The Bingen City Council made a strong choice when it decided to put the Gorge Heritage Museum at the top of its landfill account priority list for 2006.
The historic, city-owned building -- built in 1910 as the Community Congregational Church -- deserved to be in the top spot for funding through the Klickitat County Economic Development Authority's landfill grants, as the building's north foundation wall is cracked and sagging and needs to be repaired. The price tag on the fix is being pegged at approximately $40,000.
The city intends to solicit at least two estimates on the repair work, and hopefully some local contractors will step up and provide this estimate at no cost.
The museum building is an attractive and historical one, and it is a unique landmark in the city of Bingen. It also serves a vital purpose: providing a centrally-located home (202 E. Humboldt in Bingen) for the West Klickitat Historical Society's museum.
Repairing the museum has been a bride's-maid for the past three years, always coming in second best when the council has assigned its annual priorities for the funds. The amount of money the county sets aside from the regional landfill for these community projects is limited, and the competition includes communities all over Klickitat County. As a result, it is rare when a second-place priority receives any funds. So in this race, it's first place or nothing.
Ruth Winner, manager of the Gorge Heritage Museum, has dedicated herself to keeping the issue in front of the Bingen City Council. Winner pointed out that funds for repairs to the museum have been requested for the past three years. In October, Winner went to the council meeting and reminded the council members that the museum's basement wall was not going to heal itself and is in ever-increasing need of shoring up. Winner's personal and persistent attention to this worthy cause, and her enthusiasm for the museum, helped the council see the wisdom in making this move now, before the problem gets even worse.
A significant side benefit of this move is that it will pave the way for the building to meet the accessibility requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
As long as the building has its sagging wall, there was no physical way to consider the upgrades needed to meet the ADA directives cannot be started. And in a Catch-22 situation, until the ADA mandates are met, the museum will not qualify for a variety of grants that might otherwise be available.
The Gorge Heritage Museum is a key element in the identity of Bingen and Klickitat County. The displays in the museum celebrate our county and our region, including our logging heritage, our railroads, the development of our communities, the lives of the native Americans who first lived here, and the early pioneers who came here and helped build the area.
The Bingen City Council deserves credit for supporting this important part of our heritage. Hopefully, the Klickitat County Economic Development Authority will provide sufficient funds this year to ensure that the money is available for this important project.
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