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Council approves loan of historic locomotive bell and whistle to Pioneer Museum
Summary
The Vernonia City Council voted to loan a locomotive bell and whistle in city storage to the local Pioneer Museum; the museum will mount and display the pieces and keep them on loan rather than transfer ownership to the county.
Jay, a representative of the Pioneer Museum, asked the council for permission to display a bell and whistle recovered from a stored locomotive and kept in city crates. "We are an independent entity...and we have a request to be able to display the bell and whistle from the Shay locomotive," Jay said, adding the museum would build a metal rack, mount the pieces indoors and provide signage.
City staff confirmed that crates containing the bell, whistle and related parts are in city storage and offered to coordinate transfer and loan paperwork. Staff and Jay described the pieces as in good condition and said the museum would not catalog them as county property. Staff recommended the council approve a loan so the artifacts can be publicly displayed rather than remain in the warehouse.
A motion "to have the bell and whistle be on loan to the Pioneer Museum" was made, seconded and the council voted to approve the loan. Council members signaled support during the roll-call; the mayor declared the motion carried. Staff will prepare the loan agreement and help arrange transfer and signage with the Pioneer Museum.
