Support Heritage Barn Grant Funding

Funding for the 2017-19 Grant Round

The 2017 legislative session ended without passage of a Capital Budget for the 2017 – 2019 biennium. The Washington Trust remains hopeful that if a Capital Budget does indeed pass this biennium, it will include $515,000 in funds to continue the Heritage Barn Grant Program. These funds would enable the state’s Heritage Barn Grant Program to continue, and would be distributed as matching grants to owners of designated Heritage Barns across the state to assist with rehabilitation projects. Thanks to all who contacted your legislative members in support of this program!

Both the State Senate and House of Representatives will are likely to continue negotiations throughout the summer related to the Capital Budget in March. It is not too late to contact your state legislators and ask them to include funding for the Heritage Barn Program in the budget!

Please contact your state legislators and ask them to include $515,000 in the Capital Budget. It is especially important to contact legislators on the fiscal committees in both the House and the Senate. Please refer to the following list of committee members – if your legislator sits on one of these committees, please contact them with a request to support the barn grant program:

House Capital Budget Committee

Key Committee Members:

• Rep. Steve Tharinger (24th), Chair
• Rep. Beth Dogli (17th), Vice Chair
• Rep. Strom Peterson (21st), Vice Chair
• Rep. Richard DeBolt (20th), Ranking Minority Member
• Rep. Norma Smith (10th), Assistant Ranking Minority Member

Senate Ways & Means Committee

Key Committee Members:

• Sen. Jim Honeyford (15th), Capital Budget Chair
• Sen. David Frockt (46th), Asst. Ranking, Capital Budget

Please contact your State Legislators today!

House Email Addresses

Senate Email Addresses

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Sample Email Text:

Since 2007, matching grants through the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation’s Heritage Barn Preservation Program have worked to preserve 83 historic barns across the state. These iconic structures represent the working, agricultural heritage of our state and many remain an important part of active farming operations.

As an advocate for preservation of historic barns, I respectfully request that the final Capital Budget includes $515,000 to continue the Barn Grant Program in the 2017-19 Biennium. Please support funding for this program in the Capital Budget and preserve more historic barns across Washington.

Thank You

Note: Please do not hesitate to customize this message!

At present, there are 687 designated Heritage Barns in Washington State. Continued funding for the grant program would result in even more of these wonderful buildings being preserved for future generations.

Additional information can be found on the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation Heritage Barn Register website and on the Heritage Barn Fact Sheet.