7. Lowell Historic Canal District An Act to provide for a plan for the preservation, interpretation, development, and use of the historic, cultural, and architectural resources of the Lowell Historic Canal District in Lowell, Massachusetts, and for other purposes. (88 Stat. 2330) (P.L. 93-645) Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That for the purpose of preserving and interpreting for the educational and inspirational benefit of present and future generations the unique and significant contribution to our national heritage of certain historic and cultural lands, waterways, and edifices in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts (the cradle of the industrial revolution in America as well as America's first planned industrial city) with emphasis on harnessing this unique urban environment for its educational value as well as for recreation, there is hereby established the Lowell Historic Canal District Commission (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission"), the purpose of which shall be to prepare a plan for the preservation, interpretation, development, and use, by public and private entities, of the historic, cultural, and architectural resources of the Lowell Historic Canal District in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts. SEC. 2. (a) The Commission shall consist of nine members, as follows: (1) the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Secretary of Commerce, all ex officio; and (2) five members appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, one of whom shall be the Director of the National Park Service, two of whom shall be appointed from recommendations submitted by the manager of the city of Lowell, and two of whom shall be appointed from recommendations submitted by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The members appointed pursuant to this paragraph shall have knowledge and experience in one or more of the fields of history, architecture, the arts, recreation planning, city planning, or government. (b) Each member of the Commission specified in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) and the Director of the National Park Service may designate an alternate official to serve in his stead. Members appointed pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection (a) who are officers or employees of the Federal Government, the city of Lowell, or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, shall serve without compensation as such. Other members, when engaged in activities of the Commission, shall be entitled to compensation at the rate of not to exceed $100 per diem. All members of the Commission shall receive reim bursement for necessary travel and subsistence expenses incurred by them in the performance of the duties of the Commission. SEC. 3. (a) The Commission shall elect a Chairman from among its members. Financial and administrative services (including those relating to budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, personnel, and procurement) shall be provided for the Commission by the General Services Administration, for which payments shall be made in advance, or by reimbursement, from funds of the Commission in such amounts as may be agreed upon by the Chairman of the Commission and the Administrator, General Services Administration: Provided, That the regulations of the Department of the Interior for the collection of indebtedness of personnel resulting from erroneous payments shall apply to the collection of erroneous payments made to or on behalf of a Commission employee, and regulations of said Secretary for the administrative control of funds shall apply to appropriations of the Commission: And provided further, That the Commission shall not be required to prescribe such regulations. (b) The Commission shall have power to appoint and fix the compensation of such additional personnel as may be necessary to carry out its duties, without regard to the provisions of the civil service laws and the Classification Act of 1949. (c) The Commission may also procure, without regard to the civil service laws and the Classification Act of 1949, temporary and intermittent services to the same extent as is authorized for the executive departments by section 15 of the Administrative Expenses Act of 1946, but at rates not to exceed $100 per diem for individuals. (d) The members of the Commission specified in paragraph (1) of section 2(a) shall provide the Commission, on a reimbursable basis, with such facilities and services under their jurisdiction and control as may be needed by the Commission to carry out its duties, to the extent that such facilities and services are requested by the Commission and are otherwise available for that purpose. To the extent of available appropriations, the Commission may obtain, by purchase, rental, donation, or otherwise, such additional property, facilities, and services as may be needed to carry out its duties. Upon the termination of the Commission all property, personal and real, and unexpended funds shall be transferred to the Department of the Interior. SEC. 4. It shall be the duty of the Commission to prepare the plan referred to in the first section of this Act, and to submit the plan together with any recommendations for additional legislation, to the Congress not later than two years from the effective date of this Act. The plan for the Lowell Historic Canal District shall include considerations and recommendations, without limitation, regarding (1) the objectives to be achieved by the establishment, development, and operation of the area; (2) the types of use, both public and private, to be accommodated; (3) criteria for the design and appearance of buildings, facilities, open spaces, and other improvements; (4) a program for the staging of development; (5) the anticipated interpretive, cultural, and recreational programs and uses for the area; (6) the proposed ownership and operation of all structures, facilities, and lands; (7) areas where cooperative agreements may be anticipated; (8) estimates of costs, both public and private, of implementing the plan; and (9) procedures to be used in implementing and insuring continuing conformance to the plan. SEC. 5. The Commission shall be dissolved (1) upon the termination, as determined by its members, of need for its continued existence for the implementation of the plan and the operation or coordination of the entity established by the plan, or (2) upon expiration of a twoyear period commencing on the effective date of this Act, whereupon the completed plan has not been submitted to the Congress, whichever occurs first. SEC. 6. It is contemplated that the plan to be developed may propose that the Commission may be authorized to (1) acquire lands and interests therein within the Lowell Historic Canal District by purchase, lease, donation, or exchange; (2) hold, maintain, use, develop, or operate buildings, facilities, and any other properties; (3) sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of real or personal property as necessary to carry out the plan; (4) enter into and perform such contracts, leases, cooperative agreements, or other transactions with any agency or instrumentality of the United States, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and any governmental unit within its boundaries, or any person, firm, association, or corporation as may be necessary; (5) establish (through covenants, regulations, agreements, or otherwise) such restrictions, standards, and requirements as are necessary to assure development, maintenance, use, and protection of the Lowell Historic Canal District in accordance with the plan; and (6) borrow money from the Treasury of the United States in such amounts as may be authorized in appropriation Acts on the basis of obligations issued by the Commission in accordance with terms and conditions approved by the Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to purchase any such obligations of the Commission. SEC. 7. Title to property of the Commission shall be in the name of the Commission, but it shall not be subject to any Federal, State, or municipal taxes. SEC. 8. There are authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $150,000 for the preparation of the plan authorized by this Act. Approved January 4, 1975. Legislative History: House Report No. 93-1430 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). Oct. 7, considered and passed House. Dec. 17, considered and passed Senate. Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Vol. 11, No. 2: Jan. 4, Presidential statement. 8. National Park System Studies An Act to authorize the study of certain areas by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior. (90 Stat. 2447) (P.L. 94-518) Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, TITLE I-FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED HOME AND OFFICE, BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS SEC. 101. The Secretary of the Interior shall prepare and transmit to the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives within two years from the date of enactment of this Act a feasibility/suitability study of the Frederick Law Olmsted Home and Office as a unit of the National Park System. The study shall include cost estimates for any necessary acquisition, development, operation, and maintenance, as well as any alternatives for the administration and protection of the area. TITLE II-SAINT PAUL'S CHURCH, SEC. 201. The Secretary of the Interior shall prepare and transmit to the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives within two years from the date of enactment of this Act a feasibility/suitability study of Saint Paul's Church as a unit of the National Park System. The study shall include cost estimates for any necessary acquisition, development, operation, and maintenance, as well as any alternatives for the administration and protection of the area. TITLE III-NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRO- SEC. 301. The Secretary of the Interior shall prepare and transmit to the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives within two years from the date of enactment of this Act a feasibility/suitability study for a National Museum of Afro-American History and Culture at or near Wilberforce, Ohio. The study shall include cost estimates for any necessary acquisition, development, operation, and maintenance, as well as any alternatives for the administration of such museum. |