Leadership in Action - Recently Updated Pages

Project: Grays Harbor Restoration

GailWinkelman — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:55:23 CDT

The stunning environmental beauty and rich history of Grays Harbor, the gateway to Southwest Washington’s coastal community, is splendidly apparent, approaching Aberdeen the county’s economic center where the Rotary log pavilion, a waterfront park, statues and sculptures are reminiscent of our rich timber history. The panoramic view from the bridge reveals our fishing industry. Unfortunately, due to a long economic depression decaying buildings and unkempt vacant lots do not reflect our community pride. From the eyesore of the Morck Hotel in downtown Aberdeen to the wilting General Store in Oakville, and nearly condemned Elma Theater, these buildings need major reconstruction or demolition. The community develops attachments to memorable historic places. Often residents and businesses are at odds on what is valuable enough to restore delaying the ability to move forward to a better resolution.

Local youth know little about the history of where they are growing up. Many people do not know that Heron Street was the red-light district when Grays Harbor was a thriving port town or the South Aberdeen Bridge had a Gunnery Station to protect the harbor that during WWII. Our cultural is rooted deeply in our infamous past, major deep water shipping port and a prosperous natural resource based economy of logging and fishing. There should more historic markers with information throughout the county.

Considerations in Major Renovations

The owners of properties in need of renovation face challenges requiring careful thought, and planning to know the community and understand what they community need, want or hate in community revitalization. Good public relations foster support and acceptance throughout the transition. As much as people complain about the way things are, they are also resistant to change. They would rather see a building stand vacant and useless than used for something they do not believe in.

Does preservation pay?

Grays Harbor County is in great need of economic growth and job opportunities. We need to restore these historical buildings so future residence can enjoy the benefits that come from it. One issue that arises when historical preservation is discussed in the public eye is whether or not the cost will exceed the benefits. By most accounts, it is more efficient and profitable to preserve a historical building than to construct a new one. This however is hard to demonstrate because many of the benefits are priceless or immeasurable. Some of the positive externalities of historical preservation are memorial power, beauty, attachment, social gathering and other priceless qualities. These are all qualitative which is harder to determine and interpret than standard quantitative data. Applying only the quantitative measures of historic preservation does not express the full value of preservation as a public good or cultural expression. Historical preservation consists primarily to maintain and create cultural values. These cultural values can’t be dismissed just because they are hard to measure.

Many other states have proof that historical preservation has economic benefits. According to recent studies, historic preservation activities have generated more than $1.4 billion of economic activity in Texas each year. Rehabilitation of historic properties in Georgia during a five-year period created 7,550 jobs and $201 million in earnings. Each dollar of Maryland's historic preservation tax credit leverages $6.70 of economic activity within that State. In one year, direct and indirect expenditures by heritage tourists in Colorado reached $3.1 billion. [*] Heritage travelers spend more, do more and stay longer than other types of tourists.[†]

During the restoration of historical buildings, the labor of love can become a heartache when the project is managed poorly. Cost over-run, volunteers, contractors, safety codes are just a few of the issues that can make the project a nightmare. Everyone loves the nostalgia of our older buildings in Grays Harbor. Sadly, decay and structural damage may prevent some of them from being preserved in their original design. Here is a brief tour of the ReStore in Olympia, WA that demonstrate the variety of materials available.Themay have those charming rare items that add that special finishing touch to a building restoration.

John Yocich, an Aberdeen High School graduate who left the area to find success is making a major investment in downtown Aberdeen and has aready started making a difference. He plans to bring new life and style to the historic downtown area by renovating the D&R Theater, the Morck Hotel, Aberdeen Theater and the Elks Building.

Projects Underway or Complete

Morck Hotel
DNR
Hoquaim Aquatic Center
Clarks Restaurant (Cosmopolis)

People with money to invest are looking for the right ideas.

Hoquiam just received a designation of Historical Preservation District which they fought hard to obtain. One of the benefits is that you can write off expenses incurred for capital improvements if you keep the building in the original era. John Larson of the Polson Museum had access to pictures from the Jones Photo Collection where he can find pictures historic buildings in their original form.They are looking for members to form a Group Think Tank (commons) to meet and submit ideas to the Developer's Forum Committee. Ben Winkelman, a Hoquiam city councilman and an initial member of the Hoquiam Business Association who commissioned the Berk and Associates Report for the city's Economic Development Plan, is enthusiastic about this project and is anxious to see our results. He is willing to give advice to people interested in community revitalization and restoration. To find out zoning issues, get direction, speak with zoning and planning people, contact Brian Shay at the GH Economic Councils. The historical preservation district has information about pursuing Hoquiam projects.

Potential Projects

Aberdeen Theater
Elma Theatre
Old Safeway/Lavogue Department Store

Conclusion

Social data indicates that people are withdrawing from public commitments opting for a more solitary life style. What would it take to bring the people of our community together for the common purpose of adaptive re-use? Other cities have developed strategic plans for economic development and revitalization. There are individuals and small action groups in our community with dreams for the restoration of these historic buildings. The time for preservation or demolition is now. Grays Harbor County is focused on economic development, restoration and building a strong sense of pride. Community members sharing stories and experiences will also restore a resurgence of pride.

Attend a play at the Elma Theatre, D&R or visit the Mork Hotel and leave with a visual memory of incredible architecture and history that goes with it. Sharing that history generates a buzz that increases interest in our region.

[*] http://www.achp.gov/economicstudies.html

[†] Travel Industry Association of America

Research

Resources

Restoration Ideas

GailWinkelman — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:15:55 CDT

Aberdeen Theater

Community movie theaters are rare historical gems that reflect the beauty and grace of a time when people gathered in a common area.

John Yonich is negotiating to purchase of the former Aberdeen Theater on Wishkah Street, which is currently home to the Heritage Family Church. Like the D&R it could not survive the competition of the new cinema's at the mall. The theater was built in the 1930 for $20,000.00.

Elma Theater

Restoring and renovating decrepit theaters has been a hot topic in many communities all over the country. Do we tear them down or protect what might be a historic landmark? Generally concerned citizens form groups to organize, save and refurbish theaters that have been neglected or doomed for demolition.

The Elma Theater, located in the small community of Elma, Washington was first opened in 1928 as a state of the art performance hall and movie theater. The 600 seat theater was originally named the Graham Theater, with five dressing rooms, an orchestra pit and hot and cold water. The ceiling featured an artistic fresco painting. Fresco is an Italian art form of mural painting, where earth pigments are applied directly to wet lime plaster.

The theater was equipped with stereo sound, and 20 minute projector reels. It featured live performances with an over stage suspension capable of 16 scene changes per performance. The grand opening was December 31, 1928 with a performance by local artists. Detailed history of performances at the theater from 1928 to 1982 are scarce.

From 1983 to 1991 the theater was owned by Daryl J. Lund of Chehalis, Washington with hopes to reopen the theater for school plays, performances and other public events.

In 1991 the Elma Theater (home of Elma Children’s Theater Association) was purchased by Kingsley Hall with ambitions to restore and renovate the sadly damaged interior. Many volunteers worked tirelessly to reopen the theater for its first performance in June 1991, Chicken Fried Diner produced by Patrick Dennis Hart. For many seasons the Elma Theater was home to more imported live venues from all over the world. The Washington State Arts commission helped arrange and book featured presentations such as: The Duttons, A Fine & Pleasant Misery and Ain’t Misbehavin.[ii] Assistance from the Washington State Arts commission helped increase attendance and booking conferences.

Local memories of the theater consist of: a place for many first dates, first performances and a place to watch free cartoons on Wednesdays. Another common memory, the temperature inside the building was cold. The theater had a long standing policy of adults’ only being allowed to be seated in the balcony. Kids always tried to distract or sneak past employees monitoring the stairway. The high school drama and choir departments often performed at the theater, creating fond memories for many students first performance. Thru 2007 many annual events have included showings of Alice in Wonderland, The Nutcracker, and The Scrooge. For many in the community the theater was like everything else in small towns, it has always been a part of the town.

The theater most recently has been the home for rehearsals and performances by Dancers Unlimited, and students of the Children’s Theater Association. Members of the Children’s Theater Association were given scholarships when they reached the 8th Grade. The premise of granting scholarships before graduation was to ensure students would receive their award in the event they moved out of the area before their high school graduation.

Minimal funding has been provided by hotel taxes, small financial and some material donations. For 2008 volunteers are continuously working to renovate and repair required damaged as ordered by the City of Elma Fire Marshal. All 2008 scheduled events are on hold until necessary repairs are completed.

Options for non profit restoration projects are available through many organizations. The National Preservation Partners is a non-profit organization with objectives to assist with preservation, restoration and reuse of historic building in the United States.[iii] The organization offers technical advice to building owners. They provide guidance to owners who are trying to work their way through the difficult policies, procedures and incentives in reusing historic buildings.

A beneficial learning opportunity for communities and students of interior design has been formed in several towns in Kansas. Students have been inspired by a theatrical adage to visualize the restoration of dormant theaters and opera houses. The students are enrolled in a semester long program on advanced architectural interior design. Each team is required to establish a program; encompassing a demographic study, site history, and information for code and regulation goals for the project. The students have a fresh perspective, providing a vision for the community to reflect on the cultural history of their communities.[iv] Often the student projects are presented to the mayor’s office with anticipation to eventually start a fund raising campaign to restore the historic theaters. The National Endowment for the Arts provides funding sources to bring the Arts to all Americans. The NEA provides outreach opportunities and grants to help with preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts, and historic structures and sites.[v]

Preserving historic landmarks such as the Elma Theater requires restoration skills, research, commitment and most importantly money. Finding funds and community support is often difficult in small towns like Elma. Applications for state grants, Save Americas Treasures Funding Programs, tax incentives, loans, local fund raisers and donations are a few of the available resources that could be used to help fund this project.

Historic theaters serve the whole community and a successful restoration project must have the support and involvement of the entire community.

Bibliography

[i] http://www.italianfrescoes.com/default.asp [ii] www.elmatheater.org [iii] http://www.natlpp.org/ [iv] http://www.reeldiaries.com/moviehouse/articles/students.htm [v]

Old Safeway and the LaVogue Department Store

Two eyesores located in downtown Hoquiam are adjacent properties, the old Safeway and the LaVogue Department Store should be recycled. The department store owned by the local Bitar Family is closing. A bicycle shop remains open in the building. If you look closely you can see that the backside top of that building is completely missing. The good news is that there is a view of the waterfront from the back of LaVogues which may be available soon.There are offices above the store. A local businessperson, Mark Swanson, of Swanson Brothers Grocery chain purchased the old Safeway building several years ago but closed it due to nearby competition. The Safeway building is currently for rent. The gas station across the street is also available.

This property could serve the community as an art commons bringing together our local talented artisans to promote interest in the arts. Our vision includes a place where musicians could gather and play music, poetry reading, open mike entertainment, a coffee area for socializing and rooms available for meetings. Local artists could mentor new artist. Workshops would include demonstration and lessons with an area for pottery with kilns, silversmith/metal work, stained/ blown glass, painting, woodworking, yarn spinning, knitting, needlework, fly tying, writing and music. A gift shop would provide an outlet for artists to sell their work and for shoppers to purchase original gifts that are uniquely Grays Harbor.

Financial support for this project would come through grants, membership fees, our gift and coffee shop and renting out meeting space and artist lofts.

When transforming any area it is essential to focus on our goal of complementing the larger community. Behind the buildings, a looped walking path connects these buildings circles two bridges and with the farmers market and the Eighth street landing. It would be a great place to meet with friends. The art commons would be an asset to the existing downtown area. We could work with the lovely, historic 7th Street Theater by collaborating on art projects. Two blocks away the renovated historic Hoquiam library with meeting rooms could support author hours, book signings and writing workshops. The nearby recently renovated former Eagles building, is ready for a restaurant and shops.

Our presence and programs would bring residents and visitors to downtown benefiting local restaurants, theatre and businesses. Our projects may create enough local demand to business to support an art and craft supply store. We could create annual events similar to Olympia’s Art Walk and schedule activities to match local themes and events.

Brainstorming

ksable — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 21:19:05 CDT

Our Wiki Whiteboard

This page is where we can collect ideas from everyone in the group. Click EasyEdit to add text, tables, photos, etc.

You are so nice. I feel terrible that I stressed so many people out waiting so long. I just thought we were going to hear from some other people -- I thought there were more 12 credit students. Also I should make it clear that Cassie contributed too but had trouble getting on the site, so she helped with resources via email.

Thank you for the soft purple pillow Laura--it is perfect for me. You are so much fun to be around.

I'm going to bed now.

Kari

Kari !
it's 0632 in the morning, really ... you can stop now, it is beautiful ! Have you slept at all ?

0543 and all I can say is WOW ! I'm going to try to be at class early to get the coffee on and hopefully have a tray of breakfast snacks ready
Looks like the midnight oil was burned up!!! - Laura

Not sure where some of this data can go. Darcy

Does preservation pay?

Grays Harbor County is in great need of economic growth and job opportunities. We need to restore these historical buildings so future residence can enjoy the benefits that come from it. One issue that arises when historical preservation is discussed in the public eye is whether or not the cost will exceed the benefits. By most accounts, it is more efficient and profitable to preserve a historical building than to construct a new one. This however is hard to demonstrate because many of the benefits are priceless or immeasurable. Some of the positive externalities of historical preservation are memorial power, beauty, attachment, social gathering and other priceless qualities. These are all qualitative which is harder to determine and interpret than standard quantitative data. Applying only the quantitative measures of historic preservation does not express the full value of preservation as a public good or cultural expression. Historical preservation consists primarily to maintain and create cultural values. These cultural values can’t be dismissed just because they are hard to measure.

Many other states have proof that historical preservation has economic benefits. According to recent studies, historic preservation activities have generated more than $1.4 billion of economic activity in Texas each year. Rehabilitation of historic properties in Georgia during a five-year period created 7,550 jobs and $201 million in earnings. Each dollar of Maryland's historic preservation tax credit leverages $6.70 of economic activity within that State. In one year, direct and indirect expenditures by heritage tourists in Colorado reached $3.1 billion. [*] Heritage travelers spend more, do more and stay longer than other types of tourists.[†]

[*] http://www.achp.gov/economicstudies.html

[†] Travel Industry Association of America http://www.tia.org/index.html

Hey Kari, keep intouch with Tom and Rae... looks like things are pulling together nicely... This is where we might have two projects going

so get some sleep too

New You Tube video for consideration, Kari see if this is along the lines of something you can use

Hi Rae, I saw where Kari has added a blip of info on the Leadership blog, just click in resent posts, looks like she has the main work in progress and will post it when she has it ready to go, I'm going to go browse pictures and stuff for now and if I find something, I'll be putting them here at the top of either this page or the Research page, I'm going to stay off of the Tom's Take and the Rough Draft page so those editing can work with all the prior info now that we are down to the last few hours. I'll use Blue to emphasize anything new I might find - Laura

Hello everyone, I'm here and ready to help with what ever it takes to get this ready for class tomorrow. Kari are you editing? Are we using Tom's Take? Rae

Friday! finally! If I can help with anything, just let me know, I'll be hitting the sack at about 9:00 tonight so I'll keep checking back periodically, looks like lots of neat info to use -- Looks like we have a title and a conclusion now so cool ! - Laura

Things are looking great! I went in a couple times today and added a thing here or there or correct punctuation. Looks like it is coming together nicely.

I have more info......My son, Ben Winkelman is a city councilman in Hoquiam and an initial member of the Hoquiam Business Association who commissioned the Berk and Associates Report for the city's Economic Development Plan which you can view at: http://www.cityofhoquiam.com/hometown/hh_draft_12.06.07.pdf
He was very excited to hear about our project and is anxious to see what we come up with. There are people with dollars who are looking for the right ideas. I told him about the Safeway idea and he let me know that the gas station across the street is also available and there is a view of the waterfront from the back of LaVogues which may also be available soon. Hoquiam just recieved a designation of Historical Preservation District which they fought hard to obtain. One of the benefits is that you can write off expenses incurred for capital improvements if you agree to keep the building in the original era. John Larson of the Polson Museum had access to pictures from the Jones Photo Collection where he can find pics from the old buildings so you know what it originally looked like. (especially helpful for the LaVogue building maybe). They are actually looking for members to form a Group Think Tank (guess they don't know it is a commons) to meet and submit ideas to the Developer's Forum Committee. He also suggested we take a look at the Farmer's Market Building along the waterfront. I don't know where that is but it is within a block or two of the Safeway store. They are looking for wild and crazy ideas and we might just have some for them! Does anyone live in Hoquiam that would want to run past there and check it out? To find out zoning issues or to get direction, to talk to zoning and planning people, or the GH Economic Council, Brian Shay would be our contact but Ben would be happy to direct anyone to the right person for answers to any questions. This site has the info about the historical preservation district:
http://www.cityofhoquiam.com/hometown.php
He is going to tell his team what we are doing and he is excited to see what ideas we may be dreaming up and knows they will be too. So maybe this won't just be an exercise but actually be an instrument to bring about some positive changes in our area. He wants to see it when we are ready to show it!

Kari and Tom and anyone else editing.......feel free to add that info anywhere you wish or it fits.

Kari, I noticed on the rough draft page you asked me if it was ok to cut and paste from my information. Please feel free to do what you need to with my information. Carla

THANK YOU for editing - I added my document as an attachment - I was afraid to cut and paste and mess up the formatting on the page. Please feel free to edit as you see appropriate. Stacy

Hi everyone,
Added some thoughts on including historical markers and information with the renovation of buildings and also a little about helping smooth transitions when communities start recycling existing buildings.

I want to say that I am thrilled with all the work you guys have done and I appreciate all the contributions. Let me know what else you need help with.

Brenda

Hi everybody, I made a page using all the contribution on the rough draft page, and included some of my own material. I did some rough editing too. Still need a title and conclusion, and any other material thought pertinent. I lose my Internet connection tomorrow afternoon, so make whatever changes you want, use as much or little as you want, and post it on whatever page seems right. Everything isn't just miscellaneous anymore, it's confusing too! Tom

Hey Laura--my number one --- oh never mind. I'm so glad you posted I was just going to get started on some editing and wanted to make sure that someone else wasn't doing the same thing I was at the same time. We could get a real editing war going here. I'll move my stuff over to the other page. Is there anything on this page we don't want moved over? I don't know if not everyone has everything they want moved over, if they intentionally don't want some things moved over? If there is anything on this page that shouldn't be included in the final document (or at least considered) about the contributor make the text red or add a note not to move it. It looks like the most active people, except me have moved their stuff over. In addition to the excellent resources Carla included in her document we will add a resources section on the bottom of other resources--things like the Dept of Ecology, Historic Society, etc. --Kari0

I think what you did for the rough draft looks great! I will have my portion on the Elma Theater complete by tomorrow night. Stacy

Thats a good idea, but we need to decide on one building project don't we? or are we going to
combine all the articles as a rough draft and maybe title the changes of Aberdeen or something
that, I don't know but let me know cause now I am comfused. - Connie

About the finished product. Rick wants it to look as if it was all written by one person. I'll volunteer to do some editing. A single document with ideas that flow and work together. We need to think of a title and rough outline once we get over thing over on the RD page. --Kari

I posted this on the rough draft page but I'm also posting here just to be safe - I've attached my rough draft at the bottom of the rough draft page on the research I did on public and private partnerships in the US regarding the restoration of buildings and communities. I'm hopeful despite the different turns we've taken that this still can be worked into our paper. Carla

March 19th, I put a small but hopefully attention grabbing paragraph on the research page with URL and a video for the Oly ReStore topic for the final project. Looking back at the wording of the assignment, I tend to be focused on the way in which we have collaborated and drawn our information from the modern modes of information. Am I way off track if I assume we have an Introduction, a body with topics and a conclusion to ways in which these sources of information are accessible to a group of people who might want to recycle a building in their own community. Someone help with an Intro paragraph.... this is as far as I could get at this point..... thanks- Laura

" Grays Harbor provides visitors a wonderful gateway to our coastal community. The local history of the area can not be missed as a traveler arrives at the city limits with the welcoming Rotary log building and waterfront park. along the way there is a variety of statues and sculptures that remind us of our rich timber history and we have panoramic view of the fishing industry from the bridges. Sadly, the buildings in our community do not reflect the pride we take in our community. From the wilting General Store in Oakville, to the lemon eyesore of the Mork hotel in downtown Aberdeen and the now nearly condemned Elma Theater, there is a need for our aging buildings to either undergo massive reconstruction or demolition. A few of the local buildings are so rich in local history that community members may feel strongly attached to them almost like members of their family. And some of the community movie theaters are rare historical gems that reflect the beauty and grace of a time when people gathered in a common area "

From here we could lead into our areas of individual interest, with a paragraph or two and the links and widget that support the subject

would anyone have an idea for the conclusion ? thanks- Laura

I've been looking over this whole group of ideas and I think that we should all just write what we have been working on. No ones ideas are better or more important than the other. It is all interesting to me. Crowdsourcing is frustrating to me because it seems to lack structure or maybe I just do not know how to behave in this structure. Maybe we could each add to our written portion how this event has felt socially to us and some type of Wikipedia paper on how the process works might happen on Saturday. Thanks for listening.-Rae

Ok, so I got on a roll and added some pics of the Elma Theatre too. I have class evals in Oly tomorrow night so I hope when I get home and look you guys will have added all kinds of info to the rough draft!
So were you thinking that it would be good to make the Safeway store an Art Museum or a kids hands on or ? I am real curious about that store and what it could have in it. It has been an auction house and some kind of little race track inside since it has been a safeway. My husband says that he thinks it is not a free standing roof and has some support poles within the store. That's all for tonight. It's 12:04 and I have to get some sleep! Gail

I started the rough draft by putting the Safeway store and Hoquiam pool pictures in since that was what I have. I think that Rae's ideas for what we should investigate are great. My suggestion is to add whatever you can think of to the rough draft and edit as we go. Rae is right.....we only have a small bit of time to get this thing done! (this paragraph actually comes after the rest my comments but I am too tired to figure out how to move it. Pathetic, I know!) Gail

I think the Safeway store may be a great place to work on in Hoquiam. We also could use the Hoquiam pool. We bought the Hoquiam Aquatic Center a couple of years ago and we could use that if we want too. We have our business in part of it, but haven't developed the rest yet. I have access to the info we may need there. We have considered a community resource as one of the possibilities but not sure what kind of direction.

Looks like we are looking at several spots....the Children's Hand On Museum in Oly, Hoquiam Safeway, Old Theatre in Elma, etc. I think we should post one that we are interested in on the rough draft page. Then all add to them. If someone doesn't have a pet project, they can just add on their thoughts to those posted. No one will be left out because they don't have the technology for pics, etc. I think that the more info and ideas the better. I especially like the idea about the courts-especially juvenile. I may be able to get some insight on that from my son who is an attorney and a city councilman in Hoquiam. Daughter in law is on the planning commission too. I will start working on them!!

I also have taken my grandkids to the Oly Hands On. It is a great place for kids 2-7 or so. Lots of hands on activities. I think they have some other programs there because I have seen school buses there. It was great fun. Gail

Rae: Thanks. I've even been to that place! That pole is a real eyesore too it looks like miniature cell tower. I wonder what it is for? Are you referring to the "Hands-On Children's Museum"? I used to do their grant writing. I just threw away their newsletter yesterday, aargh. They tend to cater to a very local and young audience (or used to) and always claim to be broke. I think if we got one art supervisor as from the college to work with art teachers from the local schools (all age groups could be represented). An idea I also think would be cool would be a program for juveniles in diversion (in the juvenile court system) to contribute and receive credit for their work by the courts. Juvenile courts may even have money to a put in for their assistance. It's also a good place to do a project because it looks like a well lit area with a lot of room in the abandoned parking lot to set things up.

These are the two buildings that I think should be developed in Hoquiam. The building with the mural on the side is LaVogues and the building with the parking lot is the old Safeway. The mural on the side of the building has a huge chunk out of it (note the gray patch on the sky). Maybe someone could find an artist to repair it or repaint another mural. Maybe it could be part of what the artists using the commons can take on. Maybe we could research and write about how not for profits run, how a board of directors works, ideas for getting renovation money, Kari's idea about how the art commission distributes funds, the idea about using recycled materials to fix up the place, what about list of groups that might help do some of the work. Rick said we could be as creative a we wanted with how we do this. Would everyone please just pick a topic and write what you are going to do underneath this. Someone could check out how the children's art museum in downtown Olympia works. I think they have some type of art projects for kids. How about what type of insurance a project like this would need. What type of degree would the person running this program need to have. How about using some of that history on why people aren't volunteering anymore and why this might not work because of lack of people willing to volunteer. Are their art groups in the community that could be asked to help? Please pick something, write about it and post your info on the rough draft page. Make something up if you don't like any of my ideas. - Rae

1. How about seeing if an art instructor at GHC would supervise the artistic process in cooperation with the local schools and juvenile court.
2. On the topic of recycled buildings in my community - I'm going to write about the Elma Theater - history, what it was originally built for to what it is used for today,funding sources etc.. Seems like every community has a recycled theater, 7th Street in Hoquiam, Raymond, the D & R, Olympia has 4th Street or is it State Street (?) Theater etc. Perhaps others can pick a building in their community, or incorporate the topic of recycled materials that could be used, renovation money, volunteers, community support then tie it all into one project. ?? Stacy
3.
4.
5.

Our rough draft is due in 2 days, the final project is due in 4 days and we haven't significantly moved forward. Someone idenitfy any piece of property, so we can brainstorm on what to do with it and get a draft up. I'm going to try to get to the Peace Rally tomorrow at Zalasco Park--though I'm not sure I can swing it. If we have a building identified maybe I can stop by the courthouse to get information about the property. If I don't make -- I'm sure the information we need can be obtained by phone and possibly online.

One idea that keeps popping into my mind. Last year we read Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol. He described how in the Bronx they took an ugly eyesore (a tenement maybe) and painted one side of it so it looked like a completely different place from the freeway. That wasn't exactly my idea but we could take an old eyesore and have it painted with a scene of Lady Washington in the harbor or a historic mural around the entire building. If its a field we want to beautify we could look at gardens and a public art piece. I'm not in Aberdeen so I can look out my window to see what needs to be done. Gail and Rae seem to know a lot about the area though.

Kari

Brainstromings.....

Rae: Whenver there is a major construction for a school or State building like the new additions at GHC, 1% of the total cost goes into an art grant fund run through theWashington State Arts Commission Art in Public Places Program. Its like most grants in that the competition is tough and its a time consuming process. Grants and civic groups are what usually pay for public arts and some restoration projects. I go to National Brownsfields Conferences from time to time. They have them several times a year usually in the worst cities-- but they are dedicated to environmental clean up, restoration and building community. Their conferences are a meeting place between those with ideas and those with funds. Historic societies sometimes invest in old buildings when they have funds. Civic groups (like the Lions club) will often take on paying for small projects like public art work, and painting or keeping up eyesores--they typically don't have the funds to take on huge renovations. The large projects like turning old mills into malls and office buildings are usually funded by private investors who do it for profitable purposes (it was a real big business in New England in the 80's). I believe we can be as creative as we want about how we are paying for our project since its just for the purposes of the class. We can pretend the Chamber of Commerce, Lions, Historic Society, WA State and Brownfields all funded our project. Also local businesses will often donate goods and money. Corporate businesses have foundations to fund local projects and causes. Wal-mart for example gives less than most similar businesses (like Kmart) but they do give locally. They require that the project be sponsored by a local employee. Many other corporations do this too. Those are major considerations when building a board for nonprofit organizations or committees for projects -- along with those knowledgeable about your purpose, they seek those with the ability to get funding. There are other ways of getting money too like writing letter campaigns sent out to residents (since postage is expensive, this is list usually targeted to residents with money and a heart for philanthropy. To solicit and accept funds for a project the group has to either be a Federal (all have to be state) nonprofit organization or what is commonly done is have a nonprofit with similar goals partner with you or sponsor your group so you can use their Federal number. That is done frequently and works well -- since its time consuming obtaining Federal status and usually there are other groups already established that will embrace others who share their goals. Kari

The city of Hoquiam has been slowly but surely in favor of revitalizing the down town area. There are 2 buildings there that I would like to see made into an art commons. I will post my idea in the research area for you all to review. I included some pictures that I took yesterday(they didn't load, if you want to see them I'll need some help with the format). It seems like the Aberdeen area is in to much turmoil right now for a fresh idea. I am not sure how not for profit would work in this area or if the government would help support something like this. I know that the Aberdeen and Hoquiam got art funding when the prison was built. I also saw on television that in Denmark that social groups qualify for government support for their activities. They showed a miniture train group as an example. Perhaps we could research that. Rae

The Morck renovation project has been put on hold, one of the major investors (Former Harborite and Bellevue businessman John Yonich) has filed a lawsuit against Chester Trabucco. Yonich is unhappy with how long the project is taking and how Trabucco is managing the progress and how the funds are being spent. Yonich is also the one who recently purchased the D & R Theatre and is in the process of renovating it. I agree we should pick a building or two (maybe the Morck & D & R) since they both are in the process of being recycled. Maybe we could start with their historical value, what they were used for origninally, progress towards the current state? I think Laura's information on the ReStore will make a great addition to the project as well. Carla's piece on what her community is doing towards recyling buildings will also tie into this project and be a great contribution. Stacy

Laura I love those places. There used to be one towards the pier behind downtown Olympia I that loved going to. I built an aviary out of what I bought there for under $50.00. Salvage is big business in big cities. That's a business I've always thought would be cool to be involved in. --Kari

Answered my own question with just a little more browsing, the store is called the "ReStore" and it is ran by "Habitat for Humanities" So I still like the idea of the recycling but will go deeper on what limitations there are to materials and what structures are "Beyond the point of reclaiming" Laura

In downtown oly area, I found a place that sells recycled parts of homes and buildings, banisters, doors and windows, etc. I was able to find a stairway for my own house for under $100 very nice wood that would have cost me way more to build. I like the idea of showing how older buildings have been remodled but also the ways in which the reusable materials can be made available. I'de like to go to that buisiness for my starting point and find out how they come by those items and see if that info is usable for us also. I'll try to do this today Saturday the 15th. I even found arched windows from St Martins College, glass intact. Laura

I was so shocked to see bright lights driving into Aberdeen and couldn't figure out what it was until I noticed the DNR--I'm so glad they did something with it -- one of grandfather's owned a movie theatre and I love the architecture of the old ones. I think it would be nice to have a river front walk, with benches -- isn't there a little playground around there too? When staying at the Guest House Inn I noticed kids were drinking and partying in the surrounding property which doesn't give it a safe feel -- like a well lit walk way would. The County orCity Clerks office should be able to direct us to the appropriate source for property ownership. Do you know what they are going to do with the Morck Hotel? Kari

In downtown Aberdeen the Morck Hotel is being renovated and so are the theaters. Maybe we could take a look at other towns that have been renovated and make suggestions to what type of business works there. I think we could also look at the river front area. Maybe the walk behind Walmart could continue over the bridge and down the river front. I think it is an unsafe area right now and in the past homeless people have built makeshift homes in the bushes there. How do we find out who owns the property?-Rae

Since I'm one of those individuals who doesn't live in Grays Harbor I was thinking maybe I could do a piece on what is occuring in other parts of the US regarding different approachs being used to cleaning up buildings/neighborhoods. Do you folks think that might fit into our paper? Carla

Carla that would be a great piece by knowing other communities have done we can get ideas for what would work in ours.-Kari

Ok, looks like we are going to recycle buildings! I think our next step is to figure out what we want to do now. In my head I am envisioning that we each pick a building, take a picture and post it. Then research possibly how many square feet, how the inside may be structured, what surrounds it, etc. and come up with uses to rehabilitate and make it useful to the community again. We can then be adding ideas to everyone elses buildings and come up with even more ideas. That's my vision....what's yours???

That sounds great to me. Or we could choose one building or space as a group and go through all the steps of planning, getting permission to get it fixed, changed, etc. I'm trying to figure out a way the people who live so far from class could participate. Flcker.com has many pictures of Aberdeen buildings and areas. Or perhaps we could each just choose a place in our own community that we like to see fixed. --Kari

This is a great idea but some of us don't have cameras to take pics so I think a group idea such as Kari's is a good idea cause it helps everyone involved. - Connie

Ok, I will make a list to vote on..................Could you put your top three in order of preference please.
I can tally them up Thursday night and then we will have a decision on Friday. I hope I didn't miss any ideas. If so, add them on. Please put your votes in right after mine so I don't miss any when I am tallying.

Mortgage Ins
Electoral College
Music
Recycled Buildings
Car Insurance
College Career Offerings
Random Knowledge Blog

My vote is: (Gail) Recycled buildings, electoral college, college offerings.
My vote is: (Kari)Recycled buildings, Random Knowledge--keeping in mind civic involvement, Electoral college (one thing to consider about the Electoral college is there is something like 220 groups on Facebook alone on abolishing it--Feinstein started a movement in 2004-but I haven't heard anything about it in years. Rev. Jesse Jackson started another movement in 2007 that I haven't heard much about, either--so there is a lot of easily available research out there to draw on. Most efforts in the past have been dropped because its such a massive undertaking to amend the constitution).
I would be interested in the electoral piece or even the ideas on mortgages or car insurance.
My vote is: (Stacy) Music, Recycled buildings, college offerings.
My vote is: (Carla) Electoral college, college offerings and recycled buildings. I would be perfectly fine with the building project the only thing is I don't live in Grays Harbor or even drive through the area other than to come to class. So I'm hopeful if we pick that project it would contain components that would allow me to contribute despite my lack of knowledge of the Grays Harbor area.

6. My vote is: (Connie) Recycled buildings, College Career Offerings, and Random Knowledge.
7. My vote is: (Rae Ann) Random knowledge, recycled buildings, car insurance.
8: My vote is: (Brenda) Electoral College, Recycled buildings, college offerings.
9. My vote is: (Laura) Recycled Buildings, music, college offerings. Whoops, didn't get in until Friday morning 0430 hours, what ever the team
selects, I'm cool with :)
10. My vote is: (Cassy) Recyled Buildings, Electoral College, College Offerings.
11. My vote; (Marla) Recycled Buildings, Car Insurance, Electoral College.

Another idea which I'm not sure is an exact fit but what if we had a project on the degrees offered by WA universities and/or community and technical colleges and provided information on the degree programs offered, the graduation rate, demographic information, projected salary for those completing the program, etc So for example if you were interested in getting an accounting degree you could go online find the colleges who offer the degree, the graduation rate for that program, make up of the students in the program, projected salary information for those completing program, etc. Then we create a space where folks who are in the program or graduations could rate instructions, instruction, the campus, or just provide information to others who might be interested in the program.

I'm also for the idea of voting on a topic by tomorrow because I'm getting a bit anxious on being able to provide enough time to the project. Carla

I thought it was interesting that you picked this picture Cari. That building was being renovated and lived in by a couple who moved here from Seattle to do it. But it burned when the building in the next block burned to the ground last year and I guess they have given up...or maybe haven't figured out how to start again..... I like this idea and I also like the one about the electoral college. I would like to dump that whole process. Gail

I like all the suggestions so far. Theideas that came to my mind in keeping with the metaphor of the village "commons" and how lovely they are in NE is that we identify one or several visible eyesores in the area and think of ways for their use as if we were going to promote them to the city council. Things like landscaping with a request for proposal for local artists to be commissioned for public art. If the municipalities are willing to work with the ideathere are probably groups that would pitch in to make it a community effort. We can see in many areas of Grays Harbor and every where else where this has been done but there are still some ugly lots and horrid buildings clearly visible in high traffic areas. I suspect these ugly buildings have owners waiting for an offer on commercial property. The city can require that buildings be torn down. Even just painting the buildings to look like they did in their prime (like a mural) but some of these buildings look like they were always ugly. They could be used for a youth artistic graffitti project through parks and recreation in cooperation with jr and sr high students.I'm referring to buildings that are not restorable (because I love the restoration of anything that can be salvaged). I'm surprised the city allows these buildings to stand because they serve no useful purpose and in addition to being an eyesore there are a safety risk. "Squatters" start fires which can destroy other valuable structures around them and its a hiding place for illegal activity and gatherings. If we did this the scope of our project would be identifying these areas (which are places you probably drive past every day if you live in Grays Harbor). Then develop ideas of what we would like to see on those spots-- gardens, playground, public art??? The city and town ordinances and the process for doing this should be easy to research to include in our final document. In the end we could use photoshop to mock up a photo of a finished product if we wanted to be that ambitious. All we would have to do is identify, decide on a resolution and document the process.

Or it could be as simple as getting the county or civic group (I think the Lion's Club does it for Raymond--but I'm not positive) to spruce up the entrances to the city and county. For example "Entering Grays Harbor (or Aberdeen)" signs should be kept mowed and weeded for an area around the signs at the very least. Even something more like some landscaping, planting some bulbs. I'm sure the state, county, city all have rules about how close things can be to markers and of course nothing can obstruct it's view but you could give it a little nicer backdrop. KariO

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Thanks for the project schedule! On Wednesday do we want to make a list of the suggested topics and vote on them. Then on Thursday we can tally the votes and start our research and development? Just thought we might want to have a process in place. Brenda

I like the idea of starting a knowledge commons regarding the abolishment of Electoral Votes. When I was 18 I worked on an Election board when we were voting for president. I poles closed and I took the ballots to the county clerks office. When I got home and listened to the news much to my suprise we had a new president. All the votes I had just submitted for counting.....well they didn't count. I was so angry I didn't vote for the next 10 years. The Electoral College and voting is antiquated and needs to change. Do you remember the presidential race with Al Gore and Bush. Al Gore had the popular votes and in my mind should have been president. I want to start a movement to change the process. Thought this might be a good place to start that. Brenda

Last night I thought about topics we might think about. Like...what information are people interested in....and how we can help....and what is already out there....a few that popped into my mind were...education, health care, and volunteerism. Perhaps the last one is more mine than anyone else's....but hey...just some ideas.
Casi

Hey ya'll...I got my computer back finally, and am able to participate. I'll have to catch up over the weekend. See you all tonight...and this weekend.
Casi

Brainstorming Topic #1:
I think that the website that Rae Ann found Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_development_theory and Rick's idea of collaborating on a document that explores possible civic applications of these new ways of collecting, analyzing, and distributing knowledge. would be a good idea

HEY I just figured out how to post on here...I am so computer unsaavy it's not even funny. Cassy

Connie

Date: 2/8/08

I agree that we can use these ideas for a team collaboration project. Does anybody have any ideas what kind of civic applications we want to include? What kind of knowledge manipulation are we talking about specifically? One idea I had was to combine the results we all posted for the IQ/Personality Tests from last quarter into a segment informing readers about the pitfalls of such tests, their usefulness, and their more common applications. Any other ideas?

So far I like the idea of what we found out about the tests that we did last quarter.
Connie

I am not sure that I am doing this correctly but I will give it a shot... I think we are supposed to come up with a topic and then all contribute to it to make a new whole about a social change of behavior and what may happen because of it? There is lots of research on recycling so that may work well. I am curious about the storage of materials on cd's, tapes, dvds, etc. and not the written page also. I am wondering about all the pictures that I am storing on CDs. How many times in my lifetime am I going to have to move them to the newest medium in order for my kids and grandkids to have access to them in 100 years?
Gail

Brainstorming Topic #2:

Date: Feb.24,2008 I think Gail's comment about trying to keep up is a true statement of how our society is operating today. Our ability to change and adapt to new ideas, concepts, and technology has been greatly enhanced by our Internet connection with the world. New ways of making things better are emerging and the elimination of some of the costs for labor has enabled the processes to move forward at a much faster pace. But what is the long term cost? What about those who choose not to keep up? Not everyone owns a computer. Will junk mail stop?(wishful thinking)
Rae Ann

Good questions....
There is one that I am on....I can't think of the name right now but it is something like "free2u" and another one that I think is called "freecycle" and another that does things less than $50 but don't remember the name. I have used them a few times and it works fairly well. The real names are on my computer at home I think. I'll try and look soon and post them.
Gail
Feb.25,2008
I posted in the assignment section the info Rick posted on the leadership site. After re-reading it I think we are supposed to be developing an idea for crowdsourcing that could be used by the government. Maybe there could be an Information Services crowdsourcing site for the software that is used in this state. It could be set up to help other users and to fix problems. Or what if people all over the state took photos of the parks in their area and posted them on the site so others could go on and find some nice places to go. We have less than 30 days to complete this assignment do you think we should set a timeline for brainstorming, research, and rough draft?
Rae Ann

I agree Rae Ann we need to make a timeline for this so we can get going on this project.

Connie

Yes a timeline is a great idea. I found wiki has a (blog?) page on Government crowdsourcing on http://www.openinnovators.net/e-government-2-0-wiki-citizen/ - I'm as confused as others as what exactly we are researching. I like the idea of an Information Services crowdsouring site, it would be a beneficial tool for many to utilize.
Stacy

3-9-08 After getting a better idea of "The Commons" I've removed my older comments to save space and was just going to address 3 threads Saturdays conversations sparked 1) Music 2) Food 3) recreation . I don't use the internet much except to surf around so these happen to be three areas that make the internet fascinating to me. I just don't know if a civic application to either of them would make them options for the project. Maybe by the end of the weekend the rest of the class will add enough ideas that we will see a common interest for all of us to tackle for the final project. -LJ
3-9-08 An idea I had this morning was a common area where people could post what they pay for the products of car insurance. I feel like I never have all the info I need in this area to make a smart buying decision. Maybe by having collective data I could be sure of getting good rates. One other area that I am under educated in is home re- finance and loan information. Or even how to negotiate buying a car.-Rae

3/10/08 I like the idea of posting what we pay for various car insurance products. I thought also about everybody posting what their hidden or mandatory fees are for various services we all use (cell phones, utilities, credit cards, etc.) We could from their research those fees through the web to see what they actually are, and maybe what we can do to mitigate them if we choose. Tom

3/10/08 What if we created a blog called "What do you know about_________?" Then people could post what they needed to know and others could answer them. There would need to be a system to look up the underlined items and for storing data so that it could be found later but it might be of value to organizations. For example if you wanted to know what skin cancer looked like you could post the question and someone like a doctor could post a picture. The questions could be nested in some types of catagories like, computers, medicine, artwork, music ect. It could be used internally in a large business with branches or externally for research or for data that could help out software customers. It could be used to help develop policies so that more than just a few people have input. - Rae I removed my comments that I didn't think fit the new vision of this assignment. -Rae

See also: Project Schedule | Rough Draft | Research | Team Members

Resources

ksable — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:39:30 CDT

Here is a brief tour of the ReStore in Olympia, WA that demonstrate the variety of materials available.Themay have those charming rare items that add that special finishing touch to a building restoration.

Hoquiam Projects

Ben Winkelman is a city councilman in Hoquiam and an initial member of the Hoquiam Business Association who commissioned the Berk and Associates Report for Hoquaim's Economic Development Plan. Hoquiam just recieved a designation of Historical Preservation District which they fought hard to obtain. One of the benefits is that you can write off expenses incurred for capital improvements if you keep the building in the original era. John Larson of the Polson Museum had access to pictures from the Jones Photo Collection where he can find pictures historic buildings in their original form.They are looking for members to form a Group Think Tank (commons) to meet and submit ideas to the Developer's Forum Committee. To find out zoning issues, get direction, speak with zoning and planning people, contact Brian Shay at the GH Economic Councils. The historical preservation district has information about pursuing Hoquiam projects.

Funding Ideas

Whenver there is a major construction for a school or State building like the new additions at GHC, 1% of the total cost goes into an art grant fund run through theWashington State Arts Commission Art in Public Places Program. Its like most grants in that the competition is tough and its a time consuming process. Grants and civic groups are what usually pay for public arts and some restoration projects. I go to National Brownsfields Conferences from time to time. They have them several times a year usually in the worst cities-- but they are dedicated to environmental clean up, restoration and building community. Their conferences are a meeting place between those with ideas and those with funds. Historic societies sometimes invest in old buildings when they have funds. Civic groups (like the Lions club) will often take on paying for small projects like public art work, and painting or keeping up eyesores--they typically don't have the funds to take on huge renovations. The large projects like turning old mills into malls and office buildings are usually funded by private investors who do it for profitable purposes (it was a real big business in New England in the 80's). I believe we can be as creative as we want about how we are paying for our project since its just for the purposes of the class. We can pretend the Chamber of Commerce, Lions, Historic Society, WA State and Brownfields all funded our project. Also local businesses will often donate goods and money. Corporate businesses have foundations --this page has foundation resources for a variety of projects (not just community revitalization.)

Community Revitalization Financing Tax increment financing (TIF)or community redevelopment financing is a method of redistributing property tax collections within designated areas to finance infrastructure improvements within these designated areas.Washington does not have the tools for tax increment financing found in other states.

Grays Harbor Chamber of Commerce Washington State Department of Revenue - retail sales statistics
US Census Bureau
Business License - Washington State
Port of Grays Harbor
Economic Development Council
Grays Harbor Tourism
Commercial and Land Real Estate Listings
Grays Harbor Council of Governments contains zoning maps, demographic data and links to relevant community information.
Selling to the Government: how to sell to governmental agencies.
Federal Government Vendor Registration. Register your company on-line to become eligible to bid on government contracts.
Community Bulletin Daily: Listing of governmental contracts up for bid.

Washington Governmental Assistance Programs

Washington State Government homepage: Gateway to all Washington State government websites.
Business Development: Washington state economic development information and programs
Washington (WA-CERT): Community Economic Revitalization Team page for registering and tracking community infrastructure projects.
Washington Manufacturing Services: State supported organization for providing assistance to manufacturers

Financing and Business Assistance

SCORE: No-cost business assistance with business plan writing, analysis and on-going help.
Olympic Microloan Fund: Nine county revolving loan fund that provides loans and technical assistance to small businesses that cannot satisfy their financing requirements through conventional lending sources.
Business Resource Center: Complete listing guide to web-based business information.
SBA Business Law Information: Easy-to-understand information and guides to Federal, local and state regulations and operating a business.
Office of Trade and Economic Development: Provides technical and financial assistance programs to support new and existing businesses.

Grays Harbor County Demographic Profile: This 36 page report, compiled by the Grays Harbor EDC, provides considerably more demographic information in chart and graph form than is possible to present on this website. It also includes more information on each of the county's 9 incorporated communities than is presented on here.

Community Economic Development Strategy for the Columbia-Pacific Region: This comprehensive 113-page report compiled by the Columbia-Pacific Resource Conservation & Economic Development District provides an economic profile of the Grays Harbor, Mason, Pacific and Wahkiakum County region, as well as, information for each of the counties. The report also includes an analysis of where we are, where we want to be and a strategic plan for getting there.

Community Economic Development Strategy for the Quinault Indian Nation: This 67-page report serves as a comprehensive statement of local tribal government and economic development organizational plans for the three communities within the Quinault Nation: Amanda Park, Queets, and Taholah.

Workforce Availability Studies for Grays Harbor County:
These reports commissioned by the Gray Harbor EDC provide a workforce profile of unemployed and underemployed workers in all of Grays Harbor County, as well as those within 35 miles of Hoquiam (western county) and those within 35 miles of Elma (eastern county).
Executive Summary
Eastern Grays Harbor Workforce Report
Western Grays Harbor Workforce Report
Workforce Demographic Comparisons - 1999 and 2004
Workforce Trend Analysis - 1999-2004
Grays Harbor Key Economic Indicators 2003 - 2007: This trend report provides a 5 year perspective on population, workforce, wages, sales tax, average home prices and building permits issuedwith associated values.

Private Home/Neighborhood Revitalization
Aberdeen NHS/NeighborWorks® of Grays Harbor was founded in 1981 when a group of citizens, city leaders and lenders came together to form a grassroots organization dedicated to improving homes in two lower-income neighborhoods in Aberdeen, population 16,700. Since that time, NeighborWorks® has matured into an organization that provides an array of home-ownership, home-improvement, affordable-rental and neighborhood-revitalization services to all of Grays Harbor County, population 68,200.

National Resources

Smart Growth WebPolis Community Revitalization The Women’s Community Revitalization Project (WCRP) is committed to social and economic justice for low-income women and their families. We develop housing and neighborhood facilities; provide supportive services; advocate for policy change; and honor leadership, dignity, and equity in our communities.
Government Innovators Network Community Revitalization focuses on recent developments in nationwide community revitalization. These topics include urban development, housing and zoning, public private partnerships, land use planning, and rural development. Other subjects featured include social capacity, community building, problem-solving studies, cultural rebirth, community renewal, reinvestment, wealth creation, grassroots organizing, neighborhood and park preservation, and resource maintenance. Timely issues such as affordable housing, suburban sprawl, gentrification, and sustainable development are also covered.Brownfields and Land Revitalization
New Partners for Community Revitalization's (NPCR)
Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (Pub .L.No. 107-118, 115 stat. 2356, "the Brownfields Law"). The Brownfields Law amended the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) by providing funds to assess and clean up brownfields; clarified CERCLA liability protections; and provided funds to enhance state and tribal response programs. Other related laws and regulations impact brownfields cleanup and reuse through financial incentives and regulatory requirements. Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act full text version of the legislation passed by both Houses. Other Brownfields - Related Laws Includes CERCLA, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). Brownfields Tax Incentive Has information about the Brownfields Tax incentive included in the Taxpayer Relief Act to spur the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields in distressed urban and rural areas. Brownfields Liability Contains information about lender liability and other liability issues.
All Appropriate Inquiries Includes Statutory language, fact sheets, negotiated rulemaking, and Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) meeting information. Major Environmental Laws More than a dozen major statutes or laws form the legal basis for EPA programs.

Research Out Side of Grays Harbor

ksable — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 04:27:21 CDT

Examples from Outside Grays Harbor
Some interesting adaptations for buildings in other areas can be found here.

Recycling buildings is typically a Herculean undertaking, particularly if the building is large, historical, or environmentally challenged in some fashion. To restore or adapt buildings often takes the joint effort both the private and public sectors. The actual work requires the efforts of artisans and skilled craftsman ranging from architects to wallpaper hangers. Building codes are a formidable challenge in many cases, especially when adapting an industrial building to a residential or community use. Financing the undertaking often requires public financing for large structures, while private funds may manage nicely for some unique smaller buildings.

The term “brownfield” describes buildings that are “abandoned or underutilized commercial or industrial properties that usually have some environmental contamination.” Our cultural heritage often resides in the structures we build, both in their original purpose, and in the identity imbued by their presence and use. Many national heritage sites contain buildings restored for historical preservation and study. Some of the most famous buildings in the world exemplify the best in building restoration; The White House, The Kremlin, Buckingham Palace, and The Parthenon are all structures restored after the ravages of time, fire, and war. Adaptive re-use changes the purpose of the structure of a building. There are many instances of such re-use; in Tacoma, we can look to the Washington State History Museum (formerly Union Station in Tacoma), The University of Washington Tacoma Campus (formerly commercial buildings), and the Tacoma Police Headquarters (formerly Costco) as worthwhile examples of adaptive re-use.

There are many examples of cities in the US and Canada taking steps to revitalize their communities. Cities have taken steps to create full scale twenty year comprehensive plans to more simple projects such as tree plantings and flowers planters. However, all have a common goal they want to create a vibrant and thriving environment that is supportive of both its citizens and business community.

A website entitled Smart Growth seems to embrace the idea of revitalizing cities. One of their principles is to foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place. The idea is that the vision for development fits the community and places emphasis on constructions and preservation of buildings that meet the vision and fits the community. This is a very unique website which has many other unique principles as well as information regarding what cities across America are doing to create their development plan based upon where they are but more importantly on their vision for their future and how to ensure that the communities create meet their core values.

The city of Los Angeles has created a Community Beautification Grant program. The program concept was based upon a grant program designed in Seattle, Washington. The program has an $800,000 budget which is overseen by the Board of Public Works. They provide on a competitive basis about 90 grants per year for up to $10,000 per grant. Each grant requires a dollar for dollar match. The funds are used for physical improvements such as tree plantings, murals, benches, flower planters, marquees, gardens, etc. The range of projects is truly amazing and for a small investment which is doubled because of the matching requirement many small but very aesthetic projects are taking place in the City of Los Angeles. A complete list of the 2007-2008 projects can be found here.

The city of Pottsville, Pennsylvania has taken a very strategic view within its comprehensive plan to address its plan for central business district revitalization. In Pottsville they, like many cities, have had a decline in activity and investments in its central business district. They created the Pottsville Area Development Corporation to oversee the central business plans. The Board has 27 members ranging from both public and private representatives and they oversee $1.8 million loan portfolio. In the past the funds have been used to finance 70 façade renovations and other improvements for new and existing businesses.

The city also took a large undertaking of connecting with its citizens to determine what they saw as assets, weaknesses and recommendations for the area. Based upon this information the city will continue to look as its comprehensive plan as well as tax structure and partnerships with private industry, non-profits and government agencies to continue is plan to revitalize its central business district.

Another example of local government and private business partnership was locate in Simi Valley, California. In an effort to invigorate and restore certain areas of their town the City Council has awarded four grants of approximately $80,000 to businesses to renovate older buildings in an effort to entice more businesses and customers to town. The grant funds are only a small fraction of the cost to renovate the buildings however in the case of Simi Valley it appears this small incentive is more than enough to lure business back into the area. The full story can be found at:

A unique program not necessarily targeted at businesses was found in Redding, California. They have created the Residential Incentive Package which is part of a larger revitalization plan for the city. This is also a partnership between private and public partnership. The residential package is focused on providing incentives to current owners to improve their properties as well as help new first-time homebuyers purchase a home in specific neighborhoods. At the time of the article they had helped two first time homebuyers, rehabilitated 17 home units and provided 46 paints vouchers to low and moderate income households.

The city of Vancouver, British Columbia has a program designed specifically for conversation of hits historic buildings. They have two specific financial programs targeted to building owners to help mitigate the costs of renovation. The first program is the Heritage Façade Rehabilitation Program which provides up to 50% of the cost to repairs, restore or enhance the façade of the building. Owners can receive up to a maximum of $50,000 per principal facade. The other program is the Heritage Building Rehabilitation Program which provides property tax exemption for up to ten years for structural and foundation repairs, seismic upgrades and façade rehabilitation.

In New York they have the Main Street Program. This is a state funded program to help communities revitalize their downtown areas by helping with building renovations, streetscape enhancements and downtown business or cultural anchors. It is a competitive process which has a maximum of $200,000 per recipient. New York State has completed four grant cycles and during this period they have awarded $33 million in grants to over 130 different communities with in the state. The program appears to have wide spread support because it not only addresses preservation of older buildings its also trying to renovate buildings that have been left to deteriorate back into vibrant and viable commercial and residential properties.

The final program I reviewed was in the City of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania. They have an Office of Economic Development and this office is to help businesses through technical assistance and financial programs. They have a number of programs aimed at helping businesses with their buildings and in an effort to ensure the economic vitality of the city. They have the Fund for Revitalization and Economic Development (FRED) program and one aspect of that program provides for low interest “gap” financing to remove slum and blight. They have a Façade Program to help provide low interest loans to business to restore storefronts and facades. They have a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program to help businesses with taxes for new construction and rehabilitation projects. They have Enterprise Zone Incentives which provides tax credits for a number of different things but one being that businesses make qualified investments in rehabilitating, expanding or improving their buildings. They final program is they have the Bethlehem Loan Program which like many of the others has many different allowable uses but again it can be used to help businesses with their properties and renovations.

Based upon the research I found a community plan summary for Grays Harbor. This report was done by Barney and Worth Inc. and it looked at thirty-five plan documents from different communities within the area on past and current economic development effort. It covers a wide range of topics from area transportation, to business development to education. Unfortunately the information didn’t provide the status of each plan but it might be a venue to shape the conversation on how to create a partnership between public and private entities regarding the restoration of buildings and the areas that surround them to not only draw businesses to the area but also the much need customer base. The community plans summary can be found at:

There are many different public and private partnerships being taken up around the U.S. to improve deteriorating buildings and communities. These were only a few examples of projects that I found in my research but I believe they showcase the many unique and innovative approaches there are to the subject. They all had in common one goal which was to restore a sense of community and pride through investments to improve and restore private and public buildings.

Restoration Ideas in Grays Harbor

ksable — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:06:57 CDT

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Team Members

msowers — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:04:45 CDT

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Name	Email	Phone Number	Role
Stacy McDougall	woodrow_bcharge@yahoo.com
Tom Ingram	tom_ingram17@comcast.net
Rae Ann	brownrd19@comcast.net
Laura Thorson	thistle@centurytel.n
Gail Winkelman	mwink@techline.com
Connie Parks	cmopolis@yahoo.com
Carla McKnight	crmcknight12@msn.com
Casi LaLonde	casil@centurytel.net
Kari Sable Orkney	kari@karisable.com
Darcy Dotson	tuckerdog930@yahoo.com
Marla Sowers	msowers620@comcast.net

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Research

darcylynn — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:04:10 CDT

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Web Sites We Used:

Yonich sues Trabucco over Morck

By Paula Horton - Daily World Writer

Wednesday, June 13, 2007 11:01 AM PDT

Theater marquee first step for venerable theater

By Callie White & John Hughes - Daily World writers

Saturday, December 22, 2007 12:37 AM PST

3. Recycle project by Rae Ann Brown
The two pieces of property that I would like to see recycled are the old Safeway building and the LaVogue Department store. They are adjacent properties located in downtown Hoquiam, on Simpson Avenue. The department store is in the process of closing. It is owned by the Bitar Family of Hoquiam. The bicycle shop in one portion of the building is still open and there are offices above the store. The old Safeway building is owned by Mark Swanson a local businessman. When it came up for sale several years ago it was purchased by the Swanson brothers so that another grocery chain could not go in and bring competition to their business which is located two blocks from the site. The Safeway building is currently for rent. The Swanson brothers were very supportive of the new YMCA project.
I would like to see these buildings be utilized as an art commons. My vision includes an area where musicians could gather and play unamplified music, a pottery area with kilns, a silver smith/metal working area, fly tying, spinning yarn and knitting, painting, poetry reading and writing, and a coffee area for socializing. There could be a room for meetings, demonstration and lessons. Local artists could mentor new artist. I think this would bring people together and promote artistic growth in our community there are many craftsman in our area. The commons could be supported by membership much like the YMCA. Grants could be written to get some need repairs and restroom facilities. There could be a gift shop for artists to place their work and a portion of the profit could go to the commons. This venture would also bring people to the down town area and could possibly support an art store, the 7th street theater and local restaurants.

The historically renovated Hoquiam library is just 2 blocks away. The library has meeting rooms that could support activities such as author hours, book signings and writing workshops. Also within walking distance is the former Eagles building. It has recently been renovated and is ready for a restaurant and shops. There is a walking path behind these buildings that is a loop that circles the two bridges and connects these buildings with the farmers market and the Eighth street landing. It would be a great place to meet with friends.

4. http://www.openinnovators.net/e-government-2-0-wiki-citizen/

5.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_development_theory
6. Resources used for Elma Theater:

7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_convergence

8.Here are links to the renovation of the Washington Hotel AKA the Mork hotel and explains what is suppose to be in it

Washington Hotel Undergoes Renovations
Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR) - by Daily Journal
Thursday, August 24, 2006
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4184/is_20060824/ai_n16700659

Partner Close to Morck Deal

By Paula Horton - Daily World Writer

Saturday, November 3, 2007 12:40 AM PDT

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2007/11/03/local_news/02news.txt

Here is a Daily World Article on the History of the Morck

A four star future for the Morck

By Paula Horton - Daily World writer

Friday, October 7, 2005 11:26 AM PDT
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2005/10/07/local_news/01news.txt

9. Here are some links to Union Gospel Mission and what they have plans on what they are doing
Union Gospel Mission Capital Campaign Heron Street Project
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
http://ugmgraysharbor.org/capital-campaign.html

Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor County
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
http://www.vikingwaters.com/GHMission/htmlpages/capitalcampaign.htm

10. An interesting article about building restoration in general--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_restoration

11. http://www.achp.gov/economicstudies.html

12.http://www.tia.org/index.html

Printed Resources:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

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Projects Underway or Complete

ksable — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:04:09 CDT

D & RTheater

John Yonich an Aberdeen High School graduate living in Bellevue is restoring the D & R Theater to the 1920s-era for live concerts. The plan includes an open market next door creating a commons area that has been missing for many years. Originally, Yonich bought the theater because he wanted the parking lot. Yonich salvaged the lighting and the seats from the demolished Aberdeen High School Auditorium.He has plans of attracting retailers to the surrounding area.

Morck Hotel

The Morck Hotel and restaurant was a classy establishment during the roaring twenties with a reputation for being Aberdeen's landmark. The Morck hit hard times in the 1970s when the grand old hotels lost popularity to motels with off-street parking and downtown communities.Renovation of the 82-year old hotel include major portions of the surrounding two blocks will provide over 50,000 square feet of retail space for unique shops. Plans incude a 125-seat steak and chop house, an 85-seat bistro and martini bar, the resurrection of the Highlander Lounge in the hotel with servers wearing kilts, a coffee shop, day spa, brewpub, galleries, book store, florist, a 300-car, multi-level parking structure and up to 50 market-rate condominiums. When completed the project is estimated to have a value of over $30 million. It will be an elegant commons to meet up with friends for a chat and to enjoy a step back into 1924, withh luxuries including door attendants andbellhops. Development has been stalled due to a legal battle between the developers. John Yonich hopes to be able to take the project over independently.

This is the street side showing the front entrance.

The plan is to install radiant heat in the floor. It is too costly to heat from the top because the ceilings are 22' high. This is the pool that is filled in with rock and topped with dirt. It has not yet been covered with cement.

The second story balcony meeting room.The big green pipes are the air circulating ductwork.

Hoquaim Aquatic Center

Hoquiam Aquatic Center is located centrally in the downtown corridor of Hoquiam.

Three years ago, a private enterprise purchased the Hoquiam Aquatic Center, with an unusable former community pool. A business occupies the upstairs balcony area. With the high ceilings in the building, the owners challenge was how to best utilize the former pool space. Through an expert consultation, they found the best way to heat the space is through radiant heat in the floor under the cement floor where the pool was. The existing natural gas boilers provide radiant heat from the floor. A twelve by fourteen foot roll up door in the rear of the building provides access for large trucks and trailers to carry out the room. The main floor has a lobby and entryway located beside the stairway, two locker rooms with bathrooms and showers, two storage rooms and a small laundry room. The second floor accessible only by the stairway has over eight thousand square feet on the main floor and an additional three thousand square feet on the second floor. The question is what is a good use of the space. Would it be a good area to develop for community activities? Warehouse storage? Business development? Roller rink?

Clarks Restaurant

Clark's original site was built in 1923 as a service station and small store called "Ma & Pas' Place." It still sits today in the same location in the tiny town of Artic, Washington in Grays Harbor County. When the Raymond Highway was built, now Highway 101, in the 1930's, the workers needed a place to eat and truckers needed a place to gas up. The Johance Withrow family ran this establishment as a restaurant, tavern, service station, and grocery until the mid 1950's when it was purchased by Don and Francel Wolfe who focused on building up the restaurant end of the business and started the popular hamburger business.When Kathy and Rich Pacana bought Clarks Restaurant in 1997, they closed down for nine months to “remodel,” however when the reopened doors their customers were delighted to find visually “nothing had changed” to their customers. The renovation was behind the scenes for things like wiring, plumbing and new kitchen equipment. The clients still found the ambience and environment that they had enjoyed for generations. The improvements they made ultimatetly made the business safer, cleaner and more efficient.

Tom's Take

darcylynn — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 01:59:03 CDT

Crowdsourcing Hometown Revitalization

Safeway store in Hoquiam

The two pieces of property that would be nice to see recycled are the old Safeway building and the LaVogue Department store. They are adjacent properties located in downtown Hoquiam, on Simpson Avenue. The department store is in the process of closing. It is owned by the Bitar Family of Hoquiam. The bicycle shop in one portion of the building is still open and there are offices above the store. The old Safeway building is owned by Mark Swanson a local businessman. When it came up for sale several years ago it was purchased by the Swanson brothers, their supermarket is located two blocks from the site. The Safeway building is currently for rent. The Swanson brothers were very supportive of the new YMCA project.

One idea for utilizing these buildings is an art commons. The vision includes an area where musicians could gather and play unamplified music, a pottery area with kilns, a silver smith/metal working area, fly tying, spinning yarn and knitting, painting, poetry reading and writing, and a coffee area for socializing. There could be a room for meetings, demonstration and lessons. Local artists could mentor new artist. This would bring people together
Safeway Store (above) and Lavogue's Department Store and promote artistic growth in our community there are many craftsman in our area. The commons could be supported by membership much like the YMCA. Grants could be written to get some need repairs and restroom facilities. There could be a gift shop for artists to place their work and a portion of the profit could go to the commons. This venture would also bring people to the down town area and could possibly support an art store, the 7th street theater http://www.7thstreettheatre.com/history.html and local restaurants.

The historically renovated Hoquiam library is just 2 blocks away. http://www.trlib.org/hoquiam.htm The library has meeting rooms that could support activities such as author hours, book signings and writing workshops. Also within walking distance is the former Eagles building. It has recently been renovated and is ready for a restaurant and shops. There is a walking path behind these buildings that is a loop that circles the two bridges and connects these buildings with the Polson Museum, Farmers market and the Eighth street landing. It would be a great place to meet with friends, take a walk and enjoy some history.

Hoquiam Aquatic Center

When transforming buildings and areas in a community it's important to remember they belong to the community. With the ownership comes challenges regarding what should be changes or renovated. Take for instance the process to purchase the old Hoquiam Auquatic Center. Much thought, planning and public relations are needed to help smooth the transition. It's important to include fostering support and acceptance of the changes within the community. Sometimes people are so unsure of any change they would rather see a building stand vacant and useless than used for something they don't believe in.
The Hoquiam Aquatic Center was purchased three years ago by a private enterprise. The pool was in not in good condition and could no longer be used as a community pool. There is a business occupying the upstairs balcony area. How to best use the pool space is the question. Because of the extra high ceilings and after consultation with experts, it appears the best way to heat the area is to install radiant heat in the floor before the cement is poured. Existing natural gas boilers can be used to provide heat for the radiant floor. Access to the main space is via a twelve by fourteen foot roll up door in the rear of the building. This newly installed door allows for large trucks and trailers for deliveries and shipments.

The main floor also includes two locker rooms complete with bathrooms and showers. A lobby and entryway are additional besides the stairway. Two storage rooms and a small laundry room complete the main floor area. The second floor is only accessible by the stairway. There is over eight thousand square feet on the main floor and an additional three thousand square feet on the second floor.

It is located centrally in the downtown corridor of Hoquiam.

The question now is what is a good use of the space. Would it be a good area to develop for community activities? Warehouse storage? Business development? Expansion for growth of the current business that occupies the building? Roller rink?

This is the former aquatic center from the street side showing the front entrance.

This is the pool that is filled in with rock and topped with dirt. It has not yet been covered with cement. The plan is to install radiant heat in the floor. It is too costly to heat from the top because the ceilings are twenty two feet high.

The second story balcony meeting room overlooks the pool area. The big green pipes are the air circulating ductwork.

Ben Winkelman is a city councilman in Hoquiam and an initial member of the Hoquiam Business Association who commissioned the Berkand Associates Report for the city's Economic Development Plan which you can view at: http://www.cityofhoquiam.com/hometown/hh_draft_12.06.07.pdf

There are people with dollars who are looking for the right ideas. The gas station across the street is also available and there is a view of the waterfront from the back of LaVogues which may also be available soon. Hoquiam just received a designation of Historical Preservation District which they fought hard to obtain. One of the benefits is that you can write off expenses incurred for capital improvements if you agree to keep the building in the original era. John Larson of the Polson Museum has access to pictures from the Jones Photo Collection where he can find pics from the old buildings so you know what it originally looked like. (especially helpful for the LaVogue building maybe). Those in charge of the renovation project are actually looking for members to form a Group Think Tank (guess they don't know it is a commons) to meet and submit ideas to the Developer's Forum Committee. They are looking for wild and crazy ideas and we might just have some for them! To find out zoning issues or to get direction, to talk to zoning and planning people, or the GH Economic Council, Brian Shay would be our contact but Ben would be happy to direct anyone to the right person for answers to any questions. This site has the info about the historical preservation district: http://www.cityofhoquiam.com/hometown.php

He is going to tell his team what we are doing and he is excited to see what ideas we may be dreaming up and knows they will be too. So maybe this won't just be an exercise but actually be an instrument to bring about some positive changes in our area. He wants to see it when we are ready to show it!

The renovations and recycling of buildings should be accompanied by historical markers and information about the property. Most of the young people in our communities have no idea about what has happened right where they have grown up. People don't remember that Heron Street use to be a redlight district and that during WWII the South Aberdeen bridge had a Gunnery Station to protect it's harbors. Our infamous past, major shipping port and a prosperous logging industry make Grays Harbor a culturally rich area. Oregon does a wonderful job with historical markers along the coast. Each significant or interesting event or building is marked to inform visitors of what happened years ago, right where they stand today. Local families could educate their children on Sunday drives or stop to take a look at the newly renovated buildings creating awareness and ownership of their own communities. Through historical sites and buildings, community members recalling days gone by, and citizens sharing stories and experiences, all will help bring about a resurgence of pride. Tourists stop at the buildings, attend a play at the Elma Theatre, D&R or the Morck hotel and leave with a visual memory of amazing buildings and the history that goes along with it. Recalling a town or community they visited on a trip and sharing that history with a family member or friend will generate a buzz increasing interest to visit our area. Grays Harbor County is working hard to build economic development and growth. Hopefully with bright future and strongly represented past Grays Harbor County can transform not only industry and buildings, but a sense of pride.

The Morck Hotel and the D & R Theater

The Morck Hotel and the D & R Theater are two historical sites that I can not wait to see fixed up and operating again. The Morck used to be a very fancy Hotel and restaurant in her day and now the new owner also wants to have little shops in with the hotel. This would be a great commons for people not only visit but to see how the hotel used to look in 1924. This would also include Doormen , Bell hops and waitresses wearing kilts. John Yonich is going to bring back the D & R Theater as it was in the 1920s-era. He wants to be able to have the theater hold live concert style events. Along with this he wants to set up a miniature sized Pike Place Market along side the D & R. This would bring back a commons area that Aberdeen has lost and is now in hopes of getting back.

Elma Theater

Restoring and renovating decrepit theaters has been a hot topic in many communities all over the country. Do we tear them down or protect what might be a historic landmark? Generally concerned citizens form groups to organize, save and refurbish theaters that have been neglected or doomed for demolition.

The Elma Theater, located in the small community of Elma, Washington was first opened in 1928 as a state of the art performance hall and movie theater. The 600 seat theater was originally named the Graham Theater, with five dressing rooms, an orchestra pit and hot and cold water. The ceiling featured an artistic fresco painting. Fresco is an Italian art form of mural painting, where earth pigments are applied directly to wet lime plaster.

The theater was equipped with stereo sound, and 20 minute projector reels. It featured live performances with an over stage suspension capable of 16 scene changes per performance. The grand opening was December 31, 1928 with a performance by local artists. Detailed history of performances at the theater from 1928 to 1982 are scarce.

From 1983 to 1991 the theater was owned by Daryl J. Lund of Chehalis, Washington with hopes to reopen the theater for school plays, performances and other public events.

In 1991 the Elma Theater (home of Elma Children’s Theater Association) was purchased by Kingsley Hall with ambitions to restore and renovate the sadly damaged interior. Many volunteers worked tirelessly to reopen the theater for its first performance in June 1991, Chicken Fried Diner produced by Patrick Dennis Hart. For many seasons the Elma Theater was home to more imported live venues from all over the world. The Washington State Arts commission helped arrange and book featured presentations such as: The Duttons, A Fine & Pleasant Misery an d Ain’t Misbehavin.[ii] Assistance from the Washington State Arts commission helped increase attendance and booking conferences.

Local memories of the theater consist of: a place for many first dates, first performances and a place to watch free cartoons on Wednesdays. Another common memory, the temperature inside the building was cold. The theater had a long standing policy of adults’ only being allowed to be seated in the balcony. Kids always tried to distract or sneak past employees monitoring the stairway. The high school drama and choir departments often performed at the theater, creating fond memories for many students first performance. Thru 2007 many annual events have included showings of Alice in Wonderland, The Nutcracker, and The Scrooge. For many in the community the theater was like everything else in small towns, it has always been a part of the town.

The theater most recently has been the home for rehearsals and performances by Dancers Unlimited, and students of the Children’s Theater Association. Members of the Children’s Theater Association were given scholarships when they reached the 8th Grade. The premise of granting scholarships before graduation was to ensure students would receive their award in the event they moved out of the area before their high school graduation.

Minimal funding has been provided by hotel taxes, small financial and some material donations. For 2008 volunteers are continuously working to renovate and repair required damaged as ordered by the City of Elma Fire Marshal. All 2008 scheduled events are on hold until necessary repairs are completed.

Options for non profit restoration projects are available through many organizations. The National Preservation Partners is a non-profit organization with objectives to assist with preservation, restoration and reuse of historic building in the United States.[iii] The organization offers technical advice to building owners. They provide guidance to owners who are trying to work their way through the difficult policies, procedures and incentives in reusing historic buildings.

A beneficial learning opportunity for communities and students of interior design has been formed in several towns in Kansas. Students have been inspired by a theatrical adage to visualize the restoration of dormant theaters and opera houses. The students are enrolled in a semester long program on advanced architectural interior design. Each team is required to establish a program; encompassing a demographic study, site history, and information for code and regulation goals for the project. The students have a fresh perspective, providing a vision for the community to reflect on the cultural history of their communities.[iv] Often the student projects are presented to the mayor’s office with anticipation to eventually start a fund raising campaign to restore the historic theaters. The National Endowment for the Arts provides funding sources to bring the Arts to all Americans. The NEA provides outreach opportunities and grants to help with preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts, and historic structures and sites.[v]

Preserving historic landmarks such as the Elma Theater requires restoration skills, research, commitment and most importantly money. Finding funds and community support is often difficult in small towns like Elma. Applications for state grants, Save Americas Treasures Funding Programs, tax incentives, loans, local fund raisers and donations are a few of the available resources that could be used to help fund this project.

Historic theaters serve the whole community and a successful restoration project must have the support and involvement of the entire community.

Bibliography

[i] http://www.italianfrescoes.com/default.asp [ii] www.elmatheater.org [iii] http://www.natlpp.org/ [iv] http://www.reeldiaries.com/moviehouse/articles/students.htm [v] http://www.nea.gov/

Examples from Outside Grays Harbor
Some interesting adaptations for buildings in other areas can be found here.

Recycling buildings is typically a Herculean undertaking, particularly if the building is large, historical, or environmentally challenged in some fashion. To restore or adapt buildings often takes the joint effort both the private and public sectors. The actual work requires the efforts of artisans and skilled craftsman ranging from architects to wallpaper hangers. Building codes are a formidable challenge in many cases, especially when adapting an industrial building to a residential or community use. Financing the undertaking often requires public financing for large structures, while private funds may manage nicely for some unique smaller buildings.

The term “brownfield” describes buildings that are “abandoned or underutilized commercial or industrial properties that usually have some environmental contamination.” Our cultural heritage often resides in the structures we build, both in their original purpose, and in the identity imbued by their presence and use. Many national heritage sites contain buildings restored for historical preservation and study. Some of the most famous buildings in the world exemplify the best in building restoration; The White House, The Kremlin, Buckingham Palace, and The Parthenon are all structures restored after the ravages of time, fire, and war. Adaptive re-use changes the purpose of the structure of a building. There are many instances of such re-use; in Tacoma, we can look to the Washington State History Museum (formerly Union Station in Tacoma), The University of Washington Tacoma Campus (formerly commercial buildings), and the Tacoma Police Headquarters (formerly Costco) as worthwhile examples of adaptive re-use.

There are many examples of cities in the US and Canada taking steps to revitalize their communities. Cities have taken steps to create full scale twenty year comprehensive plans to more simple projects such as tree plantings and flowers planters. However, all have a common goal they want to create a vibrant and thriving environment that is supportive of both its citizens and business community.

A website entitled Smart Growth (www.smartgrowth.org) seems to embrace the idea of revitalizing cities. One of their principles is to foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place. The idea is that the vision for development fits the community and places emphasis on constructions and preservation of buildings that meet the vision and fits the community. This is a very unique website which has many other unique principles as well as information regarding what cities across America are doing to create their development plan based upon where they are but more importantly on their vision for their future and how to ensure that the communities create meet their core values.

The city of Los Angeles has created a Community Beautification Grant program. The program concept was based upon a grant program designed in Seattle, Washington. The program has an $800,000 budget which is overseen by the Board of Public Works. They provide on a competitive basis about 90 grants per year for up to $10,000 per grant. Each grant requires a dollar for dollar match. The funds are used for physical improvements such as tree plantings, murals, benches, flower planters, marquees, gardens, etc. The range of projects is truly amazing and for a small investment which is doubled because of the matching requirement many small but very aesthetic projects are taking place in the City of Los Angeles. A complete list of the 2007-2008 projects can be found at: http://www.lacity.org/bpw/ocb/nmf/0708-cbg-list.pdf

The city of Pottsville, Pennsylvania has taken a very strategic view within its comprehensive plan to address its plan for central business district revitalization. In Pottsville they, like many cities, have had a decline in activity and investments in its central business district. They created the Pottsville Area Development Corporation to oversee the central business plans. The Board has 27 members ranging from both public and private representatives and they oversee $1.8 million loan portfolio. In the past the funds have been used to finance 70 façade renovations and other improvements for new and existing businesses.

The city also took a large undertaking of connecting with its citizens to determine what they saw as assets, weaknesses and recommendations for the area. Based upon this information the city will continue to look as its comprehensive plan as well as tax structure and partnerships with private industry, non-profits and government agencies to continue is plan to revitalize its central business district. A full report on the City of Pottsville can be found at: http://www.ci.pottsville.pa.us/html/cp6.htm

Another example of local government and private business partnership was locate in Simi Valley, California. In an effort to invigorate and restore certain areas of their town the City Council has awarded four grants of approximately $80,000 to businesses to renovate older buildings in an effort to entice more businesses and customers to town. The grant funds are only a small fraction of the cost to renovate the buildings however in the case of Simi Valley it appears this small incentive is more than enough to lure business back into the area. The full story can be found at: http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/feb/27/city-oks-80000-to-help-renovate-building

A unique program not necessarily targeted at businesses was found in Redding, California. They have created the Residential Incentive Package which is part of a larger revitalization plan for the city. This is also a partnership between private and public partnership. The residential package is focused on providing incentives to current owners to improve their properties as well as help new first-time homebuyers purchase a home in specific neighborhoods. At the time of the article they had helped two first time homebuyers, rehabilitated 17 home units and provided 46 paints vouchers to low and moderate income households. Additional information on what is occurring in the City of Redding can be found at: http://ci.redding.ca.us/cm/renovations.htm

The city of Vancouver, British Columbia has a program designed specifically for conversation of hits historic buildings. They have two specific financial programs targeted to building owners to help mitigate the costs of renovation. The first program is the Heritage Façade Rehabilitation Program which provides up to 50% of the cost to repairs, restore or enhance the façade of the building. Owners can receive up to a maximum of $50,000 per principal facade. The other program is the Heritage Building Rehabilitation Program which provides property tax exemption for up to ten years for structural and foundation repairs, seismic upgrades and façade rehabilitation. For further information on either program please visit: http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/planning/heritage/incentives.htm

In New York they have the Main Street Program. This is a state funded program to help communities revitalize their downtown areas by helping with building renovations, streetscape enhancements and downtown business or cultural anchors. It is a competitive process which has a maximum of $200,000 per recipient. New York State has completed four grant cycles and during this period they have awarded $33 million in grants to over 130 different communities with in the state. The program appears to have wide spread support because it not only addresses preservation of older buildings its also trying to renovate buildings that have been left to deteriorate back into vibrant and viable commercial and residential properties. A full write up on the program and communities that have received the funding call be located at: http://www.nymainstreet.org/index.php

The final program I reviewed was in the City of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania. They have an Office of Economic Development and this office is to help businesses through technical assistance and financial programs. They have a number of programs aimed at helping businesses with their buildings and in an effort to ensure the economic vitality of the city. They have the Fund for Revitalization and Economic Development (FRED) program and one aspect of that program provides for low interest “gap” financing to remove slum and blight. They have a Façade Program to help provide low interest loans to business to restore storefronts and facades. They have a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program to help businesses with taxes for new construction and rehabilitation projects. They have Enterprise Zone Incentives which provides tax credits for a number of different things but one being that businesses make qualified investments in rehabilitating, expanding or improving their buildings. They final program is they have the Bethlehem Loan Program which like many of the others has many different allowable uses but again it can be used to help businesses with their properties and renovations. A more in-depth on the City of Bethlehem’s Office of Economic Development can be located at: http://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/econ_dev/

Based upon the research I found a community plan summary for Grays Harbor. This report was done by Barney and Worth Inc. and it looked at thirty-five plan documents from different communities within the area on past and current economic development effort. It covers a wide range of topics from area transportation, to business development to education. Unfortunately the information didn’t provide the status of each plan but it might be a venue to shape the conversation on how to create a partnership between public and private entities regarding the restoration of buildings and the areas that surround them to not only draw businesses to the area but also the much need customer base. The community plans summary can be found at: http://graysharbor2020.com/planning.html

There are many different public and private partnerships being taken up around the U.S. to improve deteriorating buildings and communities. These were only a few examples of projects that I found in my research but I believe they showcase the many unique and innovative approaches there are to the subject. They all had in common one goal which was to restore a sense of community and pride through investments to improve and restore private and public buildings.

Restoration Resources

Outline

Raen — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:43:50 CDT

Opening
Grays Harbor

Projects Underway or Complete

Morck Hotel
DNR
Hoquaim Aquatic Center

Potential Projects

Old Safeway/Lavogue Department Store
Elma Theatre

Research

Laura

Carla

Conclusion

Rough Draft

Raen — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:33:25 CDT

Our work in progress:

Use this page to add text, tables, photos, and attachments related to your project.

The renovations and recycling of buildings should be accompanied by historical markers and information about the property. Most of the young people in our communities have no idea about what has happened right where they have grown up. People don't remember that Heron Street use to be a redlight district and that during WWII the South Aberdeen bridge had a Gunnery Station to protect it's harbors. Our infamous past, major shipping port and a prosperious logging industry make Grays Harbor a culturally rich area. Oregon does a wonderful job with historical markers along the coast. Each significant or interesting event or building is marked to inform visitors of what happened years ago, right where they stand today. Local families could educate their children on Sunday drives or stop to take a look at the newly renovated buildings creating awareness and ownership of their own communities. Through historical sites and buildings, community members recalling days gone by, and citizens sharing stories and experiences, all will help bring about a resurgence of pride.

Tourists stop at the buildings, attend a play at the Elma Theatre, D&R or the Mork hotel and leave with a visual memory of amazing buildings and the history that goes along with it. Recalling a town or community they visited on a trip and sharing that history with a family member or friend will generate a buzz increasing interest to visit our area. Grays Harbor County is working hard to build economic development and growth. Hopefully with bright future and strongly represented past Grays Harbor County can transform not only industry and buildings, but a sense of pride. Brenda

The Morck Hotel and the D & R Theater
The Morck Hotel and the D & R Theater are two historical sites that I can not wait to see fixed up and operating again. The Morck used to be a very fancy Hotel and restaurant in her day and now the new owner also wants to have little shops in with the hotel. This would be a great commons for people not only visit but to see how the hotel used to look in 1924. This would also include Doormen , Bell hops and waitresses wearing kilts.

John Yonich is going to bring back the D & R Theater as it was in the 1920s-era. He wants to be able to have the theater hold live concert style events. Along with this he wants to set up a miniature sized Pike Place Market along side the D & R. This would bring back a commons area that Aberdeen has lost and is now in hopes of getting back.

Connie

Carla is it OK If I cut and paste your attachment in to this document? --Kari
Most definately Kari -- please feel free to cut and paste whatever works from my information.

Since I do not live in the Grays Harbor area I posed the question if I could do research on what is happening around the US in public and private partnerships in restoring buildings. Attached is my write up on what I found as well as the 2020 planning being created for Grays Harbor. It's attached at the bottom of the page. Carla looks like good stuff there Carla see blurb below on how to get it worked into main text wasn't sure how to word an intro sentence for this work

Title Here :)How about "The Commons Which Unite Us"

Grays Harbor provides visitors a wonderful gateway to our coastal community. The local history of the area can not be missed as a traveler arrives at the city limits with the welcoming Rotary log building and waterfront park. Along the way there is a variety of statues and sculptures that remind us of our rich timber history and we have a panoramic view of the fishing industry from the bridges. Sadly, the buildings in our community do not reflect the pride we take in our community. From the wilting General Store in Oakville, to the lemon eyesore of the Morck hotel in downtown Aberdeen and the now nearly condemned Elma Theater, there is a need for our aging buildings to either undergo massive reconstruction or demolition. A few of the local buildings are so rich in local history that community members may feel strongly attached to them almost like members of their family. And some of the community movie theaters are rare historical gems that reflect the beauty and grace of a time when people gathered in a common area.

This is an excellent opening paragraph. I can't wait to see what Stacy has put together for the Elma Theater. I grew up in Elma and still reside there. The Elma Theater (once was Graham theater) has definitly lost its luster. Even in the late 80s and early 90s the theater would be packed on movie nights. It was the place to be and now. If productions are still being done, nobody knows about them. It would be great to find a way to get the citizens more involved in restoring the old buildings in this county. Darcy

The two pieces of property that would be nice to see recycled are the old Safeway building and the LaVogue Department store. They are adjacent properties located in downtown Hoquiam, on Simpson Avenue. The department store is in the process of closing. It is owned by the Bitar Family of Hoquiam. The bicycle shop in one portion of the building is still open and there are offices above the store. The old Safeway building is owned by Mark Swanson a local businessman. When it came up for sale several years ago it was purchased by the Swanson brothers so that another grocery chain could not go in and bring competition to their business which is located two blocks from the site. The Safeway building is currently for rent. The Swanson brothers were very supportive of the new YMCA project.
One idea for utilizing these buildings is an art commons. The vision includes an area where musicians could gather and play unamplified music, a pottery area with kilns, a silver smith/metal working area, fly tying, spinning yarn and knitting, painting, poetry reading and writing, and a coffee area for socializing. There could be a room for meetings, demonstration and lessons. Local artists could mentor new artist. This would bring people together and promote artistic growth in our community there are many craftsman in our area. The commons could be supported by membership much like the YMCA. Grants could be written to get some need repairs and restroom facilities. There could be a gift shop for artists to place their work and a portion of the profit could go to the commons. This venture would also bring people to the down town area and could possibly support an art store, the 7th street theater and local restaurants.

The historically renovated Hoquiam library is just 2 blocks away. The library has meeting rooms that could support activities such as author hours, book signings and writing workshops. Also within walking distance is the former Eagles building. It has recently been renovated and is ready for a restaurant and shops. There is a walking path behind these buildings that is a loop that circles the two bridges and connects these buildings with the farmers market and the Eighth street landing. It would be a great place to meet with friends.

When transforming buildings and areas in a community it's important to remember they belong to the community. With the ownership comes challenges regarding what should be changes or renovated. Take for instance the process to purchase the old Hoquiam Auquatic Center. Much thought, planning and public relations are needed to help smooth the transition. It's important to include fostering support and acceptance of the changes within the community. Sometimes people are so unsure of any change they would rather see a building stand vacant and useless than used for something they don't believe in.
Brenda

Safeway store in Hoquiam.

The Safeway store and parking lot next to LaVogue's.

Hoquiam Aquatic Center

The Hoquiam Aquatic Center was purchased three years ago by a private enterprise. The pool was in not in good condition and could no longer be used as a community pool. There is a business occupying the upstairs balcony area. How to best use the pool space is the question. Because of the extra high ceilings and after consultation with experts, it appears the best way to heat the area is to install radiant heat in the floor before the cement is poured. Existing natural gas boilers can be used to provide heat for the radiant floor. Access to the main space is via a twelve by fourteen foot roll up door in the rear of the building. This newly installed door allows for large trucks and trailers for deliveries and shipments.

The main floor also includes two locker rooms complete with bathrooms and showers. A lobby and entryway are additional besides the stairway. Two storage rooms and a small laundry room complete the main floor area. The second floor is only accessible by the stairway. There is over eight thousand square feet on the main floor and an additional three thousand square feet on the second floor.

It is located centrally in the downtown corridor of Hoquiam.

The question now is what is a good use of the space. Would it be a good area to develop for community activities? Warehouse storage? Business development? Expansion for growth of the current business that occupies the building? Roller rink?

This is the former aquatic center from the street side showing the front entrance.

This is the pool that is filled in with rock and topped with dirt. It has not yet been covered with cement. The plan is to install radiant heat in the floor. It is too costly to heat from the top because the ceilings are twenty two feet high.

The second story balcony meeting room overlooks the pool area. The big green pipes are the air circulating ductwork.

Intro sentence for the work that Carla did and has attached to the bottom of the page goes here ? What do you think? Or perhaps after the Elma Theater piece below ?

Elma Theater

Cool info on Elma Theater here :)

It's complete and attached at the bottom - I couldn't get it to cut/paste and format correctly. Sorry I'm techno challenged. Stacy

Restoration Resources

Project Schedule

Raen — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:21:31 CDT

Project due date: March 22,2008

Progress tracker: Rae Ann (I volunteer to track progress)

Milestone:	Date due:	Date completed:
1.Brainstorming	March 12, 2008	March 14, 2008
2.Research	March 16, 2008
3.Rough Draft	March 20, 2008
4.Final Project	March 22,2008
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

See also: The Assignment | Research | Rough Draft | Team Members

Wiki Tip:
Did you know you can add Excel spreadsheets and PDF attachments to any page? Click "Add an attachment" from the Page Toolbox.

Group Project

ksable — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:23:56 CDT

Our Collaboration Wiki

We've got a project to finish, and this site is a central point to keep track of our goals, the project schedule, and our work in progress. Add pages as necessary, brainstorm on the wiki "whiteboard" page, and use the person-to-person messaging feature to keep in touch with team members.

The Assignment	Project Schedule	Brainstorming
Drafts	Research	Team Members

Tips for Building Your Wiki:

Rename your home page to describe your project, then lock your home page
Encourage contribution: Write a "task list" for new pages.
Invite all group members to help out! (Click on "Invite others" in the Page Toolbox)
Use person-to-person messages to stay connected and to send updates, reminders, etc.

Need more? Add graphics and flourishes that match your wiki design (they're free from Paint Splatters)

The Assignment

Raen — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:42:54 CST

Project description:
The focus of this quarter has been on developing technological tools that allow us to work better in what we do. For the 12-credit project, I'd like to push those ideas a little further, and to put some of the principles in practice. Most of the examples of new tools we're reading about (in Everything is Miscellaneous, We are Smarter than Me) are from the private sector. I'm interested in how these tools could be used in the public sphere. So here's the idea: I'd like 12-credit students to collaborate on a document that explores possible civic applications of these new ways of collecting, analyzing, and distributing knowledge.
I'll be setting up a wiki page for you to use. I imagine that there might be a few stages to the process. For example, you might want a wiki page to brainstorm ideas and bring in a range of examples. Then, you might want a new wiki to explore a subset of the examples in more depth. Finally, you may want a final page to assemble the final document. I'll leave the final title up to the group, but I think something like: "Crowdsourcing in Government," or "Improving Government through Convergent Technologies" would be appropriate.

Goals:

Deadline:

See also: Brainstorming | Team Members | Project Schedule

Leadership in Action - Recently Updated Pages

Project: Grays Harbor Restoration

Restoration Ideas

Brainstorming

Our Wiki Whiteboard

Brainstorming Topic #2:

Resources

Research Out Side of Grays Harbor

Restoration Ideas in Grays Harbor

Team Members

Research

Web Sites We Used:

Printed Resources:

Projects Underway or Complete

Tom's Take

Outline

Rough Draft

Our work in progress:

Project Schedule

Project due date: March 22,2008

Progress tracker: Rae Ann (I volunteer to track progress)

Group Project

Our Collaboration Wiki

The Assignment

Project Schedule

Brainstorming

Drafts

Research

Team Members

The Assignment

Goals:

Deadline: