Paul Zies, president of the Lebanon Museum Foundation, told the City Council on Sept. 10 that the foundation has been cataloging and preserving donated collections, conducting oral histories and hosting community history programs since 2018 but lacks a permanent, temperature‑controlled museum space.

Zies said the foundation began with a $10,000 seed grant from the city, formed a 501(c)(3) and has since obtained approximately $17,000 in grant support for equipment, exhibit cleaning and an oral‑history project; the foundation currently holds about $12,000 in funds. Zies said the board has scanned slide collections (including local photographer John Dalton’s work), recorded oral histories for roughly 10 residents, and maintains collections in temperature‑controlled storage.

The foundation’s priorities are finding a building (roughly 800–2,000 square feet) with a secure, accessible display area plus a back room for accessioning, climate control and lockable storage; applying for capital‑improvement grants once a space is identified; creating school‑program partnerships; and making cataloged items available online when cataloging and imaging are complete.

Zies asked the council to note the foundation’s continuing search for a building and referenced recent outreach about surplus municipal properties; the city manager said staff would update the city’s surplus property list in coming months and bring candidate buildings back to council for consideration. Zies also identified foundation officers and board members, noted that a small number of items are on public display at a downtown business and said the foundation will continue community programming and rotating exhibits when a location is found.