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Jun. 23, 2011
The Garrett County Heritage Area Management Plan is now a component of the county’s 2008 Comprehensive Plan. On Tuesday, the Garrett County commissioners unanimously approved three amendments to the Comp Plan that provide for the heritage element.
Those attending the announcement included Director John Nelson, Garrett County Department of Planning and Land Development; county attorney Mike Getty; Nicole Christian, GC Chamber of Commerce president/CEO; and Dee Dee Ritchie, newly appointed Heritage Area manager.
Inclusion in the Comp Plan is one of the final steps in the county becoming a certified Heritage Area. The Maryland Heritage Areas (MHAA) Program was created in 1996. Its purpose is to link resource preservation with economic development and tourism. Garrett County was recognized as a proposed Heritage Area in 2003.
Nelson said the first Comp Plan amendment simply adds the phrase “and the Garrett County Heritage Area Management Plan” to the last sentence in Section 2.2. This last sentence on Page 2–1 now reads: “More details about Garrett County’s history and heritage can be found in the Garrett County 2003 Heritage Plan and the Garrett County Heritage Area Management Plan.”
The second amendment adds a new bullet to Section 2.4.2 on page 2–4. It reads as follows:
“Garrett County Heritage Area Management Plan. This plan prepared by the Garrett County Heritage Area Committee describes the partnerships to be created between local governments, the state, and the broader community to preserve historical and cultural resources. The goal of this plan is to improve the local economy through heritage tourism, enhance recognition, and conservation of valuable resources that give Garrett County its identity and support heritage related project. Following the adoption of the plan by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, ‘Certified Heritage Boundaries’ and ‘Targeted Investment Zones’ are established to derive benefits from the Maryland Preservation and Tourism Areas Program.”
The third amendment adds the entire text of the Heritage Area Management Plan, which is about 800 pages long, to the appendix of the 2008 Comp Plan.
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