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news release
For more information, contact: Houck Medford , Executive Director hmedford@brpfoundation.org Preferred Alternative for the Moses Cone Estate will be Determined by Available Public and Private Funds BLOWING ROCK, N.C. – Nearly 40 people attended a briefing for the general public and members of the Blowing Rock Historical Society on Thursday, April 26 at the Miriam and Robert Hayes Community Arts Center in Blowing Rock. Gary Johnson Chief of Planning and Professional Services (NPS), along with Phil Francis, Superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway, presented a report on the possible proposed alternatives for future management and development of the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. This extensive process began four years ago with public and in-house planning sessions which examined estate cultural and natural resources and mapped existing uses. Three alternatives have been proposed: the first is the perfunctory “no action” alternative and continues current operations “as is”; the second “use what we have” alternative makes only moderate changes to manage the Park as a “learning center”; and the third “redevelopment” alternative is designed to greatly increase the visitor’s understanding of the Park as a “Country Place Era Estate”. To date, 202 pieces of correspondence have been received with more than 1,000 separate comments. Jim Steele, a member of the Blowing Rock Historical Society, summed the question amply, “What kind of experience do we want visitors to take away and how much will it cost?” The second and third alternatives each require different capital investments and increased operational costs, none of which are in the current budget. Traditionally, funding for the Blue Ridge Parkway and its resources comes from two sources: congressional appropriation and private philanthropy. The next step will be the assimilation of all the comments received, fine tuning of alternatives which may include a mix of all three, and the preparation of environmental assessments required for all alternatives. Another public comment session will occur prior to preparation of environmental reports. This project has been funded by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and through the generosity of its donors. The Foundation is building two endowments that generate income for programs and projects at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. In addition to these permanent funds, supporters make contributions to the Foundation to fund specific projects on the estate. Further information can be obtained by contacting the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation at (336) 721-0260 or www.brpfoundation.org # # # Additional Information:Photo credits: Houck Medford, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
Additional Information:http://www.brpfoundation.org
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