ASTORIA, OR – Destination: The Pacific (DTP) is soliciting Statements of Qualifications (SOQs) to prepare a Feasibility Study (FS) for the Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area. Interested individuals or firms are invited to attend an orientation session on Thursday, March 8, at the World Kite Museum in Long Beach, Washington, starting at 4 PM. Following this session applicants are encouraged to participate in a public forum at the Kite Museum featuring Mike Creasey of the National Park Service to talk about the Blackstone National Heritage Area. For more information visit www.DestinationThePacific.com, email dtp@seasurf.net, or call (503) 861-4403.
DTP is undertaking a 2-step process in its search for a qualified applicant. The first is requesting qualifications followed by a request for proposals from those chosen for the final selection of the initial search for qualifications.
“This is a fascinating project and we see our work as a model for similar projects in the western U.S.,” commented Gayle Borchard, AICP, who is DTP’s committee Chair for the FS/EA. “This will offer penetration to an emerging western market for the team that is selected,” noted Borchard.
DTP is planning a two-step team selection process: Statements of Qualifications will be used to develop a short list; those short-listed will be asked to prepare proposals. The selected team will work closely with DTP, and will also have substantial contact with members of the public. The current FS/EA study area includes Clatsop and Columbia counties in Oregon and Pacific and Wahkiakum counties in Washington.
DTP currently anticipates providing notice to proceed to the selected FS/EA team in June 2007. The recently introduced bill to authorize a feasibility study is anticipated to pass in late Spring. The goal is to complete the study and have a bill requesting that the Columbia-Pacific NHA be created by February 14, 2009—Oregon’s 150th anniversary for statehood.
Senators Gordon Smith and Patricia Murray along with Congressmen Brian Baird and David Wu introduced the bill this past January to authorize a Feasibility Study that will evaluate the proposed bi-sate Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area. The bill cites twenty-eight distinct features and themes that make the region a unique and nationally significant part of American history; many of the area’s unique historic activities and cultures still thrive today.
As the bill works its way through Congress, DTP is initiating the feasibility study process, the first step to congressional designation of a NHA. The study is not only a technical analysis of the national significance of the Columbia-Pacific landscape, it is also the vehicle by which residents and other stakeholders provide input about the validity of the overall idea, as well as preferred NHA boundaries, themes, and management options.
“The area’s maritime history spans six thousand years, with the Chinookan people using the Columbia River and coastal shores for fishing and trade,” noted Jerry Ostermiller, President of the Columbia River Maritime Museum. “Today, the Columbia River continues to support international trade and local businesses, and serves as a world class destination for visitors.” The rich history is set against a backdrop of rugged scenic beauty. From the wave-sculpted cliffs at Ecola and Cape Disappointment parks, to the old growth forests and diverse wildlife of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, to the miles of gentle beaches at the Long Beach Peninsula and at Seaside, the region brims with discoveries for the visitor and resident alike. “Abundant historical and cultural resources combined with natural beauty, a varied and thriving eco-system, and the pulse of river commerce make the Long Beach Peninsula and northern Oregon coast a natural for a National Heritage Area,” explained Jim Sayce with the Washington State Historical Society.
