Lacey City Council to talk about new museum project

LACEY –– The Lacey City Council is holding a work session tomorrow at 4 p.m. to further discuss the construction of the Lacey Museum & Civic Center, which is an enhancement of the Lacey Museum that has been in use by the community for more than 40 years. The strategic plan for the construction was approved by the Lacey Historical Commission last August.

The building has been a long-term goal of the city and has been in development for nearly a decade, according to city documents. It will be in the eastern area of the city’s new Depot District near Saint Martin’s University.

Entrances are planned to be visible from Lacey Boulevard and Pacific Avenue, as the museum is located in a residential neighborhood with low visibility.

The museum will “emphasize the importance and value of history in Lacey,” as well as provide the “opportunity for outreach and collaboration with the community regarding a project started a decade ago,” according to city officials. It is expected to bring in around 9,000 to 11,000 visitors annually.

The city gathered survey data on the old facility and the number one improvement visitors desired was more space for the exhibits.

Building this enhanced construction will also allow the museum to serve a much larger population, as the current building does not provide sufficient space for even one regular-sized school group on a field trip. A research room is on the list of amenities the city wants to include, which would allow archival access to around 80,000 images and the recently acquired Olympia Genealogical Society collection.

Trail amenities and parking are already implemented, as well as the depot structure. The placement of the train-themed playground in the coming Fall will mark the completion of Phase 1. The next step, Phase 2, is to develop a finalized site plan and site design by KMB architects. This would bridge into the third phase of preparing the site for construction. Of course, the city will need to create a strategy for separating its construction into phases as funds become available.

The city plans on hosting regular events within the museum upon its completion and having a five-year changing exhibit plan for the new facility.

The museum partnered with a wide range of groups such as the Washington State Historical Society, the Lacey Rotary Club and the BNSF Railway Foundation. Several others have written support letters for the $979,000 Heritage Capital Projects Grant.

The city notes that funding will be a challenge due to the current pandemic, but the city intends on moving forward with the project nonetheless.

For more information you can attend the virtual work session tomorrow at 4 p.m. For information about the meeting and to view the agenda, click here.