Sign of distinction: Blount receives Preserve America status from Bush

By Iva Butler
of The Daily Times Staff

The first Preserve America sign for a Tennessee county was unveiled Friday on U.S. 321 near Marble Hill Road by U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and Blount County officials.
Among those joining Alexander were Blount County Mayor Jerry Cunningham, Highway Department Superintendent Bill Dunlap and Herb Handly, executive director of tourism for Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The Preserve America initiative is a Bush administration effort to encourage and support community efforts to preserve and enjoy America’s cultural and natural heritage.
“U.S. 321 has been a Scenic Highway since the early 1980s thanks to the leadership of then Rep. Clifford ‘Bo’ Henry,” Alexander said. “I was governor then. Under the Scenic Highway designation no new billboards or junkyards could be added along the highway. The idea was to keep it uncluttered. It’s hard to unclutter a highway once it is cluttered.”
In fact, U.S. 321 and Pellissippi Parkway were the first Scenic Highways in the state.
“The U.S. 321 entrance to the Smokies is the most attractive entrance of any national park in the nation,” he added.
“Blount County has done a tremendous job protecting, preserving and teaching Tennessee history,” Alexander said. “I’m proud to be in my home county today to unveil the sign that designates Blount County as a Preserve America community. It will be a good reminder of the importance of celebrating our heritage and protecting our American history.”
Cunningham noted that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is not the only attraction in the county.
“One would think that the Smokies would be the draw for vacationers, but a lot of visitors come because of the heritage and settlement history of the area,” he said.
Cultural and heritage is the new trend, said Alexander, who will be attending the sustainable tourism program in April at the University of Tennessee.
Speaking of county history, Alexander said that in 1560 the area was visited by Spaniards. He pondered how the Indians would have reacted to seeing 100 Spaniards coming down Hess Creek.
Not all the benefits will come from tourism, according to Dunlap.
“The designation will open the door to more federal money coming to Blount County,” he said.
And the visitors are not your average tourists.
“Cultural and history tourists are the best because they stay longer and spend more money,” Handly said.
Blount County, through the Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau, applied for the Preserve America designation in June. First Lady Laura Bush, honorary chair of the Preserve America initiative, designated Blount County as one of the nation’s newest Preserve America communities in August.
Blount County is one of seven Preserve America communities in Tennessee and the only county in the state to receive the designation.
“With this designation, we will have access to additional resources to help us achieve our long-term goals of sustainable tourism and heritage preservation,” Cunningham said.
≤b≥Quality of life
“The Preserve America program is one of the numerous initiatives that we believe will help Blount County continue to grow, develop and prosper, while preserving what makes us unique — our history, heritage and culture,” Handly said. “Preserving our cultural assets is essential to our quality of life in Blount County and it is also a vital component to Blount County’s tourism industry.”
He said the tourism industry generates more than $250 million for Blount County’s economy, provides more than 2,600 jobs and contributes $22.6 million in state and local taxes. Additionally, according to a study done by the Tourism Institute at UT, on an average day tourists spend $628,849 in Blount County.
“That kind of economic impact is crucial to our county’s prosperity. This designation will help the visitors bureau create a sustainable tourism program that is centered around preserving our history, heritage and culture,” Handly added.
Heritage highlights
Blount County’s Preserve America application highlighted the Townsend Heritage Festivals, which are designed to showcase Appalachian history, heritage and culture. Additionally the application discussed the list of historic properties in Blount County, such as those at Maryville College; the area’s museums, like the Little River Railroad Museum and the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center; the leadership/educational groups, such as Experience Your Smokies and Leadership Blount; and interpretive tours, such as the Shadows of the Past Bike Trail and Blount County Historic Guide.
Communities designated through the program receive national recognition for their efforts. Benefits include the right to use the Preserve America logo on signs and promotional materials; eligibility for Preserve America grants; notification to state tourism offices; and listing in a Web-based directory that showcases Blount County’s preservation efforts and heritage tourism destinations.
Preserve America communities are also featured in National Register travel itineraries and in “Teaching With Historic Places” curricular materials created by the National Park Service.
In 2006, Preserve America grants totaling nearly $5 million were awarded to 68 projects around the country.
President Bush’s fiscal year 2008 budget requests $10 million in grant funds for which designated Preserve America communities can apply. Grants of $20,000 to $150,000 are awarded on a competitive, matching-fund basis to help communities develop sustainable management strategies and sound business practices for the continued preservation and use of their heritage assets. The grants support research, planning, marketing, interpretation and training efforts.