National Aviation Heritage Area Reauthorized
Just days after #WrightBrothersDay, Congress has approved funding for the National Aviation Heritage Area through September 30, 2022. This means three more years of federal funding to match private dollars in the 8-county region that makes up the Heritage Area in West Central Ohio.
“I have strongly advocated for major funding wins for our community reflected in these bills. First and foremost, today’s bills appropriate the remaining $120.9 million of the $182 million expansion project at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base that we won authorization of last week. Furthermore, this bill reauthorizes the National Aviation Heritage Area to continue to preserve the legacy of the Wright Brothers and aviation in Dayton, Ohio,” says Representative Turner.
U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representatives Michael Turner (R-OH) and Joyce Beatty (D-OH) led the inclusion to authorize extension of the National Aviation Heritage Area (NAHA) in the final appropriations package for FY 2020.
“The National Aviation Heritage Area provides a significant building block for an economically disinvested part of West Dayton. The National Park had a great impact on the Wright-Dunbar Village and continues to extend its impact further west to Third St. and Abby Avenue,” says Commissioner Chris Shaw.
Since NAHA’s inception in 2004, the Heritage Area has brought in more than $4 million in federal funding to the region. Monies have been used for STEM education programs, saving the Wright Company Factory site, and promotion of the region for economic development. According to the National Park Service’s official evaluation, NAHA “has contributed to economic success, housing, and business…and has addressed each of the goals outlined in the management plan with the support of the Federal resources provided.”
“We are proud to be recognized as good stewards of federal resources, as evidenced by our reauthorization. We work hard to match those funds with private investment in the region,” says Mackensie Wittmer, executive director.
The National Aviation Heritage Area hosts more than two million visitors annually, generating $35 million in economic impact and supporting 1,500 jobs in the region. Future plans for NAHA include advocating for additional private investment, hosting key media personalities, and working with international aeronautics teams to help connect the region’s heritage to its future.
“The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force is excited about the reauthorization of the National Aviation Heritage Area (NAHA), which the museum is a part of, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with NAHA in the future,” says David Tillotson, Director, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
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The National Aviation Heritage Area is the recognized center of aviation heritage tourism and aerospace innovation, sustaining the legacy of the Wright Brothers. Our mission is to preserve and develop the assets in the National Aviation Heritage Area and promote the heritage and future of aerospace.
Contact:
Elizabeth Connor, Director of Communications
[email protected]
937.231.5804
