Home Economy Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park in line for $9M in federal...

Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park in line for $9M in federal funding

By

Christopher Allen

-

03/20/2024

slatermill — THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE plans to allocate $9 million in funding to upgrade Old Slater Mill and other Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park sites, according to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PAWTUCKET – The U.S. National Park Service plans to allocate $9 million in federal funds to upgrade the Old Slater Mill other Blackstone River Valley National Historic Park sites, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., announced Wednesday. The funding would be sourced from the 2019 Great American Outdoors Act, which has a more than $1.3 billion Legacy

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PAWTUCKET – The U.S. National Park Service plans to allocate $9 million in federal funds to upgrade the Old Slater Mill other Blackstone River Valley National Historic Park sites, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., announced Wednesday. The funding would be sourced from the 2019 Great American Outdoors Act, which has a more than $1.3 billion Legacy Restoration Fund. Reed is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and said the project will be part of the fund's fiscal year 2025 budget. Construction would begin in 2026. Supported by federal energy development, the legislation is meant to preserve and make capital improvements to national parks and other public lands. The funding would be used to restore the exterior of the Old Slater Mill and the Wilkinson Mill waterwheel and include “repairs to foundations, exterior envelopes, the site’s raceways and river retaining walls, the Wilkinson waterpower system and wheel exhibit, and provide code-compliant accessibility upgrades to the site,” according to the announcement. The funding is now included in the the NPS fiscal 2025 budget request. Supported by revenue from energy development, specific projects under the Great American Outdoors Act are approved by Congress annually. In a statement Wednesday, Reed, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he will fight to ensure the project is fully funded. “I am pleased this new funding will soon be put to work preserving the historic Old Slater Mill and the Wilkinson Mill waterwheel,” he said. “These upgrades will enhance the experience for visitors, giving them a better sense of the sights, sounds, and unique characteristics of these historic mills that helped power the American Industrial Revolution and change the course of U.S. history.” Reed, who made a visit to the site last July along with federal officials to lobby for infrastructure upgrades, was former chairman of the Subcommittee on Interior and Environment, the entity that wrote the 2014 law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act that directed the National Park Service to establish the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park and purchase the Slater Mill. In addition to reopening the immersive museum, Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park Superintendent Eric Breitkreutz said the funding will also help ensure visitors can “experience in person and help preserve the Old Slater Mill National Historic Landmark District for current and future generations.” Completed in 1793, the Slater Mill is the first successful water-powered spinning mill in the United States. The Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park is the state’s only national park and encompasses historic sites spanning 24 cities and towns in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The park drew more than 25,000 visitors in 2022. According to a 2018 study by Place Economics commissioned by Preserve RI, so-called “Heritage tourism” brings in 9.8 million annual visitors and $1.4 billion in spending to Rhode Island. Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com