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Residents plead for saving Chapen Building; council requests sustainable plan from historical society
Summary
Multiple residents, including multi‑generation Post Falls families, urged the council to preserve the Chapen Building and sustain the Post Falls Historical Society. Mayor and council said staff issued an RFP and are awaiting a detailed, long‑term operating and funding plan from the historical society before deciding whether and how the city can support the building.
A string of speakers at citizen issues asked the council to preserve the Chapen Building and support the Post Falls Historical Society as downtown development accelerates.
Family members with multigenerational ties to Post Falls described the Chapen Building as a repository of community memory and urged the council not to prioritize potential short‑term revenue over preserving the structure and the local collection it houses. Cara Dixon (reading comments by Keelen Dixon) framed the building as a legacy asset that can foster civic pride; Sharon Alexander and Vicky Sweeney Eagle recounted volunteers’ past efforts to save and restore historic buildings and said the historical society is an active community educator.
At the meeting the mayor explained the city currently owns the Chapen Building and has asked for proposals (an RFP) to identify sustainable operating models. Council members emphasized they value the building and the society but said the city faces fiscal constraints (competing priorities for public safety, staff and infrastructure) and needs a concrete, long‑term plan showing how operations and maintenance will be funded without an ongoing subsidy that the city cannot guarantee at current budget projections.
Council encouraged the historical society and community supporters to submit a proposal with detailed revenue and expense plans, staffing or volunteer commitments, and a preservation/maintenance schedule; the mayor said staff will evaluate proposals once submitted.
