Projects cannot move forward without extensive planning. To that end the PDHC applied for an Avista Foundation Grant of $5000 to defray the cost of hiring Design West Architects to assist in developing a Facility Master Plan. Five PDHC volunteers met with Ned Warnick, Design West, for nine months to devise a strategic plan with an underlying goal to arrive at a completed facility that is self-sustaining and dedicated to the PDHC mission.

 

Moving from the current operating condition, wherein the building and interior spaces have been acquired and are in the process of being stabilized to a fully renovated, occupied, and financially self-sustaining heritage center will require significant capital investment, as well as a cohesive vision for the building usage. Preliminary building condition surveys, and concept designs for building upgrades suggest that the overall investment for the site might amount to as much as $4 million. As it is unlikely that amount of funds will become available in a single package, it is expected that the upgrades to the building will need to occur in phases over time.

 

Through work with PDHC and other entities such as Washington State University’s Rural Communities Design Initiative, preliminary visions were offered and considered. This master plan distills those visions into a realistic, consensus-based plan that can be realized over time in achievable incremental segments – that will eventually and logically lead to a completed facility that will benefit the community for years to come.

 

The guiding principles for the Master Planning group was to keep in mind the railroad focus, stabilizing the building, visible improvements, discreet manageable projects, positive results, and high-quality expectations.

 

In order to finance the initial Stage I improvements, two steps were instituted – grant support and a local donor campaign.