The National Park Service will convene a public meeting next week to discuss plans that could establish Auburn sites associated with Harriet Tubman as a national historic site.

During the meeting, slated for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 8 at city hall in Auburn, NPS will deliver a progress report on its study dealing with the Tubman sites and lead a discussion on whether the service should be included in preserving them.

The agency is leaning toward a project to make the Tubman Home and associated buildings into a national historic site that would be a unit of the National Park System. Should that happen, the NPS could be authorized to provide matching federal funds for the site while managing the site in conjunction with the AME Zion Church, which currently owns the property. NPS could also bring staff to Auburn to develop and run interactive programs.

Congress ordered the preservation study in 2000. NPS expects to issue a preliminary recommendation by late summer. It will then be subject to a public review, and a final recommendation should go to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior by the end of the year. Any action must be approved by Congress.