Title
Approval of a Resolution Authorizing an Agreement with Thurston County for a Heritage Grant to Fund a Historic Preservation Data Management Project
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with Thurston County for a Heritage Grant to fund a historic preservation data management project.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with Thurston County for a Heritage Grant to fund a historic preservation data management project.
Staff Contact:
Brittany Gillia, Historic Preservation Officer, Community Planning & Economic Development Department, 360.753.8427
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
In January 2024, Thurston County awarded the City a grant of $7,500.00 to fund a historic preservation intern, with an in-kind matching amount of City staff time valued at $7,500.00. Due to various factors, the grant was unable to be executed in 2024.
Staff requested an agreement modification from Thurston County to extend the scope of work to include six (6) additional months to execute the grant, and to modify the scope to include funding additional hours to existing part-time staff for dedicated hours toward the data management project.
This Resolution grants the City Manager the authority to execute the modified Thurston County Heritage Grant agreement and will result in the digitization and management of physical records for the Olympia Heritage Register. The data will then be organized and displayed in a user-friendly interface for the public to access.
Climate Analysis:
Transitioning the City’s Historic Preservation files to a digital file storage system will encourage the reduction of paper use, decrease the need for storage and physical transportation of the files and reduce vehicular trips by the public who would otherwise travel to City Hall to view the files.
Equity Analysis:
The Historic Preservation data management work funded by this grant will remove barriers to accessing information related to the Olympia Heritage Register. The current archive of historic records are largely paper files, and the goal will be to digitize them and provide new, user friendly ways to display the data to increase the searchability.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Community members with interest in properties individually listed in the Olympia Heritage Register or that are part of a locally listed historic district may be interested in the project and execution of the grant agreement.
Financial Impact:
Executing the modified grant agreement would result in an additional $7,500.00 of staff time, estimated at approximately 170 hours, to be dedicated to the data management project. The agreement includes an in-kind match of $7,500.00 of City staff time which is covered in the department’s 2025 budget.
Options:
1. Move to approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with Thurston County for a Heritage Grant to fund a historic preservation data management project.
2. Move to approve a Resolution authorizing an agreement with Thurston County for a Heritage Grant to fund a historic preservation data management project with modifications.
3. Do not approve the Resolution.
Attachments:
Resolution
Agreement
Contract Amendment Letter
Agreement Modification