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Historic preservation agency whittles list of projects for funding

Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 11, 2017

By Eric Stevick

EVERETT — More than a dozen projects aimed at preserving local history are getting a boost.

The county’s Historic Preservation Commission reviewed a stack of requests before coming up with a list of recommendations. The Snohomish County Council approved that list last week.

The projects will divvy up $74,000. Requests totalled more than $100,000.

Preservation money comes from a $1 recording document surcharge levied by the county to protect local history.

“There is so much out there that needs protecting,” said Hal Gausman, cultural resource manager for Snohomish County. “I really hope we can do more.”

The county has more than 90 applications and awarded more than a half million dollars since 2009. Money has gone from Darrington to Stanwood and Edmonds to Index. The funding typically goes to volunteer historical and genealogical societies as well as local government.

This year’s awards aid a variety of projects, such as restoration work on the historic 1937 Startup gym, which has been a grassroots multi-year community-wide project in the Skykomish Valley.

“We are super excited,” said Debbie Copple, director of the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Center. “That will help us a lot. They’re supplying the plumbing supplies and our people will do the work. Everybody is helping in every way they can.”

There also is increasing emphasis on making history more accessible through mobile devices, Gausman said. In doing so, the county hopes to pique the interest of more people, including younger ones, to join local historical groups.

Here’s the list of other projects approved earlier this week:

  • The city of Edmonds received restoration money for the original skylight on the Edmonds Museum.
  • The Stillaguamish Pioneer Museum has original Arlington Times newspapers dating back to 1922. It has digitized copies from 1922 to 1940 and plans to add the years 1941 to 1950. It also wants to print a book detailing the stories behind the depiction of buildings and the architects in a historic quilt.
  • Snohomish County Parks gets money to tell the history of seven park sites.
  • The Edmonds South County Historical Society is developing a travelling exhibit highlighting history of the area.
  • The League of Snohomish County Historical Organizations is planning to create hard-copy and electronic mobile tours of county museums and genealogical societies.
  • The Granite Falls Historical Society is upgrading hardware and software to improve access to maps of local historical sites.
  • The Stanwood Area Historical Society plans to repair and restore 11 original windows in the D.O. Pearson home built in 1890.
  • The city of Lynnwood Parks Department plans to teach local history with a virtual tour of historic city sites while creating visual displays and supporting heritage tours.
  • A local group continues to contribute to HistoryLink, the online encyclopedia of Washington state history.
  • The Monroe Historical Society is scanning and digitally enhancing its newspaper collection while using Optical Character Recognition software to make the newspapers easily searchable.
  • The Stillaguamish Valley Genealogical Society plans to develop interpretive signs for the Arlington Pioneer Memorial Cemetery.

Gausman said he hopes the county can fill four vacancies on its 10-member historical preservation commission. There are two openings each in Snohomish County Council districts 3 and 4, covering much of south Snohomish County.

To learn more, go to snohomishcountywa.gov/147/Historic-Preservation-Commission.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.

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