NORTHERN OHIO Ryan pushes for 14-county heritage area

The bill moves on to the full House for consideration.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A U.S. House committee approved a bill to have the U.S. Secretary of the Interior conduct a feasibility study to make 14 counties, including Mahoning and Trumbull, a heritage area.
The bill, with bipartisan support, unanimously passed the U.S. House Resources Committee on Wednesday, and now moves onto the full House, expected to consider it in September. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, the bill's main sponsor, says the label would increase the pride Mahoning Valley residents have in their community.
"The Western Reserve Heritage Area will be a powerful tool to promote the economic, cultural and historical strengths of the 17th District and northern Ohio," Ryan said. "With this legislative victory complete, we can begin building a coalition of community leaders to push for the national designation."
Northern region
The 14 counties comprised the former Connecticut Western Reserve territory. In 1786, Congress granted Connecticut this land in what is now northern Ohio. The other 12 counties in the region are Ashtabula, Portage, Geauga, Lake, Cuyahoga, Summit, Medina, Huron, Lorain, Erie, Ottawa and Ashland.
If the bill is approved, it would require the Interior Department to conduct a $250,000 study to establish the Western Reserve Heritage Area. Another bill would have to be introduced to make the region a heritage area if the interior secretary agrees it should be established.
The federal agency would provide funding, up to $10 million over 10 years, to provide planning and assistance, as well as seed money to cover expenses such as staffing, and leverage other money to the 14-county area.
There are only 24 federally designated heritage areas in the country, including the Ohio and Erie Canal Corridor in portions of Northeast Ohio, including Akron, Cleveland and Canton.
skolnick@vindy.com