Volunteers outline museum displays as city gives update on 118 West West Coast Street renovation and state funding

A volunteer who runs displays for the Friends of the Aberdeen Museum told the council about the group’s volunteer-managed exhibits and reference materials, while city staff reported progress on design and funding for a planned public museum at 118 West West Coast Street.

Volunteer Connie Parson said the museum volunteers have been managing rotating displays since 2018, now changing exhibits roughly every two months and maintaining three-ring binders of photographs and documentation for public reference. Parson said the group participates in First Friday evening events and that local donors and organizations have loaned artifacts for temporary display.

In a staff report, Director Barnett said Harbor Architects is finishing the final design for the first-floor remodel with an estimated completion of construction drawings by May 1. The first-floor plan includes a public museum space, a visitor information center (VIC), shared meeting and break rooms and museum storage and public restrooms. Barnett said the city received a capital-heritage grant that will reimburse up to $240,000 for architectural and engineering work and that the city has also received Washington State Community Buildings appropriation funding (meeting comments referenced amounts of $1,700,000 and $490,000). Barnett said the architectural and engineering work tied to the capital-heritage grant must be completed by June 30 and that the governor’s proposed budget included reappropriation for the 2025–27 biennium; final state budget action was expected in April or May.

Nut graf: Volunteer-run displays and an ongoing municipal building project intersect as the city moves toward establishing a public museum space; federal or state reimbursements and appropriations are part of the project's funding picture, and staff gave a timetable for final design and grant-related deadlines.

Details - Volunteer operations: Friends of the Aberdeen Museum manage rotating displays and maintain archival binders and a lending library of local history materials; volunteers provide public access during First Friday events. - Project schedule and scope: Harbor Architects working on final design; construction drawings expected by May 1. First-floor program includes a visitor information center, museum space, parks office space and storage. - Funding: Director Barnett reported a capital-heritage grant reimbursing up to $240,000 for architectural and engineering expenses. The meeting also referenced state Community Buildings appropriations (amounts cited in the meeting as $1,700,000 and $490,000) and that the city awaits final state budget action on reappropriation for the 2025–27 biennium.

Quotes - Connie Parson (Friends of the Aberdeen Museum volunteer): “We change those displays monthly until about a year ago, and we now do it every 2 months … our major volunteer time is putting up memorabilia to be available for public viewing.” - Director Barnett: “They're reimbursing us up to $240,000 for the harbor architect, architectural and engineering.”

Ending: Staff said they are on track to meet the capital-heritage grant deadline for architectural work and will report the state budget outcome in April or May. Museum volunteers said they will continue to host displays and maintain archives for public access.