Businesses Eye Impact Of National Park Designation
Central Massachusetts is several steps closer to having a national historic park within its borders.
Though the exact composition of the park remains to be determined, the National Park Service has recommended that the Blackstone River Valley Industrial Heritage National Historical Park contain a chain of historic sites spanning from northern Rhode Island to the South Central Massachusetts communities along the Blackstone River.
The park’s purpose would be to highlight the region’s role in the Industrial Revolution.
Such a designation would bring federal funding and jobs, according to the federal Department of the Interior. The department’s secretary, Ken Salazar, visited key historic sites in the valley this month and said that officials will continue to take public input on establishing the park before reporting it to Congress for potential approval.
Economic Effects
Area business people say the park would bring more prominence and tourism clout to the area, which saw rapid population growth over the past decade. The 11 towns that make up the Massachusetts portion of the valley have sought to raise their stature ever since Route 146 was connected to the Massachusetts Turnpike in the 1990s and directly to Worcester in 2007.
“Yes, of course a national park would bring more notoriety here,” said Jeannie Hebert, executive director of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce. “It would open the area to more federal funding and more promotion and attraction.”
The park would receive $3.5 million in federal funding each year, federal officials have said, though the funding decision will be up to Congress. That is approximately three times the federal funding the corridor has received each year.
Salazar’s office said the park would be an economic engine for area communities. The country’s 394 national parks generated nearly $12 billion last year in economic activity, according to federal data.
Hebert hopes that the region could parlay historic park status into an expedited completion of the Blackstone River Greenway bike path, which would be an additional draw for tourists. The path, which would span 48 miles along the river from Worcester to Providence, is approximately 20 percent complete.
Feeling Left Out
While officials welcome developments that could provide a boost for the area economy, not all of the historic sites in the heritage corridor may be included in the historic park.
But Hebert said the Blackstone communities in Massachusetts played an important historic role, too, and she would like to see more sites here included in the park proposal.
“We’re very happy with what they’ve chosen in Massachusetts, but we feel this is a way to open the door so that more areas can be considered,” she said.
And it is not yet clear if any sites in Worcester will be included, despite the fact that the city contains the headwaters of the Blackstone River and Blackstone Canal and had important economic connections along the corridor to Providence in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Michael Lanava, director of public affairs and public policy for the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, said that inclusion in the park would be a boon for Worcester.
“It would be so huge for tourism and economic development,” Lanava said. “There’s nothing but good that can come from this.”
The city still has federal funds to construct a visitor center, which Lanava said could act as a northern gateway to the park.
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