Lacey Historical Commission pauses revision of museum strategic plan, directs staff to draft new version

The Lacey Historical Commission received a status briefing on the Lacey Museum and Cultural Center strategic plan on the evening’s agenda and was told staff will draft a new plan after gathering further input.

Museum staff member Aaron told commissioners that the existing strategic plan is dated and that staff intend to write a completely new draft after collecting more input from staff and stakeholders. He said the museum has a completed core exhibit design and some interpretive text, but lacks an operations plan (budget, staffing levels and sustainability details) and a full interpretive plan for programs outside the core exhibit. Aaron said parts of the work are grant requirements from the Washington State Historical Society and must be completed before the new facility opens.

Aaron outlined goal areas and near-, mid- and long-term objectives: plan and build the new Lacey Museum and Cultural Center; develop a multi-year exhibit and programming schedule; create policies for community exhibits and facility rentals; identify staffing needs and develop an operations plan; complete collections inventory and prepare collections for moving to the new facility; develop revenue sources including a membership and community partner giving program, museum store revenues, requests for lodging tax funding, and fundraising in partnership with the Lacey Community Foundation. He also described education and outreach priorities such as school field trip programs and ‘‘education trunk’’ materials for teachers.

Commissioners asked for clarifications about the items that are required by the historical-society grants and which are still outstanding. Aaron said the collections policy from 2018 has been updated but several grant-asterisked items remain incomplete. Commissioners discussed timing and implementation risk; Aaron said many operational deliverables cannot be finalized until the project timeline for the new building is firmer.

Commissioners and staff debated how to present new-facility items versus current-museum operations in the plan and whether to separate them. Aaron recommended clearer terminology for museum properties (for example, using "Lacey Museum and Cultural Center" to refer to the institution, "Russell House" and "Belltown Center" for existing structures, and a distinct name for the new building).

On revenue, Aaron said the museum is coordinating with the Lacey Community Foundation on capital fundraising and plans to launch membership and annual giving programs prior to opening the new facility. He described the museum store and small retail opportunities as an educational extension rather than a primary revenue generator. Aaron noted the museum receives some lodging-tax funding and may request additional lodging-tax support for operations.

Commission discussion also touched on community partnerships, the need to strengthen inclusivity policies, and plans to involve local schools, colleges and community organizations in programming. Aaron said staff will begin iterative drafting at regular staff meetings and will bring a draft back to the commission later this year for review and comment.

The commission did not take formal action on the strategic plan at the meeting; staff were asked to continue drafting and to circulate materials to commissioners for comment.