Multiple members of the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission found out that the city council will consider merging their board with the Chehalis Planning Commission through a newspaper article.
The Chehalis City Council heard a proposal during its Aug. 25 meeting on a potential ordinance that would merge the two commissions into one planning and historic preservation commission. City staff cited a lack of interested applicants and workload for the historic preservation commission, but commissioners, who volunteer their time, disagreed with those statements. After the council voted to authorize staff to put together an ordinance on Aug. 25, the matter was not included in the Sept. 8 agenda nor the Sept. 22 agenda. Community Development Director Celest Wilder, who presented the idea to the council, estimates that the matter will be presented again Oct. 13 due to scheduling conflicts.
Jo Kuehner, chair of the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission, said in her long career that she has never been fired, but upon hearing the news of the planned consolidation, she said she felt fired for the first time.
“I’d never even heard of it. It’s never been discussed. It’s never been thought about,” Kuehner said of the consolidation idea. “It was just so unprofessional. It’s no way to treat volunteers. It wasn’t just me; it was also the other people on the commission. It’s shocking to me in a way that they didn’t have the courtesy to pick up the phone and call.”
Members of the planning commission have also expressed surprise at the idea to merge with the historic preservation commission. Chair Melissa Cox said she doesn't understand how the two committees are comparable and how a merger would impact the roles of the volunteers.
"From what I know of the historic commission, they're dealing with historic preservation, marketing and things that reflect the community. Yet our commissions sits there and goes through zoning code," Cox said. "I don't see how a person that is passionate about historic preservation or being a part of the artistic part of the community would want to sit through zoning codes. I don't understand how you could put the two together."
Casey Forsman, another member of the historic preservation commission, also expressed shock and concern upon hearing the proposed merger. Forsman, who has served on the historic preservation commission for over two years, wrote an email to each member of the city council Sept. 9.
“Before this action becomes some sort of fait accompli, I appeal to you to consider possibilities instead of dissolving this committee, which has been in place for at least 30 years, if not longer,” Forsman said. “I am now seeking to preserve the preservation committee.”
Forsman said the council or city staff did not respond to the email. In the email, she called out the community development department, which she said has had five directors within her two years of service on the commission.
“It is evident that no one in this position has been interested in stewarding this committee, which is part of the job description for this position,” Forsman wrote. “We have not had a single workshop, and many projects that should have been presented to us weren’t.”
Wilder told The Chronicle that she was simply following city procedure by first informing the city council and getting its approval to explore the idea further. The mayor interviews candidates for both commissions, and the council appoints them. She also said that while she does have interest in stewarding the committee, she has to consider the best interests of the city and the council.
“The first step is to reach out to the council, not to reach out to the commission,” Wilder said. “Being a steward of the position is part of what I do. There is absolute interest in that, but my interest also has to be how to responsibly do this efficiently because I also have to look at what our fiscal responsibility is.”
City Manager Stacy Denham concurred in a statement to The Chronicle, saying the city has “nothing to hide” and that it is prioritizing efficiency, staff time and taxpayers’ money. Ultimately, he said, it’s up to the city council to decide whether to move forward with the consolidation.
During her presentation to the council last month, Wilder said the historic preservation commission has three unfilled seats, while the planning commission has one official vacancy and “chronic absenteeism” in another seat.
“When we have meetings where we can’t even reach a quorum, things can’t be discussed,” she said Friday. “Rather than having two partially staffed commissions where it’s a constant struggle to have consistency on the commissions, let’s look at the option of having one combined, fully staffed commission. This is just an option at this point. It’s nothing set in stone.”
Kuehner said the claim regarding the historic preservation commission’s lack of consistency is false and that the vacancies are not obstructing the commission as it still carries a quorum. She also disagreed with the city’s assessment that applicants are hard to come by. She told the story of a friend who was interested in applying to fill a seat on the commission but was left in the dust by the city.
“She got interviewed, and at the time, there were three openings. She was called and told that she was on the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission,” Kuehner said. “She was really excited. Later in the day, they said, ‘Oops, we’re sorry, but we had too many people apply.’ She was embarrassed. I mentioned it to the mayor, and he said to have her reapply. Why would she need to reapply? She already applied and had already been interviewed.”
Kuehner and Forsman both said they would not want to stay on the commission if a merger is approved by the city council, although Kuehner said she would be open to help the merger take place if it moves forward. Forsman isn’t as willing to support the idea.
“There are two separate committees with seven people on each. The planning commission has a completely, entirely different focus than we do. I don’t think we need to do it this way,” she said. “I think we could meet quarterly, for instance, or be called on as the demand presents itself. We could be on call. I don’t think we need to disband this and merge it with a group that, again, doesn’t do anything historical in nature.”
To read more about the proposed consolidation, visit https://tinyurl.com/m2nzm42y.
