[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6668 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6668
To establish the Centennial Historic District in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 30, 2008
Mr. Fattah introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Centennial Historic District in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Centennial Historic District
Authorization Act of 2008''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Centennial Historic District in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania was the site of an international exhibition to
celebrate the Centennial of the United States in 1876.
(2) On March 3, 1871, an Act of Congress created the United
States Centennial Commission and provided that an Exhibition of
American and foreign arts, products, and manufactures be held
in Philadelphia in 1876.
(3) Held only 11 years after the end of the Civil War, the
Centennial Exhibition was a both a national celebration of
unity and a recognition by the world community that the United
States was emerging as the leading nation in the world.
(4) The Centennial Exhibition displayed 60,000 exhibits
from more than 28 countries around the world in 240 buildings
and hosted nearly 10 million visitors, estimated to be nearly
25 percent of the population of the United States at the time.
It was the first World's Fair to be held in the United States.
(5) The Exhibition became the center of cultural,
technological, economic and geopolitical development in the
United States by demonstrating groundbreaking innovations,
including root beer, the telephone, kindergarten, the
typewriter, the phonograph, and the monorail.
(6) More than 100 American companies who participated in
the Centennial Exhibition are still in business today,
including Bausch and Lomb, John Deere, Campbell's, Heinz, and
Wyeth.
(7) The Centennial Historic District is located in
Fairmount Park, which is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places.
(8) Memorial Hall, a centerpiece of the Centennial
celebration, is a National Historic Landmark and is being
renovated to join other cultural institutions as an anchor for
the Centennial Historic District.
(9) The Centennial Historic District will commemorate the
historic significance of the Centennial celebration in our
Nation's history.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Historic district.--The term ``historic district''
means the Centennial Historic District established by section
4.
(2) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means
the management plan described in section 5(b).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means--
(A) the Secretary of the Interior; or
(B) the head of any Federal agency to which funds
are appropriated to carry out this Act.
SEC. 4. CENTENNIAL HISTORIC DISTRICT.
(a) Establishment.--There is established the Centennial Historic
District in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(b) Boundaries.--The boundaries of the historic district shall be
as depicted on the map titled ``Fairmount Park's Proposed Centennial
Authorization Boundary'', numbered A, and dated December 2007. The map
shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate
offices of the National Park Service.
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATION OF CENTENNIAL HISTORIC DISTRICT.
(a) In General.--The Secretary may make grants to, and enter into
cooperative agreements with, any State or local government agencies,
any nonprofit entities designated by the Secretary to operate the
historic district, or any leaseholders for--
(1) the preparation of the management plan; and
(2) the implementation of projects approved by the
Secretary under the management plan.
(b) Management Plan.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall prepare a plan for the
development of historic, architectural, natural, cultural,
recreational, and interpretive resources within the historic
district.
(2) Requirements.--The management plan shall include--
(A) an evaluation of--
(i) the condition of historic and
architectural resources in the historic
district; and
(ii) the environmental conditions in the
historic district; and
(B) recommendations for--
(i) rehabilitating, reconstructing, and
adaptively reusing the historic and
architectural resources evaluated under
subparagraph (A)(i);
(ii) preserving viewsheds, focal points,
and streetscapes in the historic district;
(iii) establishing gateways to the historic
district;
(iv) establishing and maintaining parks and
public spaces in the historic district;
(v) developing public parking areas in the
historic district;
(vi) improving pedestrian and vehicular
circulation in the historic district; and
(vii) improving security in the historic
district.
(3) Restoration, maintenance, and interpretation.--
(A) Cooperative agreements.--For projects
recommended in the management plan, the Secretary may
enter into cooperative agreements with the city of
Philadelphia, agents of the city, and designated
partners to--
(i) provide technical assistance with
respect to the preservation and interpretation
of properties within the historic district; and
(ii) mark, improve, restore, and provide
interpretation of properties within the
historic district.
(B) Contents.--A cooperative agreement under
subparagraph (A) shall ensure that--
(i) the Secretary has a right of access at
reasonable times to public portions of the
historic district for interpretive and other
purposes; and
(ii) no change or alteration shall be made
in the property except with the agreement of
the property owner, the Secretary, and any
Federal agency that may have regulatory
jurisdiction over the property.
(c) Capital Projects.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall, to the extent funds
are available, make grants for capital improvements in the
historic district.
(2) Application.--To be eligible for a grant under this
subsection, an entity shall submit to the Secretary an
application that includes information concerning how the
proposed capital project will improve the historic district.
(3) Considerations.--In making grants under this
subsection, the Secretary shall--
(A) consider the cost and benefit of the proposed
capital project; and
(B) give priority to proposed capital projects--
(i) providing gateways to, and signage for,
the historic district;
(ii) improving historical monuments in the
historic district;
(iii) maintaining public parks and spaces
in the historic district;
(iv) establishing a trail in the historic
district;
(v) maintaining and improving the lake in
the historic district;
(vi) improving the streetscape, including
lighting, of the Girard Gateway;
(vii) improving pedestrian and vehicular
traffic circulation and parking at the western
end of the Centennial Exhibition grounds; or
(viii) restoring Memorial Hall.
(4) Matching funds.--To be eligible for a grant under this
subsection, the recipient shall provide matching, non-Federal
funds in an amount equal to not less than 20 percent of the
total amount of the grant.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act
$45,000,000 for fiscal years 2009 through 2013. Of the amount
appropriated pursuant to this section, the Secretary shall obligate not
more than 12 percent for planning and technical assistance.
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