FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  April 7, 2008
Contact:  Mary Gates, (605) 222-9160, midwesterncompany@gmail.com

Public input needed for Pierre and Fort Pierre historic preservation plans

PIERRE, S.D. – Do you have a suggestion for a historic preservation project in Pierre or Fort Pierre?

As part of the Central South Dakota Heritage Tourism Education Program, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center is preparing historic preservation plans for Pierre and Fort Pierre and needs your input.

Attend an upcoming input meeting and tell the SHPO what you think Pierre and Fort Pierre should be doing to preserve and promote their history. Get an overview of the project and enjoy viewing “Then and Now” photos of the area.

Meetings will be held on Thursday, April 10, at 7 p.m. at the Cultural Heritage Center (900 Governors Drive, Pierre); and Tuesday, April 15, at 7 p.m. at the Fort Pierre Senior Citizens Center (21 E. Main, Fort Pierre).

Suggestions can also be e-mailed to Mary Gates, program coordinator, at midwesterncompany@gmail.com.

“Preservation plans will help Pierre and Fort Pierre identify and evaluate their historic resources, develop goals for the protection and promotion of these resources, and list specific actions that the cities can take to meet those goals,” Gates said. “Each plan will be tailored to reflect the historic preservation needs and goals of that community.”

“These plans will be shaped by each community, for each community,” said Jay D. Vogt, director of the State Historical Society. “This is an exciting opportunity for citizens to voice their concerns and help protect their historic resources for future generations.”

The Central South Dakota Heritage Tourism Education Program is funded through a Preserve America grant, state matching funds, and matching funds donated by the Dakota, Minnesota, & Eastern Railroad Corporation. This two-year program will develop and implement an interpretive and education plan for historic tourism resources, focusing on the Pierre and Fort Pierre area.

Program objectives include preparation and adoption of preservation plans; applications for Preserve America Community designation; design and production of interpretive markers, driving and walking tour brochures; development of paper and Web-based travel itineraries; and development of education tools to promote history, the value of history, and the use of history as an economic tool.

For more information on the Central South Dakota Heritage Tourism Education Program, contact the State Historic Preservation Office at the Cultural Heritage Center, 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2217; telephone (605) 773-3458 or Web site www.sdhistory.org/HP/histpres.htm.