Oak Harbor commission seeks $20,000 survey grant to expand historic inventory; resident flags old telegraph building

The Oak Harbor Historic Preservation Commission on July 24 discussed applying for a $20,000 DAPPS certified local government grant to fund a reconnaissance-level survey of potential historic resources and heard a public comment about the former telegraph office at 980 Southeast Midway.

Commission members and staff said the survey would establish a baseline inventory to expand the city’s historic registry, prioritize areas for further study and identify properties potentially eligible for local, state or national registers. Ray, a city preservation staff member presenting the application, said the commission will make a 10-minute presentation with five minutes of questions at 9:15 a.m. the following day to the grant review panel.

The grant request would fund a reconnaissance-level survey of roughly 50 to 75 resources, Ray said, with a planned one-year completion timeline and a modest $20,000 budget. The presentation materials named priority areas for the first phase: the Old Town central business district, the Chimes Corner commercial node at Midway and Whidbey Avenue, the Northeast Sixth Avenue midcentury neighborhood, Southeast Eighth Avenue and the Avenue of the Oaks. Ray said the report would include recommendations about which properties merit more intensive follow-up surveys.

Ray framed the need by outlining Oak Harbor’s development history: pre-contact settlement by the Lower Skagit people, limited pre-World War II building stock, and rapid mid-20th-century growth following the construction of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Ray said the city’s median household income is about 25% below the state average and that the preservation program has no dedicated line in the city budget, which is why outside grant funding is being sought.

Commissioner Gideon Kaufman noted the commission currently has only three buildings on the local register and said that fact supports the case for a reconnaissance inventory to identify additional resources. Ray and commissioners described the grant-funded survey as expandable: a foundation to which the commission could add future areas or seek follow-on funding for intensive-level work.

During public comment, Donna Mitchell of 2864 Hunt Road — who said her property is outside city limits — described the small house at 980 Southeast Midway, across from Smith Park, as the town’s first telegraph office and said the lot and nearby Mahler-family craftsman house have an “amazing view.” Mitchell asked whether building plans for the area or view corridors were available and whether the property had been considered for the historic registry. She also said the Midway building currently hosts two short-term rentals.

A city staff member told Mitchell there was no active application for those parcels at the time of the meeting and offered to provide contact information so Mitchell could follow up. Mitchell said she would speak with staff after the meeting about listing the property on the local register; Ray explained that tax credits for historic rehabilitation are not retroactive to work already completed.

No formal action or vote was taken on the grant at the July 24 meeting. Ray told commissioners he would notify them individually by email of the grant decision — he expected results within a couple of weeks — and cautioned commission members against back-and-forth group replies that could create a quorum.

Commission members closed with brief announcements, including the Whidbey Island County Fair and the commission’s next scheduled meeting on Sept. 25, 2025.