NOTICE OF INTENT: FY2017 Implementation of Management Plan | P17AS00111

Opportunity Information: Apply for P17AS00111

NOTICE OF INTENT: FY2017 Implementation of Management Plan (Funding Opportunity Number P17AS00111) describes a National Park Service (NPS) cooperative agreement action to support implementation of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area (MPNHA) management plan in Utah. The award is tied to an existing cooperative agreement (P12AC30225) between the Department of the Interior/NPS and the Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance, which serves as the local management entity for the MPNHA. The work is carried out under the authority of Public Law 109-338 (120 Stat. 1738), the legislation that established the heritage area and defines the public purpose for federal support. In practical terms, this opportunity is about using federal funds, matched by non-federal contributions, to advance preservation, interpretation, education, community revitalization, and outreach projects that collectively help tell nationally important stories associated with Mormon Pioneer history and the broader cultural landscape.

The opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning NPS is expected to remain actively involved rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant. NPSs role includes providing advisory, technical, and financial assistance; reviewing the Alliance’s proposed subgrants to confirm they align with the approved management plan and enabling legislation; and helping with historic preservation compliance when projects may affect historic properties. A major compliance requirement is Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Before any federal funds can be distributed to subgrantees for projects that constitute an undertaking affecting properties that are listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, the Alliance must complete the appropriate Section 106 review process. The Alliance is also required to complete Section 106 compliance training in consultation with NPS or the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). NPS, in turn, commits to assisting with Section 106 consultations by advising on effects determinations, checking alignment with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, and helping coordinate consultation with the Utah SHPO.

The FY2017 statement of work (noted as a partial appropriation under continuing resolutions) emphasizes a mix of on-the-ground preservation and site improvements, community heritage events, heritage tourism infrastructure, media/education products, and core administration. The MPNHA’s broader program areas are listed as interpretation, preservation, economic development, trails development, administration, planning, marketing/outreach, and education across five heritage districts. The project list in Attachment A is essentially a portfolio of specific funded activities that together advance the management plan.

The largest preservation-oriented construction effort in the portfolio is the CCC/POW Camp Building and Site Restoration (Phase II), budgeted at $50,000 total with $25,000 in federal funds and $25,000 in match. This project continues restoration of historic buildings that first served as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp and later as a World War II prisoner-of-war detention center. The budgeted scope includes interior construction and finish work on three buildings, replacing rolled roofing on one building, purchasing materials and labor to construct a guard tower, completing landscaping and drainage to protect the buildings from water damage, adding walkways to building entrances, and updating exterior electrical service for three buildings. The intent is both preservation of a significant historic site and improving visitor readiness and long-term durability.

Several smaller awards support heritage-based downtown revitalization and local identity. The Panguitch City Main Street Program receives $1,000 in federal funding (no match) as a small contribution toward the Escalante Arts Festival/Everett Ruess Days, with funds restricted to speaker fees. The Panguitch Main Street Program Signage Project is a $4,500 project split evenly between federal and match ($2,250 each) to install/promote signage that draws travelers to Panguitch’s historic downtown; this is especially relevant because the entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, making heritage tourism a central economic development strategy.

Community events and public interpretation are also funded. Sevier County’s two-day western heritage event is budgeted at $4,424 with a 50/50 split between federal and match ($2,212 each). The event is designed to present western heritage through presentations, music, and hands-on workshops (examples given include saddle making, livestock branding, cowboy poetry, quilting, and Native American presentations). The description highlights regional collaboration, with Sevier partnering with multiple counties (Wayne, Piute, Garfield, Kane, Washington, Iron, Beaver, and Duchesne). Federal dollars are designated for practical delivery costs such as room rentals, advertising, and speaker fees.

Multiple awards focus on restoring historic buildings used by communities today, reinforcing the management plan’s preservation and adaptive-use goals. Spring City Victory Hall Historic Building Restoration (Phase II) is a $7,000 project with $3,500 federal and $3,500 match to address badly needed roof repairs for a National Register-listed building, explicitly noting Section 106 review coordination with the Utah SHPO (named contact: Roger Roper, Deputy SHPO Officer, Utah Division of State History). The Monroe Carol Theater Project (Phase II) is a $5,000 effort split evenly between federal and match ($2,500 each) aimed at keeping a community theater functional for civic and community events through repairs to the roof, doors, and electrical systems for the theater projector. These projects combine preservation compliance with practical community benefit, which is typical for heritage area investments.

A major capital and interpretation project in the list is the Kanab Jacob Hamblin Heritage Park, budgeted at $190,000 with $40,000 federal and $150,000 match. The narrative frames Jacob Hamblin as an important Mormon pioneer particularly noted for work with Native Americans, and positions the heritage park as serving both heritage tourists and the local community. The unusually high match level compared to federal funding signals strong local or partner investment and suggests the federal role is intended as catalytic support within a larger funding package.

The portfolio also includes media and education deliverables aimed at broad public reach. The Discovery Road TV Series and Utah Education Network project totals $43,726, with $21,726 federal and $22,000 match. It supports ongoing production of television episodes centered on Mormon Pioneer heritage, paying for the typical components of documentary-style work such as research, writing, archival acquisition, camera/lighting/audio and related equipment, editing, and post-production. This aligns with the outreach and interpretation goals of heritage areas by extending access beyond on-site visitors.

Marketing and administrative capacity are explicitly funded as well, reflecting that heritage area work depends on coordination, communication, and program management across many partners. Marketing is budgeted at $19,084 with $9,667 federal and $9,417 match, covering social media and website marketing, press releases, distribution of travel planners and other materials, and a Heritage Bike Tour Program. Administration and Management totals $41,481, including $27,145 federal and $14,336 match, and covers development of the annual work plan, budgeting, grant identification and preparation, grant management, coordination with assigned employees (noted as Easter Seals assigned employees), partnership-building for workspace and office resources, and coordination across five heritage districts, six counties, and 27 communities. It also includes a CPA fee (Roper CPA), indicating attention to financial oversight and accountability.

In funding terms, the opportunity lists an award ceiling of $135,000 with one expected award, which corresponds to the total federal funding shown in the project budget. The total project budget across all listed activities is $366,215, comprised of $135,000 federal funds and $231,215 in contributed match, with a note that only $135,000 in match was required under the continuing resolutions referenced. Key administrative details include the agency (Department of the Interior, National Park Service), CFDA number 15.939, activity category (Natural Resources), and the original posting timeline (created March 7, 2017; original closing date March 17, 2017). Overall, the notice outlines how a heritage area partner and NPS planned to use FY2017 funds to move a congressionally authorized management plan forward through a balanced set of preservation projects, community programming, tourism-facing improvements, media/education outreach, and the administrative backbone needed to coordinate compliance and partnerships.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NOTICE OF INTENT: FY2017 Implementation of Management Plan" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.939.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 07, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 17, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $135,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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