From left, John Whiteman of Whiteman Consulting discusses tourism issues with Marshall Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee members Stan Moore and Rose Ann Huck, at a workshop held Tuesday, May 13, at Shirley Martin Community Center. (Kathy Fairchild/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

John Whiteman of Whiteman Consulting in Boulder, Colo., was in Marshall Tuesday, May 13, to conduct a workshop about the creation of a scenic byway to cross Saline County along U.S. Highways 65 and 41.

Whiteman, who is already working with groups in Boonville and in Lafayette County, is a nationally-recognized byway expert.

He described what a byway can mean for Saline County and how counties and communities can work together and with other state groups to obtain funding at a national level.

The portion of the byway that would run through Saline County would include areas north and south of the highway that are of interest to the recreational tourist.

Whiteman said the first step in the process is the establishment of a state byway designation.

With that in hand, the next step is applying for a national byway recognition, which in turn allows organizations to apply for federal funding.

Missouri is in a good position for receipt of such funding, Whiteman said, with no existing national byways in the state.

There are 126 designated byways nationally, in 44 states. Funding is released in cycles; in the last funding cycle, roughly 50 byways were funded, out of about 150 applications.

A voluntary, grassroots program, The National Scenic Byways program was established by Congress in 1991 to recognize and support development of outstanding scenic and historic roads across the country.

In attendance at the workshop were Rose Anne Huck, Stan Moore, Arline Borchers and Cynthia Crawford of the Marshall Chamber of Commerce tourism committee and Jeff Stubblefield of the Marshall Parks and Recreation Department.

Contact Kathy Fairchild at marshallhealth@socket.net