GLIN==> Press release: National Scenic Byway Foundation taking funding mission on the road to Washington DC

PRESS RELEASE: March 23, 2010
·      Teresa Mitchell, Chair, National Scenic Byway Foundation, President &
CEO, Great Lakes Seaway Trail, 315-646-1000 x202
·      Heather Carmona, Executive Director, Woodward Avenue Action
Association, 248-288-2004
·      Anaise Berry, Director, Economic Development Council of Central
Illinois (Illinois River Road), 309-495-5909
 
National Scenic Byway Foundation Taking Funding Mission on the Road to
Washington, DC
 
Mahtomedi, MN -- Representatives of the National Scenic Byway Foundation
will meet with federal highway and travel officials in Washington, D.C. on
March 24-25 to discuss the reauthorization of the federal legislation that
provides funding for the nation¹s byways.
 
The byway representatives are:
·      National Scenic Byway Foundation Chairperson Teresa Mitchell, who is
President & CEO of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail in New York and
Pennsylvania, Sackets Harbor, NY;
·      Woodward Avenue Action Association Executive Director Heather
Carmona, Detroit, MI; and
·      Illinois River Road Director Anaise Berry, and Illinois River Road
Chairperson Brad McMillan, Peoria, IL. McMillan is also Director of the
Institute of Principled Leadership and Public Policy at Bradley University
and previously served as district chief of staff for now-US Transportation
Secretary Ray LaHood when LaHood was an Illinois Congressman.
 
The four byway leaders will meet with US Congressman James Oberstar
(D-Minnesota), Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee; US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood; US Travel Association
officials; and Federal Highway Administration officials who administer the
National Scenic Byways Program.
 
The nonprofit National Scenic Byway Foundation was incorporated in 2003 to
assist the leaders of the federally-designated and distinctive collection of
150 American roadways. Foundation programming includes education,
professional and volunteer development, research, networking and
communications among interest groups, government agencies, profit and
nonprofit sectors, and individuals.
 
National Scenic Byway Foundation Chairperson Teresa Mitchell said, ³The
National Scenic Byway Foundation works with byway leaders to tell domestic
and international travel buyers and consumers the unique stories of our
treasured places and the roadways that bring you there. Projects made
possible by the federal funding for byways contribute to the scenic,
natural, historic, cultural, and recreational quality, and economic
sustainability, of our communities and enhance their livability for
travelers and residents.²
 
In October 2009, the Federal Highway Administration announced the award of
$40,715.899  in federal Scenic Byway funding for 160 projects in 43 states.
 
Minnesota Congressman James L. Oberstar championed funding for byways in the
original transportation enhancement legislation that created the National
Scenic Byway Program in 1991. Oberstar introduced new surface transportation
reauthorization legislation on June 20, 2009.
 
³I am looking forward to meeting with the men and women who are promoting
and enhancing our nation¹s scenic byways,² said Oberstar. ³Promoting these
roadways ensures that more Americans can fully appreciate these historic and
cultural treasures.²
 
Heather Carmona, Executive Director of the Woodward Avenue Action
Association, Detroit, MI, said, ³The federal partnership with byways helps
leverage corporate support that further enhances the byway organizations¹
ability to implement projects for positive return on investment to
communities along urban byways such as Woodward Avenue and to the rural
neighborhoods along byways throughout America.²
 
Illinois River Road Director Anaise Berry, Peoria, IL, said, ³We believe our
byways are unique American resources as valuable as national parks, forests
and wildlife refuges. Byways are the Œvehicles¹ by which people from across
the U.S. and travelers from around the world discover authentic American
destinations and experiences. By that token, the federal funding for byways
is a catalyst for the economic gains harvested from the byway organizations¹
promotion and development seeding.²
 
The President has signed the most recent extension of funding for byways
included in Public Law 111-147, the ³Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment
Act.² The legislation extends funding for surface transportation programs,
including the National Scenic Byways Program, through December 31, 2010.
 
Learn more about the National Scenic Byway Foundation, headquartered in
Mahtomedi, MN, online at www.nsbfoundation.com
<http://www.nsbfoundation.com> . #
 
Additional Info:
The Great Lakes Seaway Trail is the 518-mile, 11-county, 86-community
shoreline byway that parallels the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara
River and Lake Erie in New York and Pennsylvania. The route was a
first-round National Scenic Byway designee (New York¹s first) in 1996 and
was designated for all six intrinsic resource categories: scenic, natural,
recreational, historic, cultural, and archaeological, It was designated a
National Recreation Trail in 1980-81. Learn more: www.seawaytrail.com.
 
Metropolitan Detroit¹s Woodward Avenue has been dubbed the ³Original Urban
Byway.² The 27-mile route that begins at Woodward Avenue travels down the
³main streets² of Detroit and its suburbs: Highland Park, Ferndale, Pleasant
Ridge, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills,
Bloomfield Township and Pontiac. This byway¹s story tells a uniquely
American story of the quest for economic prosperity with a special emphasis
on innovation and the American automobile industry. The route was designated
as Michigan¹s first National Scenic Byway in 2002. Learn more:
www.woodwardavenue.org.
 
The Illinois River Road byway stretches 291 miles alongside the Illinois
River through Central Illinois and is notable for its natural and historic
qualities. The route was designated a National Scenic Byway in 2005. Its
seven gateway communities include Ottawa, Princeton, East Peoria, Peoria,
Pekin, Canton, and Havana with several other communities also reaping the
benefits of being on the byway. Learn more: www.illinoisriverroad.org
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