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by Stephen J. Pauken, Mayor of the City of Maumee
Jan. 10, 1996
Good evening. Thank you, Mrs. Johnson for the fine introduction, and thank you to the Commission for inviting me to share my perspectives with all of you on the importance of designating the site of the Battle of Fallen Timbers as a national park affiliated area.
While I am keenly aware that there is significant public concern over the prospect of this same land being turned into a shopping mall, I am going to address my remarks this evening to the merits of creating a nationally historic site. On its own merits, this battle and this site need to be preserved because it is important to the history of our nation. And because this is true, I am confident that we will achieve our objectives without having to "play out" the classic struggle between commercial interests and historic preservationists. In fact, I would prefer that we do not.
It is important to recognize that many people have contributed to the team effort that have brought us to where we are today. In early 1993, the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor, Inc. had the vision to create a heritage corridor in the Maumee River Valley utilizing key sites like the Fallen Timbers Battlefield, Ft. Meigs, and Ft. Miamis as a beginning point for a much larger project. It was the National Park Service who, in October of 1993 conducted a field investigation which concluded that these 3 sites were worthy of continued consideration as National Park sites. It was Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur who, through her interest in historic preservation and the dedication of her staff, decided to push the Park Service and the Congress to fund some of our objectives. It was Mike Pratt and 120 volunteers, the persistence of Walter Edelen, along with funding from the councils of the cities of Maumee and Toledo, who made the archaeological investigation such a rousing success. And it was the cooperative effort of Toledo Area Metroparks, the Maumee Valley Historical Society, the Ohio Historical Society, the Fallen Timbers Battlefield Commission, TMACOG, and the personal involvement of Director Roger Kennedy of NPS who have brought us to this point. My participation has been relatively minor in contrast to this broad coalition of interests.
It has been understood since the beginning that my role would be to deal with the politics that will make this project happen. And what an education it has been. I worked with the coalition on the various aspects of this project. I lobbied Congress. I worked with Toledo to convince them that the archaeological investigation was necessary and important. Along the way, I had no idea what it would take to get the federal government interested in our little corner of the earth, but somehow, we move the Washington Establishment, and now we have their full attention.
Where are we now?
There are two significant activities taking place that should result in affiliated unit status for the battlefield site sometime in 1996.
The National Park Service will begin the final phase of a study that will grant the Fallen Timbers site affiliated unit status this month. This study will determine whether the site meets certain criteria required to achieve NPS support. Essentially, we are on the fast track, because a more detailed Special Resource Study was thought to be necessary, and the NPS has set this requirement aside for reasons of time and budget. Without this important step being taken, there would have been no way that we could anticipate being finished in 1996.
At the same time, Maumee's application for transportation enhancement funds under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) is in the process of being ranked by ODOT in Columbus, and we have friends there working on our behalf. This grant, when funded, will enable the City of Maumee to offer the City of Toledo a fair and reasonable price for the land it owns, which is the site of the battle. My sources here and in Columbus say that this is a strong application, and hopefully it will rank high enough to be fully funded, and we should know the results by April of 1996. Credit for this strong application goes to Kent Gardam, Maumee's Commissioner of Public Service and Treasurer of the MVIIC, Inc.
Where do we go from here?
Once we have the affiliated unit analysis completed, we go back to Washington. The Congress must designate all national park lands and affiliates, so we literally need an act of Congress to get this done.
An act of Congress will be the easy part. Affiliated unit status means we have earned the honor and prestige of National Park Service designation, but the site will be owned and operated by local interests. It is not too early to begin planning and raising funds to make this park a reality. I envision the creation of a public-private partnership involving the Park Service, municipal government, special districts, and organizations like the MVHC, MVHS, American Intertribal Association, and the FTBC coming together to create a lasting memorial. Not to a battle, but to our heritage as a nation.
This is an opportunity we will have only once in our lifetimes. We must not let it get away. While thanking you for the support you have shown over the three years leading up to this point, I must ask for your continued enthusiasm in order to bring this effort to a happy conclusion. Together, we can make it happen.
Thank you.
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