Lacey Museum moves forward with strategic plan 

Progress on the new Lacey Museum and Cultural Center continues as city officials and historical commissioners refine strategic plans and funding initiatives to bring the long-awaited project to life. 

Museum Curator Erin Quinn Valcho highlighted key updates, including plans to clarify institutional terminology and refine long-term objectives, during the Lacey Historical Commission meeting on Wednesday, March 19. 

"We're going to define the locations versus the institution," Valcho explained. "When we say Lacey Museum and Cultural Center, that means the institution and the whole thing." 

The strategic plan update focuses on six primary goals: facility development, program experiences, collections management, funding strategies, community awareness and partnership building.  

Short-term objectives include refining the museum’s exhibit schedule, developing policies for community exhibits and establishing a research center with public access to archival materials.  

Long-term goals include launching a history festival and planning for the museum’s 50th anniversary in 2030-31. 

"We don't have an operations plan yet," Valcho noted. "Some of that depends … on potential funding sources … like a Metropolitan Parks District." 

The next steps include continued strategic planning, with Valcho inviting commissioners to provide additional input and feedback on the draft plan. 

The museum also continues to collect and preserve local historical artifacts, recently accepting a clock and lamp from the Union Mills hotel auction of 1931. 

These developments align with one of the goals of the 2023-32 Lacey Museum Strategic Plan, which focuses on planning and building the new Lacey Museum & Cultural Center.