Snohomish County Councilmember Brian Sullivan will be presenting the Community Heritage Program's 2009 Project Application at Tuesday's (June 16) meeting of the Snohomish County Historic Preservation Commission (SCHPC). "This county is brimming with a profound and rich history," said Councilmember Sullivan, "Accepting applications that support the preservation of our history is a valuable tool for our county." The County Council passed an ordinance in May creating the Community Heritage Program (CHP). The CHP is facilitated by the SCHPC and provides resources to assist in the collection, preservation and interpretation of Snohomish County's heritage. The CHP is funded with a portion of document recording fees collected by the Snohomish County Auditor.
While serving in the State Legislature, Councilmember Sullivan helped to create the legislation that designated a share of the document recording fee to promote historical preservation. "It is very rewarding to see this come full circle," said Councilmember Sullivan, "The purpose of these funds was always to support heritage within our community and this application release brings us one step closer to achieving that goal."
Non-profit and for-profit entities that can demonstrate their project has a clear heritage focus relating to the county are encouraged to apply. Application eligibility requirements also include demonstrating the project will increase the public's access to local history and provide a clearly defined product.
Application fund requests may range from $1,000 to $25,000 and the estimated amount of funds to be allocated in 2009 is $45,000. The application process will be conducted on an annual basis and the revenues accrue to a dedicated county fund and may not be used for any other purpose. "Snohomish County citizens can be assured 100 percent of these funds will go towards historic preservation," said Councilmember Sullivan, "This is a longstanding priority for me." Project sponsors selected for funding will be required to match the County's funds at a dollar-for-dollar rate. The application deadline for 2009 is August 10th.
Please visit http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/ and search 'Community Heritage Program' for a complete application and application guidelines.
CONTACT:
Sharie Freemantle
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