Title
Approval of a Resolution Authorizing an Application for a Heritage Capital Projects 2027-2029 Grant for the Olympia Armory Building
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve an application for the Heritage Capital Projects grant for the Armory.
Report
Issue:
Whether to apply for a Heritage Capital Projects grant, which would require a grant match of up to $2 million. This grant is administered by the Washington State Historical Society, to support facilities that provide public access to history.
Staff Contact:
Valerie Roberts, Armory Building Manager, Parks, Arts & Recreation, 360.753.8468
Presenter(s):
None - Consent Calendar Item.
Background and Analysis:
The Olympia Armory was transferred by the Washington State Legislature to the City of Olympia, "for use as a community asset dedicated to using the arts to support community development, arts education, and economic development initiatives." The building itself is an Olympia landmark, designed by noted Olympia architect Joseph Wohleb, completed in 1938.
Heritage Capital Projects are a two to one matching grant, for requests between $10,000 and $1,000,000. The City of Olympia has received $1,000,000 from this grant for the 2023-2025 biennium and an additional $500,000 in the 2025-2027 biennium for design work in preparation for major systems renewal and beginning to address critical code and life safety improvements to the Olympia Armory building.
If approved, the Parks, Arts and Recreation Department (OPARD) intends to apply for funds to address essential HVAC upgrades. This would allow the City to retire the old boiler system within the Olympia Armory and replace it with a state-of-the-art VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) HVAC system. This system will increase the energy efficiency of the building as well as make the Armory a more comfortable place for all future program participants and tenants. The largest p...
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