Historic preservation committee looking to the future; meeting Saturday in Bayview on archaeological study of old Pend Oreille City

The Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commission has become increasingly energized the past two years in fulfilling its mission to “preserve and promote public awareness of Kootenai County historic properties” according to Robert Singletary, HPC chairman.

“We started our student essay contest on Kootenai County history in 2014 and will be announcing our third annual contest soon,” said Singletary, “We’re also engaged with the State Historic Preservation Office and the University of Idaho in pursuing the second phase of an archaeological study of the site where Pend Oreille City once stood.”

A public meeting addressing this project is scheduled to take place this Saturday, May 7 at the Bayview Community Center, 20298 Perimeter Road in Bayview starting with a coffee-cake social at 9:30 AM. The presentation will start promptly at 10:00 AM and will be followed by an escorted visit to the site, weather permitting.

Singletary noted that, as important as the essay contest and the Pend Oreille City project are in bringing awareness of Kootenai County history to residents and visitors, the HPC faces many other challenges and has made the organizational changes necessary to meet those challenges. The HPC serves as an advisory board to the Board of County Commissioners; it is the BOCC that appoints volunteer members to the seven-member HPC.

The HPC recently formed three action-oriented committees aimed at “working smarter, not harder!” Each committee consists of two HPC members and other volunteers as deemed necessary. The Membership Committee (MC) has been charged to formalize the process for recruiting, screening and making recommendations to the HPC and BOCC regarding candidates seeking appointment to the HPC. “Federal and state directives mandate that at least some HPC members be credentialed in history, archaeology and architecture and we’re fortunate to have such representation on our commission,” Singletary stated, adding “All of our members, regardless of credentials, have the most important requirement for being appointed to the HPC … a passion for preserving our local history.” The MC is also responsible for updating and keeping current the rather voluminous “HPC Orientation Guide,” a copy of which is provided to each newly elected Kootenai County Commissioner and newly appointed HPC member.

The Preservation Actions Committee is already busy in its effort to obtain the funding needed to continue the aforementioned Pend Oreille City project and is in the preliminary stage of developing the county’s historic preservation plan. The PAC has also been designated as the HPC’s primary point of contact for museums and historical societies throughout Kootenai County as well as for anyone thinking about having a “historic property” (building, structure, district, site or object) placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Public Relations Committee was formed to expand the role of the former Student Essay Contest Committee. The PRC’s main challenge is to expand the educational and interpretive program beyond just the essay contest. Another challenge the PRC faces this year is to develop a power-point presentation adaptable to a variety of audiences including schools, community service organizations, chambers of commerce, and others.

For more information about the HPC and/or its committees, e-mail Skip Fuller, PRC Chairman, at diski@live.com.