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Museum leaders outline capital project funding gap as exhibition move nears
Summary
Lacey Museum staff and partners briefed council on museum operations, recent acquisitions and progress toward a new museum and cultural center; staff said the project's prior $17.7 million total estimate requires an updated funding gap analysis and that platforms needed for exhibits may delay a summer opening.
Museum staff and volunteers told the Lacey City Council on May 20 that the Lacey Museum has increased community reach through History Talks, new acquisitions and a planned move to a new gallery space in the Belltown Center, while acknowledging a substantial capital funding gap for the planned Museum and Cultural Center.
Erin Quint Voucher, described in the presentation as the museum curator, and Jim Burbage, parks director, updated the council on the museum's 2024–25 activities, exhibit plans and a fundraising strategy developed with the Lacey Community Foundation. Staff said the museum received more than 600 in‑person attendees and over 2,000 YouTube views for its History Talks season.
Quint Voucher highlighted recent acquisitions the museum will display at the new site on Sixth Avenue, including a coat check tag from the Evergreen Ballroom and artifacts from the historic Union Mills hotel. "Authentic items from the Evergreen Ballroom are really, really hard to come by," Quint Voucher said, explaining why the museum purchased the coat check tag for its collection.
Parks director Jim Burbage and museum staff described the new gallery space as more visible and flexible than the museum's previous arrangement. Staff showed renderings of a refreshed exhibit titled Destination Lacey and said the museum will create new merchandise and programming for the Belltown Center site. Staff also described plans for a window film mural facing Sixth Avenue to create a public photo spot.
City project and funding updates noted a previously published project total of about $17.7 million and a funding gap of approximately $13 million, figures staff said need updating for inflation and further planning. Assistant city manager Jen Burbridge (presenting the capital project update) said the Lacey Community Foundation had raised "their first 100 plus thousand dollars" and that a Funding Strategy Committee met multiple times to reexamine funding buckets and a five‑year fundraising plan.
Burbridge said two parts of the exhibit construction (platforms and reader rails) are still in contractor fabrication and that the museum cannot set a formal grand opening until those pieces arrive; staff said platforms are due mid‑June and that the museum remains hopeful for a summer opening.
Council members and staff also announced the Ken Bosley Lacey Historian of the Year Award for 2025 and recognized John Jajic, secretary of the Lacey Historical Society, for his work to revive the society and archive historical documents. Staff said museum programming, acquisitions and the capital campaign are continuing while staff coordinate historic commissions, community partners and donors.
Staff said the museum project is part of a larger strategic set of city goals for parks, culture and recreation and that the museum will continue on fundraising and coordination work with partners; no new council appropriation was adopted at the May 20 meeting.
