HRC Meeting March 25, 2026

The Historic Resources Commission meeting focused primarily on planning for Historic Preservation Month in May 2026. Bruce reported that he was securing window restoration contractors for the May 30th live event at the Corvallis Museum, describing it as a combination science fair and trade show format. The commission conducted roll call with members expressing their passion for historic resources and stories. They discussed the challenge of confirming tour participants, deciding to divide up the calls among commissioners rather than burden staff. The group debated potential themes for preservation month, ultimately settling on 'Flight of Time' - a phrase that appears on the four faces of the courthouse bell tower. This theme connects to the courthouse being the focus since it's the last year of its current use before the county moves to a new facility. Ann's team from the city of Albany volunteered to handle poster design and marketing, which was gratefully accepted. Gabe provided significant updates on courthouse preservation efforts, announcing that the Board of Commissioners will discuss the courthouse preservation committee on April 7th. He explained plans for an RFQ to hire a contractor for public engagement around courthouse reuse, though this won't be ready by May. The commission discussed collecting courthouse stories from community members as preliminary public engagement. Maria Pollo offered connections to adaptive reuse experts in New York. The group planned a poster session for the May event, with Maria coordinating submissions from professionals and students. Janet and Adrian confirmed their attendance at the Oregon Heritage Conference. Gary updated on a long-delayed driving tour booklet that's been in development for years. Gabe announced the hiring of Bob Richardson as the new community development director and that Jessica Howard won patron of the arts. The meeting concluded with coordination details and Alyssa from Albany offering to share contacts for window restoration experts.