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Wheat Ridge Historical Society asks city to fund a trained museum professional to address backlog and expand programs
Summary
The Wheat Ridge Historical Society told council it needs a paid, trained museum professional (city FTE) to manage accessioning, archives, volunteer training and outreach; staff proposed a city position that would combine historic‑society duties with cultural-program and public-art coordination.
Volunteers from the Wheat Ridge Historical Society described a significant backlog of accessioning and archival work and urged the city to fund a trained, paid professional to lead collections care and expand public programming. Marta Hetty, publications director for the historical society, said volunteers estimate 8,000–10,000 items in the collection and that most peer suburban museums have at least one paid professional on staff.
"Hiring a professional with training in museum science is the key," Hetty said, describing slow processing times (she estimated one to three hours per item for proper accessioning, photography and research). Parks and Recreation staff recommended making the role a city FTE that would include public‑art coordination and cultural events to broaden impact and reduce the need for an outside consultant.
Council members discussed scope, oversight and whether a phased approach (consultant to clear the backlog, then a permanent FTE) would be appropriate. Staff said the position would likely be supervised within Parks & Recreation and that a consultant team might still be used to clear the largest backlog while an FTE manages ongoing needs.
