Residents urge council to preserve East Benton County Historical Museum as visitors, volunteers dispute proposed reduction

Dozens of residents urged the Kennewick City Council on July 7 to preserve the East Benton County Historical Museum and its collections, warning that a proposed reduction in exhibition space would constrain exhibits, storage and public access.

"The 771 figure cited earlier does not accurately reflect our actual visitor traffic," Misty Ayers said, noting the museum's records showed more than 600 visitors as of late June and about 900 visitors last year. Ayers told the council that reducing the museum to roughly 3,500 square feet would "severely constrain our capacity to exhibit collections and provide storage."

Other speakers argued the museum provides research access and irreplaceable artifacts. Warren Hughes, who has attended numerous planning meetings, said the city can partner with downtown organizations to "keep our tax money local" and improve efficiency for events and services. A volunteer who identified themself as a museum graduate highlighted a donated Maxey floor the volunteer said had been appraised in the 1980s at $1,000,000 and asked how such artifacts would be protected during demolition or relocation. "Be cautious, be conscientious, and certainly not destroy history that's going to be irreparable or irreplaceable," the volunteer said.

Speakers who gave their names and cities included Warren Hughes (Kennewick), Ken Hahn (Kennewick), Mike Luzzo (Kennewick), Courtney Ayre (Pasco, native of Kennewick), Cindy Solis (Washougal) and Kyle Ryan (West Richland). Their remarks focused on visitation counts, the value of physical artifacts and the museum's role as a community memory anchor. Several speakers noted the museum's archives and the need for truck/garage access to move large artifacts.

Councilmember Trumbo and others later reported they had toured the museum and storage areas; Trumbo said the basement storage appeared adequate but agreed that the museum is "in limited space" and recommended greater emphasis on the building's historic features. No formal council action to alter the museum was taken at the meeting.

City Clerk Crystal Johnson told attendees that written comments related to the Independence Day after-action report and related materials would be accepted until 3 p.m. on July 14 and would be distributed to council in advance of the workshop. The council did not vote on the museum's future at this meeting; several members referenced upcoming workshop follow-ups and tours as the review process continues.

Why it matters: Residents framed the museum not only as a tourism or attendance metric but as a local repository of artifacts and research materials that speakers said cannot be fully replicated online. Councilmembers acknowledged space constraints and told speakers the matter will receive further attention in future workshops.