[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 10, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S736-S737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself and Mr. Bradley):
  S. 188. A bill to establish the Great Falls Historic District in the 
State of New Jersey, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources.


           the Great Falls preservation and redevelopment act

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the 
Great Falls Preservation and Redevelopment Act, legislation that 
recognizes the historic significance of the Great Falls area of 
Paterson, NJ. I am delighted that, once again, my senior colleague from 
New Jersey, Senator Bradley, joins me as a cosponsor.
  Mr. President, this bill was broadly supported in the last Congress. 
The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 280 to 130. 
After years of opposition, the administration lent its support. The 
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the bill in 
September, but time ran out before the Senate could act. Today I 
reintroduce the draft that achieved this support, and I ask my 
colleagues to join once again in supporting the bill.
  I'm proud to say I was born in Paterson. My father worked in the 
mills, and I experienced firsthand the historic importance of industry 
in the city.
  Paterson is known as America's first industrialized city. Alexander 
Hamilton played a role here when, in 1791 he chose the area around the 
Great Falls for his laboratory and to establish the Society for the 
Establishment of Useful Manufactures. Textiles held special 
significance; Paterson was once called Silk City as the center of the 
textile industry.
  While rich in history, the area is also blessed by great natural 
beauty and splendor. It is an oasis of beauty in an urban environment. 
Its resources offer not just educational and cultural opportunities, 
but economic and recreational ones as well.
  The Federal Government acknowledged all this by designating the area 
a national historic landmark, a formal recognition by the National Park 
Service.
  Mr. President, the roots and contributions of this area run deep. New 
industries were responsible for thriving businesses, tight knit 
families and for many of the residents, the first homes of immigrants, 
who arrived in the United States through nearby Ellis Island.
  Many of the industries from Great Falls have moved elsewhere. But we 
are left with an area whose significance is great for people like me.
  I find a source of inspiration in remembering my father in those 
thriving mills of Paterson, so I look at Paterson, and the Great Falls 
area, as a reminder of who I am. We must value our personal and 
collective histories, because they connect us to our families and to 
each other.
  Paterson is not alone in this story. New Jersey is rich in 
industrial, urban history. New Jersey played a major role in the 
industrial revolution.
  I sought to highlight this role when I secured funds in the fiscal 
year 1992 Interior appropriations bill to establish the urban history 
initiative in three cities in New Jersey. Paterson is one of those 
cities.
  Paterson's urban history program is in its early stages. The 
cooperative agreement was recently signed and things are moving. This 
infusion of funds has succeeded in initiating Paterson's historic 
revitalization.
  But this bill formalizes the current partnership among the city, its 
residents and the Federal Government. It establishes the Great Falls 
Historic District and provides a long-term Federal presence in the 
area. The resources of Great Falls are just beginning to be tapped; we 
need this bill to give the resources the focus they deserve. Such 
historical recognition provides important educational, economic, and 
cultural benefits. Its value is immeasurable.
  The Secretary of the Interior will enter into cooperative agreements 
with nonprofits, property owners, State and local governments to assist 
in interpreting and preserving the historical significance and 
contributions of the Great Falls to the city, to industry, and to our 
heritage.
  Mr. President, this bill does not impose Federal Government's heavy 
hand on the residents and businesses. The city doesn't want that, and 
neither does the Park Service.
  Instead, the bill initiates and facilitates cooperative agreements 
among interested parties. The Secretary will determine properties of 
historical or cultural significance, and provide technical assistance, 
interpret, restore, or improve these properties. This historic and 
cultural recognition leads to economic revitalization in the area.
  Mr. President, this bill is the culmination of years of effort to 
determine the correct Federal role in highlighting this important area. 
The bill does not designate a new unit of the National Park Service--it 
already is designated a unit--and it will not require additional Park 
Service personnel. The bill reflects the current budgetary climate by 
limiting Federal investment in capital projects, planning, and 
technical assistance. It also requires non-Federal matching funds and 
the authority to spend funds expires after 5 years.
  This bill, when enacted, will play an important part in advancing the 
historic revival of Paterson and of the Great Falls. In turn, it will 
boost the economic vitality of the region while restoring the 
importance of our industrial heritage for our children. I look forward 
to watching this bill become reality.
  I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the bill be included in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 188

       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 ``Great Falls Preservation and 
     Redevelopment Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) the Great Falls Historic District in the State of New 
     Jersey is an area of historical significance as an early site 
     of planned industrial development, and has remained largely 
     intact, including architecturally significant structures;
       (2) the Great Falls Historic District is listed on the 
     National Register of Historic Places and has been designated 
     a National Historic Landmark;
       (3) the Great Falls Historic District is situated within a 
     one-half hour's drive from New York City and a 2 hour's drive 
     from Philadelphia, Hartford, New Haven, and Wilmington;
       (4) the District was developed by the Society of Useful 
     Manufactures, an organization whose leaders included a number 
     of historically renowned individuals, including Alexander 
     Hamilton; and
       (5) the Great Falls Historic District has been the subject 
     of a number of studies that have shown that the District 
     possesses a combination of historic significance and natural 
     beauty worthy of and uniquely situated for preservation and 
     redevelopment.

     SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

       The purposes of this Act are--
       (1) to preserve and interpret, for the educational and 
     inspirational benefit of the public, the contribution to our 
     national heritage of certain historic and cultural lands and 
     edifices of the Great Falls Historic District, with emphasis 
     on harnessing this unique urban environment for its 
     educational and recreational value; and
       (2) to enhance economic and cultural redevelopment within 
     the District.

     SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) District.--The term ``District'' means the Great Falls 
     Historic District established by section 5.
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

[[Page S737]]



     SEC. 5. GREAT FALLS HISTORIC DISTRICT.

       (a) Establishment.--There is established the Great Falls 
     Historic District in the city of Paterson, in Passaic County, 
     New Jersey.
       (b) Boundaries.--The boundaries of the District shall be 
     the boundaries specified for the Great Falls Historic 
     District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

     SEC. 6. DEVELOPMENT PLAN.

       (a) Grants and Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may 
     make grants and enter into cooperative agreements with the 
     State of New Jersey, local governments, and private nonprofit 
     entities under which the Secretary agrees to pay not more 
     than 50 percent of the costs of--
       (1) preparation of a plan for the development of historic, 
     architectural, natural, cultural, and interpretive resources 
     within the District; and
       (2) implementation of projects approved by the Secretary 
     under the development plan.
       (b) Contents of Plan.--The development plan shall include--
       (1) an evaluation of--
       (A) the physical condition of historic and architectural 
     resources; and
       (B) the environmental and flood hazard conditions within 
     the District; and
       (2) recommendations for--
       (A) rehabilitating, reconstructing, and adaptively reusing 
     the historic and architectural resources;
       (B) preserving viewsheds, focal points, and streetscapes;
       (C) establishing gateways to the District;
       (D) establishing and maintaining parks and public spaces;
       (E) developing public parking areas;
       (F) improving pedestrian and vehicular circulation within 
     the District;
       (G) improving security within the District, with an 
     emphasis on preserving historically significant structures 
     from arson; and
       (H) establishing a visitors' center.

     SEC. 7. RESTORATION, PRESERVATION, AND INTERPRETATION OF 
                   PROPERTIES.

       (a) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may enter into 
     cooperative agreements with the owners of properties within 
     the District that the Secretary determines to be of 
     historical or cultural significance, under which the 
     Secretary may--
       (1) pay not more than 50 percent of the cost of restoring 
     and improving the properties;
       (2) provide technical assistance with respect to the 
     preservation and interpretation of the properties; and
       (3) mark and provide interpretation of the properties.
       (b) Provisions.--A cooperative agreement under subsection 
     (a) shall provide that--
       (1) the Secretary shall have the right of access at 
     reasonable times to public portions of the property for 
     interpretive and other purposes;
       (2) no change or alteration may 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; and
       (3) if at any time the property is converted, used, or 
     disposed of in a manner that is contrary to the purposes of 
     this Act, as determined by the Secretary, the property owner 
     shall be liable to the Secretary for the greater of--
       (A) the amount of assistance provided by the Secretary for 
     the property; or
       (B) the portion of the increased value of the property that 
     is attributable to that assistance, determined as of the date 
     of the conversion, use, or disposal.
       (c) Applications.--
       (1) In general.--A property owner that desires to enter 
     into a cooperative agreement under subsection (a) shall 
     submit to the Secretary an application describing how the 
     project proposed to be funded will further the purposes of 
     the District.
       (2) Consideration.--In making such funds available under 
     this section, the Secretary shall give consideration to 
     projects that provide a greater leverage of Federal funds.

     SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to 
     carry out this Act--
       (1) $250,000 for grants and cooperative agreements for the 
     development plan under section 6; and
       (2) $50,000 for the provision of technical assistance and 
     $3,000,000 for the provision of other assistance under 
     cooperative agreements under section 7.
                                 ______