Pair Of Public Workshops Planned For The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway

Dover -- A pair of Public Workshops are being held in March along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway (HTURB) in Camden and Wilmington to review the final draft of the Corridor Management Plan (CMP). The Public Workshops provide the forum for the public to ask questions, voice their concerns and help make the HTURB Corridor Management Plan a valuable and effective document. The workshop dates are Tuesday, March 13, at the Wilmington Friends Meeting House in Wilmington; and Wednesday, March 14 at the Camden Friends Meeting House in Camden. The hours of each meeting are from 6pm to 7:30 pm The HTURB CMP is a document that is required as a State of Delaware Scenic Byway and for future designation as a National Scenic Byway (NSB) or an All-American Road (AAR). The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway CMP describes the current corridor conditions, evaluates the intrinsic resources, outlines the many community's goals and strategies for the corridor, and guides the future of the Byway. It has been created with the participation of persons representing broad interests along the Byway. It incorporates information on the preservation, development, and promotional activities which these agencies and individuals have already implemented, and describes future plans for traveler improvements, the management of intrinsic qualities, interpretive development, improvements in tourism facilities and services, sign installation, and marketing. The HTURB CMP is intended to provide a collection of information that will assist in the preservation, promotion, interpretation, enhancement, and management of the intrinsic resources found throughout the HTURB corridor. This CMP will attempt to foster economic planning and activity within the HTURB communities and provide direction and foresight as to the proper course of promotion, use, and preservation of the corridor’s resources. The mission for this Corridor Management Plan is to produce a document which is:
Comprehensive, addressing all aspects of the corridor including roadway conditions, intrinsic qualities, visitor experiences, signage, and marketing
Consistent and Coordinated with existing plans and people including: local and state governments, businesses, communities, agencies (including the Delaware Department of Transportation)
Guiding in terms of the direction for the future it will provide through management guidelines
Creative and Visionary
Integrated with CMPs and programs in other states
Dynamic and Responsive to changes over time, while sensitive to preservation
Specific rather than general, containing well-defined and achievable strategies
Long-term with definitive plans for the initial years and direction for the future
Feasible and Realistic

The HTURB corridor is approximately 90 miles travelling through the State of Delaware. The corridor passes through the communities of Sandtown, Camden, Dover, Smyrna, Clayton, Townsend, Middletown, Odessa, Port Penn, Delaware City, New Castle, and Wilmington. Some of the benefits of Scenic Byway Designation are:

Promotion - The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway will be promoted nationally and internationally through the Delaware Byways Program and the National Scenic Byways Program. Communities can benefit from statewide campaigns and local efforts that are designed to draw the traveler to their communities.

Preservation - Preserving the Intrinsic Qualities of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway is essential to its long-term integrity and sustainability. Byways create legacies and offer opportunities to preserve special places.

Partnerships - Even before nomination or designation, citizens and key stakeholders are engaged to create and foster a Byway vision. Partnerships, both formal and informal, are needed to begin and sustain a successful byway. Many partners bring new resources to the table through their knowledge of the area, expertise, personal commitment and access to public or private funding sources. Scenic Byway designation offers the opportunity to expand partnerships well beyond local or state boundaries.

Pride - Scenic Byway designation can instill a greater sense of awareness and pride among citizens. Neighbors learn and share with one another. People work with each other to identify the resources that the community believes form the basis of the story of the byway. Byways attract volunteers who may help clear a trail, repair or restore a building, participate in planning, or advance the overall interest of the byway in the community. The Byway itself may become the connecting force between communities along a route.

Funding - Many funding opportunities are offered to designated Scenic Byways that can assist the Byway in achieving their goals. For example, $40+ million was authorized for National Scenic Byway Program funding in FY2010.

Inquiries regarding the public meetings or any aspect of the Harriet Tubman Byway can be made by calling Ann Gravatt, Delaware's Byways Program Coordinator at 302-760-2254, or visiting www.harriettubmandelaware.com.