Quincy Council OKs additional $75K for Heritage Barn

QUINCY — The Quincy City Council agreed Tuesday to donate an additional $75,000 to the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum’s (QVHSM) Heritage Barn project, in addition to the city’s original $100,000 contribution.

The Historical Society returned to the City Council this week asking for more money for the project because architectural estimates increased significantly in the past week. Harriett Weber, of the QVHSM, said the project was originally estimated to cost about $550,000 and is now expected to cost $622,000.

About a month ago, the City Council unanimously agreed to contribute $100,000 toward the completion of the Heritage Barn project, as well as an additional $15,000 in kind to be used toward the engineering, infrastructure, sewer and electrical components of the project.

“As this whole process has unfolded, we found out that actually some costs were more than we initially thought,” Weber said Tuesday.

With the higher price tag, Weber said the Historical Society needs to raise $416,000 for the project to qualify for match funding from the state of Washington in the amount of $206,000. Not counting the city’s previous $100,000 contribution, Weber said the Historical Society has managed to collect nearly $241,000 in donations and pledges for the project.

“So if the city pitched in $175,000, we would be at $415,725, and we need to have $416,000,” Weber said. “So that’s why we are asking for this increase.”

Weber also said the possibility of completing the project started to look bleak last week as they learned of the increased cost of the project from what they were expecting.

“A week ago tonight, I was ready to say we can’t even do this,” Weber said.

But the Historical Society approached some if its larger project donors and Weber said “they want to see this happen.”

“If the city is willing to help share a little more then we will make it,” she said.

The motion to approve an additional $75,000 donation toward the QVHSM project was approved with a 6-1 vote by the council. Councilman David Durfee, Jr. voted against the additional contribution.

The Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum previously completed restoration projects on the 1904 Reiman-Simmons House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the 1904 Pioneer Church, which is on the Washington Heritage Register. The two facilities are located on the heritage site and accompanied by a summer kitchen, garden, archives and other features that depict the lives of early settlers in the Quincy Valley.

At the City Council’s meeting in early April, Weber said the heritage site is still missing certain pieces, though, despite its wonderfully restored facilities. The house represents family life of early pioneers, she said, and the church represents their faith, but there is nothing to depict their livelihood.

That’s where the idea for the Heritage Barn came from. The project is also set to include the installation of new archive system for the Historical Society’s documents and photographs portraying early life in the Quincy Valley.

Weber said Tuesday that the application for state match funding is due next Friday.

The Quincy Valley Historical Society is open from Memorial Day through mid-September from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, as well as by appointment. For more information on the QVHS, visit the organization’s website at www.qvhsm.org.

Ryan Minnerly can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.