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County accepts $50,000 DAHP award to secure Micah Cemetery before transfer to nonprofit
Summary
Spokane County staff said the county received a 100% DAHP grant of $50,000 for Micah Cemetery fencing and site work and that staff recommend fronting the costs, getting reimbursed, and transferring ownership to a new nonprofit called Walking with Zion that has created an endowment and applied for licensing.
Deborah Fergen briefed the board on a Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation (DAHP) award of $50,000 for Micah Cemetery, a historic site dating to 1883. The grant is a no-match award and staff proposed using funds for fencing, tree removal and, if permitted by the grant, fabricating a historic gate. County policy requires the county to pay costs up front and request reimbursement from DAHP.
Fergen said staff have identified a local nonprofit, Walking with Zion, that has formed, applied for funeral-and-cemetery licensing and created a $25,000 endowment for the cemetery. County staff recommended completing site stabilization and fencing work prior to transferring ownership to the nonprofit and said archaeologist oversight will be required during ground-disturbing work.
Why it matters: The award provides an opportunity to secure and preserve a historic cemetery that has suffered neglect, at no net cost to the county if reimbursement is received, while enabling transfer of long-term stewardship to a local nonprofit.
What’s next: Staff will coordinate procurement, archaeologist oversight and reimbursement procedures and continue the process of transferring ownership to the nonprofit once work is complete and grant requirements are met.
