OHIO House OKs bill to study region as heritage area

The bill died in the U.S. Senate last year.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The U.S. House approved a bill to have the Department of Interior conduct a feasibility study to make 14 counties, including Mahoning and Trumbull, a heritage area.
The bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, passed the House last year, but died in the Senate. Because this is a new legislative session, the House had to pass the bill again, and it is on to the Senate for consideration.
The bill would authorize the Interior Department to conduct a $250,000 survey to determine the feasibility of establishing 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.
Heritage resources
The federal agency provides 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 heritage areas. There are about two dozen federally designated heritage areas.
"The designation of northern Ohio as a heritage area will help provide our region with the resources to develop a focused plan to preserve and promote our history and culture," said Ryan. "As we highlight the landmarks of our past, we will increase the quality of life and economic strength of the 17th District and surrounding areas."
The 14 counties comprise 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.