County to inventory historical collection, seek steward and extend PCC lease; five‑year plan approved for direction

Washington County staff presented a multi‑year plan on Feb. 24 to inventory and manage the county’s historical collection, which was returned to county custody in April 2025. Fred Ramstead, Cartography and Records Division Manager, said the county has owned the collection and partnered historically with a nonprofit steward; the new plan seeks either to find another organization to assume stewardship or to maintain county stewardship with a clearer inventory and facilities plan.

Staff outlined two primary cost categories: personnel (a program coordinator and two AS‑2 administrative specialists proposed in the 2026–27 budget to help complete an estimated five‑year inventory) and internal service/facilities cost‑allocation plan (CAP) charges, which include operations & maintenance at about $23 per square foot and a depreciation allocation for building and equipment replacement.

Ramstead and Laurel (Records/Facilities) said staff evaluated several mitigation options: redeploying existing staff (not feasible given the PCC lease timeline), contracting the inventory (found to be more expensive), moving the collection into long‑term storage (would block public access), or relocating to smaller leased space (not cost‑beneficial given moving and lease costs). They concluded the county should first complete an inventory to understand the collection’s condition, size, and legal encumbrances before issuing an RFP for an outside steward.

Staff also proposed negotiating a new ground lease with Portland Community College that extends the county’s use through the PCC lease horizon (current lease expires June 2028; staff seek to extend to 2038 to allow time for inventory and potential transition). In parallel, Facilities budgeted a Records Center Replacement Feasibility Study to assess long‑term record retention needs (the Records Center currently houses about 13,000 boxes on‑site and 9,000 off‑site).

The board agreed with the three directional questions staff posed: pursue other organizations to assume stewardship, negotiate the PCC ground lease, and proceed with the inventory followed by an RFP after inventory completion. Staff will return with more detailed budget implications and a community engagement plan.