Aberdeen — City staff and councilmembers on Oct. 22, 2025 discussed next steps for the Aberdeen Museum collection and the suitability of the city-owned museum building, with council directing staff to prioritize transferring the collection to a nonprofit.

At the meeting the mayor and staff said the council had instructed staff during a recent workshop to determine the best path to transfer the collection to a nonprofit for display, with the building's future to be considered later. A staff member said they will work with the city's legal team and return to council with options on transferring the artifacts and on steps for the building.

During public comment, Nancy Kyle described a downtown window photo project and urged the city to find a nonprofit to manage the museum collection as soon as possible to avoid continued storage costs. Another commenter, Doug Wilson, said the Quinault tribal group wants to be involved with indigenous representation in the museum.

Finance committee business included a motion to donate a Native American wooden sculpture to the Quinault Indian Nation for display at the Quinault Enterprise; council approved the donation. Council also discussed a Washington State Department of Commerce agreement (transcribed as projects s20084 and s1801a) that included funds tied to a remodel project; some councilmembers questioned whether council should reject or return funds if the city does not pursue the remodel.

A member of the public urged the council to issue an RFP to identify organizations willing to accept the collection and to perform appraisals of artifacts; the speaker noted those steps need not happen strictly in sequence.

No formal transfer of artifacts occurred on Oct. 22; council directed staff to return with legal and procedural steps to move the collection to a nonprofit and to clarify options for the building.