Black Belt Historical Designation Planners Invite Public Input

By: Associated Press | Alabama's13.com
Published: December 10, 2007

LIVINGSTON, Ala. (AP) - A meeting next month at the University of West Alabama in Livingston is described as the next step in getting 19 Alabama Black Belt counties declared a National Heritage Area by Congress.

Tina Narremore Jones, the director of UWA's Center for the Study of the Black Belt, says public officials and concerned citizens from all 19 counties, as well as the public, are invited.

A date for the meeting will be announced later. Organizers plan a town hall-type meeting to collect public comment on the proposal.

Alabama Congressman Artur Davis, who represents many of the counties in the region, says he will host the meeting. He says getting Congress to designate a National Heritage Area can be a long, arduous process, but he says the effort is already off to a good start.

He says he plans to get a bill ready for introduction in the next session of Congress and holding the public meeting is the next step.

Davis says a designation as a National Heritage Area brings benefits, including federal funding for sites in the area and recognition that draws tourism.

Black Belt Historical Designation Planners Invite Public Input

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