I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5446
To establish the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area in the Common-
wealth of Massachusetts and in the State of New Hampshire, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 11, 2000
Mr. OLVER (for himself, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr.
BASS, and Mr. MARKEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Resources
A BILL
To establish the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area
in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in the State
of New Hampshire, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Freedom’s Way Na-
tional Heritage Area Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) the cultural and natural legacies of the re-
gion encompassing 34 communities in Massachusetts
work and technical assistance to achieve important
goals by working together;
(5) the National Park Service is responsible for
advocating the protection and interpretation of the
Nation’s cultural and historic resources;
(6) within this distinctive area of New Hamp-
shire and Massachusetts there is a Federal interest
to support the development of a regional framework
to assist the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and
the State of New Hampshire, other local organiza-
tions and governments, and private citizens to con-
serve, protect, and bring recognition to this heritage
for the educational and recreation benefit of this and
future generations of Americans;
(7) significant examples of such resources
include—
(A) Walden Pond State Reservation;
(B) Minute Man National Historical Park;
(C) Shaker Villages in Shirley and Har-
vard;
(D) Wachusett Mountain State Reserva-
tion, Fitchburg Art Museum, and Barrett
House in New Ipswich; and
(E) Beaver Brook Farms and Lost City of
Monson in Hollis;
(8) the Freedom’s Way Heritage Association,
Inc., would be an appropriate entity to oversee the
development of the Freedom’s Way National Herit-
age Area; and
(9) the study entitled ‘‘Freedom’s Way Herit-
age Area Feasibility Study’’, prepared by the Free-
dom’s Way Heritage Association, Inc., and the Mas-
sachusetts Department of Environmental Manage-
ment, demonstrates the sufficient assemblage of na-
tionally distinctive historical resources necessary to
establish the Freedom’s Way National Heritage
Area.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to foster a close working relationship with
all levels of government, the private sector, and the
local communities in Massachusetts and New Hamp-
shire;
(2) to empower communities and organizations
in these 2 States to preserve the special historic
identity of the region and with it the identity of the
Nation; and
(3) to provide for the management, preserva-
tion, protection, and interpretation of the natural,
historical, and cultural resources of the region for
the educational and inspirational benefit of future
generations.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For the purposes of this Act:
(1) ASSOCIATION.—The term ‘‘Association’’
means the Freedom’s Way Heritage Association,
Inc.
(2) HERITAGE
AREA.—The term ‘‘Heritage
Area’’ means the Freedom’s Way National Heritage
Area established by section 4.
(3) PLAN.—The term ‘‘Plan’’ means the Cul-
tural Heritage and Management Plan required by
section 6.
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 4. FREEDOM’S WAY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in the State of New
Hampshire the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area.
(b) BOUNDARIES.—Except as otherwise provided in
section 6, the boundaries of the Heritage Area shall in-
clude all of those lands depicted on a map entitled ‘‘Free-
dom’s Way National Heritage Area’’, numbered ll and
dated ll. The map shall be on file in the appropriate
offices of the National Park Service. The Secretary shall
publish in the Federal Register, as soon as practical after
the date of the enactment of this Act, a detailed descrip-
tion and map of the boundaries established under this sub-
section. Boundaries may be revised if proposed in the
Plan, approved by the Secretary as provided in section
8(b), and placed on file in accordance with this subsection.
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT.
(a) ADMINISTRATION.—The Heritage Area shall be
administered in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
(b) MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—The management entity
of the Heritage Areashall be the Freedom’s Way Heritage
Association, Inc.
SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN.
(a) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—The Association shall
prepare and submit for review and approval by the Sec-
retary, a Cultural Heritage and Management Plan for the
Heritage Area that presents comprehensive recommenda-
tions and strategies for the conservation, funding, man-
agement, and development of the Heritage Area. The Plan
shall—
(1) take into consideration current Federal,
State, county, and local plans and involve residents,
public agencies, and private organizations in the
Heritage Area, but shall coordinate those plans and
present a unified historic preservation and interpre-
tation plan;
(2) include a description of actions that units of
government and private organizations are rec-
ommended to take to protect the resources of the
Heritage Area; and
(3) identify existing and potential sources of
Federal and non-Federal funding for the conserva-
tion, management, and development of the Heritage
Area, and include—
(A) an inventory which includes any prop-
erty in the Heritage Area that should be con-
served, restored, managed, developed, or main-
tained because of the natural, cultural, rec-
reational or historic significance to the themes
of the Heritage Area;
(B) a recommendation of policies for re-
source management and protection that con-
sider and detail the application of appropriate
land and water management techniques, includ-
ing the development of intergovernmental coop-
erative agreements to manage and protect the
historical, cultural, and natural resources and
recreation opportunities of the Heritage Area in
a manner consistent with supporting compatible
economic revitalization efforts;
(C) a program of strategies and actions to
implement the Plan, including identification of
the roles of agencies and organizations which
are party to the implementation of the Plan,
identification of specific restoration and con-
struction plans or goals, and identification of a
program of public involvement, annual work
plans and reports, and the role of the Associa-
tion;
(D) an analysis of ways in which Federal,
State, and local programs may best be coordi-
nated to promote the purposes of this Act;
(E) an interpretive and educational plan
for the Heritage Area;
(F) any revisions proposed by the Associa-
tion to the boundaries of the Heritage Area and
requested by the affected local government; and
(G) a process to provide public access to
the Association for the purpose of attempting to
informally resolve any disputes arising from the
Plan.
(b) APPROVAL OF PLAN.—The Secretary shall ap-
prove or disapprove the Plan in accordance with section
8(b).
SEC. 7. AUTHORITIES, PROHIBITIONS, AND DUTIES OF THE
ASSOCIATION.
(a) AUTHORITIES.—The Association may, for pur-
poses of preparing and implementing the Plan, use Fed-
eral funds made available through this Act—
(1) to make grants to the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, its political subdivisions, or both, the
State of New Hampshire, its political subdivisions,
or both, nonprofit organizations, and other persons;
(2) to enter into cooperative agreements with or
provide technical assistance to the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, its political subdivisions, or both, the
State of New Hampshire, its political subdivisions,
or both, nonprofit organizations, and other organiza-
tions;
(3) to hire and compensate staff;
(4) to obtain money from any source and to
participate in any program or law requiring the re-
cipient of such money to make a contribution in
order to receive such money; and
(5) to contract for goods and services.