§410qqq Coltsville National Historical Park

Summary

Creates the Coltsville National Historical Park in Hartford, Connecticut once the Secretary of the Interior has secured enough land and agreements. The Secretary must get enough donated or purchased land to make a manageable park, must have a written agreement to receive at least 10,000 square feet in the Colt Armory Complex for park offices and visitor services, and must have an agreement that State, city, or public land inside the Coltsville Historic District will be managed to match the park’s purpose. The Secretary must publish notice in the Federal Register within 30 days after making that determination. The park follows the boundary shown on the map titled “Coltsville National Historical Park—Proposed Boundary,” numbered T25/102087, dated May 11, 2010, which is on file for public inspection. The park will include and interpret seven key sites, including the East Armory, Church of the Good Shepherd, Colt Park, Armsmear, and nearby Colt houses and cottages. The Secretary may arrange with the State Library, Wadsworth Atheneum, the Colt Trust, or others to display Colt-related artifacts in the park. The Secretary will run the park under National Park Service laws, but State and local governments keep their normal civil and criminal authority on non‑Federal land. The Secretary may make cooperative agreements to preserve, restore, interpret, and provide access to important properties inside the park. Those agreements must allow public access at reasonable times, require agreement before any changes, and include a rule that Federal payments be repaid if a property is used in ways that go against the park’s purpose. Federal funds under these agreements must be matched 1-to-1 by non‑Federal money, which may be donated goods or services if approved. The Secretary can acquire land by donation, purchase, or exchange, but may not use condemnation; State-owned land can be acquired only by donation. A park management plan must be finished within 3 fiscal years after funds are provided and must show cost sharing and be sent to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. An 11-member advisory commission will advise the Secretary, with members appointed by the Secretary after recommendations from State and local officials, including required local knowledge and one member living in the Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood. Members serve 3-year terms, may be reappointed once, are not paid but get travel expenses, and the Commission ends 10 years after December 19, 2014 unless extended after a recommendation 8 years after that date.