposals. The state body will also consider the potential tourist value of the proposed additions, because “if everything is a heritage, nothing is a heritage,” said Ruffner.

A public hearing was scheduled for this week to discuss the expansion of the Four Rivers Heritage area that follows the shores of Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County. A written statement will be accepted until next Wednesday, April 7th.

The 20-year-old heritage site, which includes Annapolis, London Town and the South County Heritage Area, is proposing its first boundary change to expand existing boundaries, add two rail tracks and the BWI Hiker-Biker Trail. the mid-county cluster; and the Jug Bay Cluster.

Proposed border changes must have a historical connection to the theme of the cultural heritage area. The North County African American Trail winds through black communities that were founded before the Civil War. The history of the seven stops in Freetown, Dorsey, Queenstown, Marley Neck, Pumphrey and Furnace Branch was first documented for a bus tour created by the Northern Arundel Cultural Preservation Society.

Two other heritage areas in Maryland, the Heritage at the Heart of the Civil War in Counties Frederick, Washington and Carroll, and the Beach to Bay Heritage Area on the lower east coast, are also proposing expansion. Hagerstown Aviation Museum and Mt. Zion Memorial Church, a historic black church from 1887 in Princess Anne, is both on the table for inclusion.

In fiscal 2020, MHAA funded 184 grants totaling over $ 6.1 million. A third of the grants were emergency funds given to nonprofit tourism organizations to cover operating costs during the COVID-19 crisis.

Ruffner said grant-funded projects need to enhance a visitor’s experience by, for example, creating signage for an exhibition or renovating a walking path.

“Improving tourism products that bring people to Maryland to spend and support the economy,” is the goal of the fund, which, if budget approved this year, will total approximately $ 5.1 million.

Funding must be matched dollar for dollar by an entity other than the state. Capital projects such as renovations are funded up to $ 100,000 and non-capital projects such as research or programs are funded up to $ 50,000.

The MHAA is an independent unit of state government under the Department of Planning and staffed by the Maryland Historical Trust. The MHAA board will not vote on the proposals until its quarterly public meeting on April 8th.

Public comments can be submitted in writing until April 7th [email protected] or by US post.