Tim Donovan is a patient man. As a leader of the marathon effort to bring the 110-mile Towpath Trail from Zoar, Ohio to Cleveland's Flats, he knows that change takes time. Yet, having completed nearly 80 of the trail's 110 miles, he also knows he's in the home stretch.

"The Towpath Trail segments have been completed on time," boasts Donovan, executive director of the advocacy group Ohio Canal Corridor (OCC). "This is one of the best examples of regional development in Northeast Ohio. Throughout 58 communities and four counties, we have helped to create nearly $300 million in economic development."

Yet the completion of the Towpath Trail continues to face challenges, given the scarcity of federal dollars for new infrastructure projects. Funding for the Ohio and Erie Canal Heritage Area - a designation that's brought in over $9 million to the Cuyahoga Valley and surrounding communities since its passage in 1996 - has neared its $10 million spending limit. Bills sponsored by Sen. George Voinovich and Rep. Ralph Regula could provide an additional $5 million over five years. This legislation was passed by the House and is expected to be voted on by the Senate in the next few months.

Donovan says that he's "working to get the legislation re-authorized this year." He acknowledges that the program is not a favorite of some conservatives, who smell pork: "Our funds have been steadily cut during the Bush presidency," he admits.

"We are hopeful that the Senate will take up the bill this year," says Lori Rowley, press secretary in Regula's DC office. "This is a very important program because every federal dollar that's spent leverages about $12 in additional state, local and private spending."

John Debo, superintendent of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, argues that the Ohio and Erie Canal Heritage Area has created a "green revolution" in Northeast Ohio. "Without it," he says, "everything that's happening - from the Towpath Trail being extended outside of the park to Cleveland, Akron and Canton, to the scenic railroad and scenic byway programs - wouldn't exist."

Debo cites the fact that the Cuyahoga Valley National Park draws 3.5 million visitors per year - 10 percent of whom come from outside of Ohio - as a sign that the heritage area is making its mark. Moreover, he says the communities that surround the park want to emulate the success of the heritage area program, and that many have created new parks and green space plans as a result.

Establishing the heritage area is the latest chapter in a campaign that began 30 years ago with the creation of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (it later became a national park). Regula, a Republican whose district includes the city of Canton and parts of Stark and Medina counties, is a senior member of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. Regula helped to pass the heritage areas legislation in 1996, granting the Cuyahoga Valley a status of national significance due to the canal's role in spurring US growth in the 1800s (before railroads, it connected Ohio and the Northeast). The Valley was one of the first heritage areas in the country; today, there are 37. Regula, who has been in Congress for 30 years, is retiring this year.

The heritage area funds are managed in part by Ohio Canal Corridor. They're used to help complete the Towpath Trail, for interpretive resources such as visitor centers and signage, and to help leverage more funding for projects such as restoring historic buildings. One example is the Ohio and Erie Canalway marketing campaign, in which OCC created uniform signage for the entire area, from the towpath to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

"A heritage area is a different kind of park because it is not federally owned and it creates a partnership between the federal government and local communities," Donovan explains. The land stays in private hands; the Ohio and Erie Canal Heritage Area includes communities abutting the park such as Independence and Cleveland. This has frustrated some conservative groups - the Heritage Foundation has railed against this program for more than a decade - but it has helped to generate support among local communities in Northeast Ohio.

Donovan claims that the heritage area is a model grassroots partnership, not another federal bureaucracy. "We went for funding in 1994, and we were turned down because we proposed that the feds manage it," he says. "Two years later, we decided to go for local control, and that's been very effective. We have a very good business plan, and we've stayed on track." The organization that runs the heritage area is the Ohio and Erie Canal Association, an amalgamation of two nonprofits, the OCC and the Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition, which serves Akron and Summit County. This structure, while arcane to the average citizen, offers a way for local communities to work together.

"When we started the heritage area, we went to the communities surrounding the park and asked for their support," says Ed Metzger, a resident of Bath Township and chairman of the OECA. "As a result, they've bought into the idea."

Heritage areas are cost-effective, Donovan argues, because as a result of the federal investment, the Cuyahoga Valley has generated additional private, state and local funding. He cites developments such as Thornburg Station in Valley View, Steelyard Commons in the Flats, and the Mill Creek housing development in Slavic Village as successful spin-offs.

With the push on to reauthorize funding for heritage areas, few are discussing the program's future after the next batch of funding runs out. Congress intended for heritage areas to become self-sufficient over time.

"These are brand-new entities, and we're creating them as we go," says Donovan. "We think that creating long-term sustainability will take about 20 years. After that, we don't know." He cites the support and participation they've received from partner organizations as fostering that sustainability, but also cites an ongoing need for a coordinating organization.

While OCC continues to lobby Congress to reauthorize funding for the heritage area, Donovan is also busy with the last, arduous leg of the towpath - five miles of trail between Steelyard Commons and Canal Basin Park in the Flats. The project got a boost by the newly completed, mile-long section built by developer Mitch Schneider through Steelyard Commons. Next up is the section connecting Steelyard with the towpath's current terminus at Harvard Road. With funds allocated and engineering underway, this mile-long stretch is expected to be finished in 2010.

If the Towpath Trail is in the home stretch, then the last leg of the race will be a doozie, through steel mills, asphalt plants and a hundred years of industry along the banks of the Cuyahoga. The entire trail is slated for completion in 2016, at least on paper. It seems worth asking - if everyone agrees that bringing the Towpath Trail to the lake is a good idea, then why does it take so long?

"Building a trail through industry is very challenging," says Donovan, citing estimates of $47 million to bring the trail from Harvard to Canal Basin Park, just $7 million less than the $54 million spent on the entire 78-mile trail.

Once the towpath is complete, Donovan has plans to create connecting trails in neighborhoods like Old Brooklyn and Tremont. He's also helping to plan Canal Basin Park in the Flats, and trying to maximize funds from Steelyard Commons (part of the project's tax-increment financing pays for public improvements).

Despite the daunting nature of these projects, Donovan seems up for the challenge - and the campaign to sell Northeast Ohio on the importance of the Cuyahoga Valley and its heritage.

"How do you use this new kind of park?" he says, reciting a question that people often ask him. "This is really about telling the story of a place and its people, and we encourage folks to explore that."

For more information see planning.co.cuyahoga.oh.us/towpath.