Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Redstone Historical Society asks Pitkin County for up to $200,000 match in effort to buy village museum building
Summary
The Redstone Historical Society asked the Pitkin County commissioners for help filling a roughly $350,000 fundraising gap to acquire and operate a museum building in Redstone; commissioners signaled interest in a matching contribution and directed staff to research funding sources and draft outreach materials.
Representatives of the Redstone Historical Society told the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 11 that a private owner has offered the society a discount on a village property the group hopes to acquire as a community museum, and that the society needs roughly $350,000 to complete the purchase.
The society’s spokesperson, Jeff Beer, said one of the property owners had offered to donate his proceeds—“about $250,000” by his estimate—and that the group is seeking remaining funds from grants and local donors. Beer told the commissioners the society has submitted a preliminary application to History Colorado for an acquisition grant of $250,000 but noted the listing process and grant timetable could take many months.
Commissioners signaled support for the project and discussed ways the county might help bridge the funding gap. Commissioner Greg Poshman suggested a county challenge-match, and Commissioner Patty Clapper said she was willing to explore appropriating county funds and pursuing match donors. Commissioner Francie Jacoba said she also supported assisting and called the proposal “a unique opportunity to preserve some of the past of the Crystal River Valley.”
County staff told the board they would research possible funding sources before the county committed public dollars. County staff noted a potential source: funds remaining in escrow from a 2017 land-exchange agreement (the Wexner deal) that were tied to expenditures in the Crystal River area and might be applied to local acquisitions, subject to legal review and the original agreement’s terms.
The commissioners asked staff to return with more detail at a future work session and suggested drafting a county letter of support the historical society could use in fundraising. Beer said the society already had modest private commitments and hoped county participation would help persuade the owners to delay a possible sale on the open market.
The society told the commissioners about program and collections activity: school tours, community “fireside chats,” an inventory of historic artifacts and documents—some items currently stored off site—and a recent inventory of Sewell Ranch and Redstone-era materials dating from the late 1880s through 1935. Beer and another society member, Suzanne (last name not specified in the meeting), described prior display space in the recently sold Redstone castle that will no longer be available to the society if they can’t acquire the village building.
What’s next: the commissioners did not take a binding vote on appropriating funds but asked staff to research the conservation trust fund and other possible county sources, and they discussed setting up a county match. Commissioners Francis and Poshman indicated they were prepared to continue discussions and possibly commit a portion of county capital funds depending on available budget and other funding sources.
A follow-up work session or agenda item will return with research on potential county funding sources, the conservation trust fund balance, and a draft county letter of support if the board agrees to proceed.
