Bipartisan legislation reintroduced by U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) on Tuesday would commission a study on Fort Ontario and the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter’s national significance.
The Fort Ontario Study Act would be a preliminary step in determining whether the site in Oswego County, New York, should be designated part of the National Park System.
“Over the past two years, I’ve worked together with local advocates, leaders and community members in Oswego County to raise the profile of historic Fort Ontario and the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter,” Katko said. “Preserving this site as a National Park will encourage tourism, bolster our local economy, and protect the rich history of Oswego County. I’m proud to once again introduce this measure and am determined to fight to make it law.”
Katko’s bill passed the House during his first term in office.
Katko has worked with fellow legislators and community organizers from Oswego County over the last two years to rally support for the 260-year-old Fort Ontario and Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum to be designated as a national park.
“For those of us involved with Safe Haven and Fort Ontario becoming a national park, we would like to thank Congressman Katko for his advocacy and efforts in this process,” Judy Coe Rapaport, an advisory board member and past president of Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Center, said. “As there are less than 100 former refugees left, it is imperative that the bill go forward.”
Last year, Katko announced that the National Park Service had granted his request to undertake a reconnaissance study to determine the best way to preserve the historic site.