Published: October 22, 2009 10:32 pm      

Tourism bureau to fund Clarksville master plan

The Clark-Floyd Counties Convention-Tourism Bureau committed $240,000 to the town of Clarksville for preparation of a masterplan for what’s known as the Old Clarksville Historic District.

The commitment comes after a recent meeting of the bureau’s marketing committee. The full board of directors approved the funding Wednesday. The masterplan is purposed to spur development in a historically significant portion of Clarksville.

The study will look at a 279-acre tract of land between Silver Creek on the west, the floodwall at Bailey Avenue on the east, the Ohio River on the south and the old Dinky railroad line on the north and determine how to best protect the historic and cultural heritage assets located within the tract. It also will look at how to make those areas available to the general public, a press release from the tourism bureau says.

In 1985, a similar study funded with tourism revenues resulted in the creation of a Waterfront Development Plan, the Ohio River Greenway, Falls of the Ohio State Park and construction of the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center, said Jim Keith, the bureau’s executive director.

“We hope this masterplan can lay a foundation for equally wonderful developments,” he said.

“The cultural richness of the area reaches well beyond the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition,” said Sharon Wilson, Clarksville planning director.

She said archaeological investigations documented the presence of early Native Americans by cultures known as Woodland, Mississippian and Archaic.

“Unfortunately, this culturally rich area has experienced adverse impacts from filling and illegal dumping for over 40 years,” she said.

She cited auto junkyards and industrial dumping that has created what she referred to as “a small mountain of debris” overlaying much of the historic site.

“Heritage tourism is a growing source of community pride, education and economic impact,” Wilson said. “The Southern Indiana area has a very special cultural resource in the west riverfront area of Clarksville. There is only one first settlement in the Northwest Territory, one Falls of the Ohio and only one departing location for the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery.”

Wilson says implementation of the plan will result in a significant increase in the number of visitors to Southern Indiana.

“Not only will the numbers of visitors increase, the amount spent on overnight leisure spending will increase,” she said.

Keith agreed that if the new masterplan has the same impact as the 1985 study, it will bring new economic development and revenue to the area.