Friends Of The Roeder Home

This page contains the final Roeder Home Task Force report. To see the old page with updates and developments, click here.The appendix to the report as a PDF file is here.

Picture of Roeder Home

The Executive Task Force on the Roeder Home

Final Report Pete Kremen's Response

Summary

The County Executive and County Council have indicated that they would like the cultural arts programs and events at the Roeder Home to continue but that there is little or no money available for the County to fund the staff and programs at this time. In response the County Executive appointed a task force to examine ways in which the programs could be restarted. The charge to the Task Force was to identify ways that the Roeder Home can be better utilized for a variety of activities and to recommend alternatives for sustainable program delivery. To this end, the Task Force has provided recommendations for long-term management and for immediate implementation. The Task Force began meetings on January 12, 2009 and completed this final report on March 23, 2009.

The Task Force believes that given the opportunity the people in Whatcom County will support the kinds of the activities and access that The Roeder Home and its programs has had successfully for more than thirty years. The report contains both the values identified by the Task Force used to guide its discussions, and the assumptions used to develop its recommendations. The Task Force recognizes that with the right approach to generating interest in the Roeder Home, creating awareness of the possibilities for programs, and providing an understanding of what has worked in the past, potential partners will step forward to manage programs.

Two approaches to identifying a County partner are examined in this report and the advantages of each are described. The two include working with an existing nonprofit arts organization or a new nonprofit organization. However, before a decision is made by the County of its preferred approach, the Task Force describes and recommends a period of time during which public meetings can be held in order to identify awareness, interest and leaders.

In addition to the primary recommendation alternatives, the Task Force forwarded two interim recommendations to the County Executive in February. Those are described in the report and included in their entirety in the report appendix. The Task Force also encourages the County make sure that there is sufficient staff time available to assist the process of identifying a long-term partner and the necessary staff and funds for ongoing care and maintenance. The report suggests too that some subsidy may be required before the programs, rentals, and events reach sustainability.

The report and its appendix includes information on the history of programs, budgets, information on guidelines for operating in an historic home and other information that can be useful to an individual or organization preparing their management proposals to the County.

The Task Force members appreciate the opportunity to share their ideas and experience and hope that this report and its recommendations will be useful to the County.

The Executive Task Force on the Roeder Home

Summary Pete Kremen's Response

Final Report

March 23, 2009

SECTION I: INTRODUCTION

In response to budget reductions to the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department and the subsequent elimination of staff and programs at the Roeder Home, in December 2008 County Executive Pete Kremen created a Task Force to:

  1. Identify methods and opportunities to better utilize the Roeder home for programs, events, public use and the arts.
  2. Identify alternative strategies and models for program delivery that may be applicable.
  3. Identify a strategy to fund program and operation costs on a sustainable long-term basis in light of future budget restraints and limited County resources.
  4. Make a recommendation to the County Executive.

The Task Force members began weekly meetings in January 2009 and were given until March 27, 2009 to prepare their recommendations. The Task Force members consisted of: Flip Breskin, Mollie Faulkner, Christine Kendall, Gary Reid, Richard Scholtz, Wendy Setter, and George Thomas. Also participating were Mike McFarlane, Whatcom Parks and Recreation Director and Rob Bunnett, Recreation and Senior Services Manager.

The process of developing the recommendations consisted of discussions, brainstorming, input from community members, and research into possible models. In looking at possible approaches for restarting former crafts, visual arts, music, exhibits, and other events-inclusively described as cultural programs-the Task Force discussed and agreed that the following values should guide the future utilization of the historic Roeder Home:

In formulating the recommendations the following assumptions were made by the Task Force:

  1. Whatcom County does not have the resources to fully support the cultural programs at this time but does want the programs to occur.
  2. Future programs and uses, including the broad range of cultural arts and rentals, would best be created and managed by a nonprofit organization or coalition of nonprofit organizations through a public/private partnership.
  3. Whatcom County would enter into a lease/management agreement with a new or existing nonprofit organization after suitable screening sometime in 2009.
  4. Whatcom County would continue to be responsible for the staff and costs associated with maintaining the grounds and exterior of the Roeder Home.
  5. Any costs and revenues associated with rentals, classes, events or other cultural activities would be assumed by the selected nonprofit organization.
  6. The County may need to support through staff time and Roeder Home use several public meetings organized to generate interest, support, and to provide information to individuals or groups expressing interest in administering and managing future activities in the Roeder Home.
  7. The selected managing organization can have limited office space within the Roeder Home.
  8. There is demonstrated support in the community for continuing or recreating the cultural arts programs both in terms of volunteers and financial contributions.

The time allocated for recommendations to the County Executive limits the response of the Task Force. Task Force members recognize that they cannot provide a complete operating plan or business plan but can provide a conceptual approach to future use of the Roeder Home. This means additional steps need to be taken before the County can begin to implement a selection process for a nonprofit managing organization, if it decides to adopt any of the recommendations offered by the Task Force. It should be noted that some of the Task Force members have offered to put in additional time in developing a process for generating awareness and interest in the opportunity to manage Roeder Home programs.

Public interest around the time of the County budget hearings showed that many people value the Roeder Home and the programs that have taken place there for many years. They would like to see those programs continue and were happy that the Council and Executive also support that position.

It is important to note that the Task Force has not conducted any public outreach to test the interest of organizations or individuals who might want to form a partnership with the County for the continuing of activities at the Roeder Home. At the same time, no groups or individuals have contacted the Task Force or County Parks to express interest in taking over the management of programming at the Roeder Home.

In addition to the recommendations for long-term management of the Roeder Home, two interim recommendations were forwarded to the County Executive. Since there has been no response to the two interim recommendations they are included in the appendix.

SECTION II: PROGRAM HISTORY

THE ROEDER HOME CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAM HISTORY

Prepared by Mollie Faulkner

A. IN THE BEGINNING:

1971: Mrs. Keyes gave the Roeder Home to the people of Whatcom County to use and enjoy. Ken Hertz was Park Director; he hired me under a 1 year PEP program grant. His words to me were “take your time, there is no budget, find some furniture so the house can be rented and devise a program that would compliment its historic nature.”

B. RECREATION:

Recreation programs should nourish mental health as well as physical health, so the Cultural arts are a very important part of our well being. I felt the Roeder Home should be a gathering place for artists, musicians and writers to share their knowledge and creative ability with others who could not get this exposure and support anywhere else.

With the Park Director and Park Board’s support I encouraged people to come in have some tea or coffee and learn about the classes we offered. It provided a welcome to people who might otherwise have been apprehensive about taking an Art class.

The many enlightened creative ideas happened in the Roeder Home around the kitchen table with a quite diverse collection of people.

C. RECENT HISTORY

I spent time with Mrs. Keyes and Phoebe Townley, (Victor Roeder's’ granddaughter) recording the two families’ history and finding out where all the furniture went. Phoebe had several of the carpets, which she gave back to the house.

I contacted the library and they started a children’s story time, a volunteer taught a yoga class, since there were rugs on the floor to sit on.

Oak tables, chairs and a roll top desk from the old courthouse had been relegated to the county garage. With these and other donated furniture the refurnished house was ready to be rented.

The first classes that people paid for were spinning and quilting, they had historical significance and were not being taught anywhere else. Both crafts started a revival. We had numerous exhibits and they became popular throughout the county.

D. CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAM

1972: My job became permanent. I worked with a history student from Western Washington University to get the house listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also I received help with cataloging artifacts at Hovander House, including recipes of Mrs. Hovander that were brought together in a recipe book in 1973. Recreation students interested in the Cultural arts did internships with me. The classes grew for children and adults. The basement rooms were improved with storage space, benches, easels and equipment. Drawing painting, weaving and photography and jewelry were added. Classes were held mornings and evenings, four days a week. Workshops were held several times a year bringing in specialist teachers from other areas.

Monthly Folk music concerts started on Wednesday evenings with many famous musicians making a stop at the Roeder Home on their west coast tours. Music circles followed in between.

The second floor gallery held monthly exhibits. Many successful local artists had their first show there.

The first “Business of Art Workshop” in the State was held in 1975. The final session involved the formation of Allied Arts. This was important because programs were being encouraged in the other County Parks and my time for arts advocacy was limited.

The Boardwalk and shelters had been finished at Point Roberts. Since there were no major juried Arts and Crafts Fairs north of Anacortes, Point Roberts Lighthouse Marine Park was a good location. The event was conceived and developed out of the Roeder Home. The festival ran for 12 years and has since been taken over by the Point Roberts community.

The Roeder Home instructors and myself developed a weeklong arts workshop held at Silver Lake Park for Adults and children. Families could go and camp and take classes.

Hovander Park was home to an International Folk Dance Festival for eight years also conceived at the Roeder Home, with encouragement from the Parks director and the cultural arts program.

Western Recreation department provided most of the help, plus numerous volunteers. The only paid help I had was in the summer months.

The Christmas show was started initially to give exposure for the Roeder Home instructors to show their work and promote our programs. It has since grown into a major holiday festival.

Whatcom County in Bloom was started when there was no extra funding to start new programs. The nurseries always supported it.

This just touches the surface of the Cultural Activities held at the Roeder Home for the last 38 years.

SECTION III. RECOMMENDATIONS

Prepared by Gary Reid and Richard Scholtz

A. RECOMMENDATION

The Task Force recognizes that Whatcom County is facing a very difficult financial situation. Our goal is to imagine a path to a sustainable cultural program at the Roeder Home. Our recommendation is that the cultural program be administered by a community-based partner to the County.

While the County would continue to have some financial obligation for the maintenance and upkeep of the house and grounds, the long-term desire is that the cultural program would be supported by a mix of user fees, donations and volunteers with no County money required. This may change as the County's resources change and may be influenced by evolving community needs.

At this point, no organization has been identified to be the community partner. There may be a group that already exists that is willing to take this on, or it may require the creation of a new group with the specific focus of Roeder Home programming.

In either case, the same financial situation that is creating problems for the County will be a problem for the partnering organization.

Both the County Executive and the County Council have indicated that they would like to see the cultural program at the Roeder Home continue.

The Task Force must acknowledge that it is very unlikely that the partnering organization will be able to raise enough money in the first year to support the creation and implementation of a new cultural program at the Roeder Home. It may well take two or three years for the program to become established enough for it to stand on its own.

The County must be prepared to help by subsidizing some of the costs in the first few years. A feasible goal is reducing County support each year and achieving a self-sustaining program by year four.

A staff person should be identified to be the County’s contact with the group or groups to provide information as needed. The staff person needs to have the time available for assistance and negotiation that could take as much as a .25 FTE over several months. It is important that the designated staff person recognize and support the need to develop positive and productive relationships with the individuals involved in an interested group or groups.

It appears at this time that the care and maintenance of the Roeder Home is not provided for in the 2009 Parks budget. The Task Force suggests that the County find a way to fund regular care and utility costs especially in this transitional period between the County operation of the Roeder Home and the selection of a community partner organization.

B. PARTNERING WITH AN EXISTING OR NEW NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

The most likely public/private partnership will be between the County and a non-profit organization. Any partnership will require a non-profit organization with the specific focused mission of creating and administering a cultural arts program consistent with the tradition of programming at the Roeder Home and to bringing new life, energy, programs and rentals into the building in a way that respects the historical importance of the structure.

The administration of the Roeder Home must be cost effective to entice a non-profit organization to take on the added responsibilities, staffing, and costs.

There is a priority placed on keeping as much public access as possible and at the Roeder Home and the managing organization should be encouraged to use no more administrative office space than has been used in the past.

If the non-profit organization controls the revenues and programming, it will be highly motivated to make the programs successful and add programming as the opportunity arises. It is also advantageous to the non-profit organization to involve as many people, organizations, and volunteers as feasible to increase revenues and reach its cultural goals.

C. ADVANTAGES OF AN EXISTING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

The advantage of an existing non-profit organization becoming the administrator of the programs at the Roeder Home is that it has an existing administrative structure, including paid staff, a Board of Directors, accounting functions and fundraising experience.

It will have in place aspects of the necessary programming, volunteering, and funding to administer the Roeder Home. It would only have to add additional hours to its staffing to support additional programs and expenses unique to the Roeder Home.

D. ADVANTAGES OF A NEW NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

It would take some time for a new organization to take shape, but once created, its single mission of sustaining the Roeder Home programs would facilitate fundraising and the creation of budget priorities. It will take time to build a new organization that has leadership that is willing and able to put in the effort to make it work. Public relations activities would be unambiguous and that focus might facilitate a public understanding of the value of the Roeder Home in our community. Staffing priorities would be simple.

In order to build public awareness, interest and support, it may be necessary to set up an initial temporary steering committee that would begin an organizational development process. They would take on task of creating the mission statement and preparing a business plan.

This interim committee would need the freedom to identify and establish their own coalitions. A new organization should grow out of community interest rather than being a creation of Whatcom County government. It is unlikely, but possible that more than one group would coalesce to explore creating a new organization.

Possible sources of steering committee members weould be some of the members from this Task Force with the addition of some people who have roots in the neighborhoods and schools that are near the Roeder Home. There are many people who live in the County who have a love of the Roeder Home and it is important that they are also welcomed into conversations about sustaining the program. Along with people active in the arts or historical societies, we believe the base can be broadened by looking to neighborhood associations, and educators, including PTAs, home schoolers, and school administrators.

The County can support this community effort by making the Roeder Home available to the steering committee for free for their organizational meetings. An information packet should be created by County Parks staff which includes budgets for the past 5 years and detailed program history. Since it seems inevitable and necessary for this group to negotiate it’s own working relationship with the County, the County should make clear how its part of that process will be done and who is responsible for those negotiations.

SECTION IV. DESCRIPTION OF MANAGING ORGANIZATION RELATIONSHIP WITH COUNTY

Prepared by Mike McFarlane, Christine Kendall and Wendy Setter

A. WHATCOM COUNTY REQUIREMENTS

The determining factor for the relationship with County is by what is proposed and approved in an agreement for services. A contract such as a lease, operating and management agreement, contract for services, memorandum of understanding, or even a combination of these is executed. It is a mutual agreement of what the County's legal staff advises and what an organization wants to provide.

Some items are not negotiable such as the responsibility of the County's Risk Manager establishing the minimum insurance requirements, the need for an indemnification and hold harmless statement, and term limits. There are also a number of other items such as special permits, leasehold tax requirements, and auditing that also come into play.

The process is set in motion with a call for proposals and/or qualifications. This is the "Request for Proposals/Qualifications (RFP/RFQ)” in which the County essentially advertises what it is looking for or desires. Once proposals are received, they are evaluated and sometimes the parties are interviewed or required to make a second or more formal presentation. If a proposal is selected, then a contract agreement is negotiated with the Parks & Recreation Department taking the lead. Both County Administration and its legal staff need to review and approve all agreements. Often the governing board or other parties’ legal counsel has a process they need to follow before they can approve the agreement. Once that is completed, it is signed by all parties and forwarded to the County Council for approval. Once it receives Council approval, the Executive will need to sign the contract before it can be implemented.

The Recreation and Senior Services Manager would be the primary contact on a day-to-day basis for any group or organization operating the home. The Parks & Recreation Department would generally oversee and manage or enforce the contract or agreement(s).

It is the intention of Whatcom County Parks & Recreation to continue to maintain the structures and provide landscape maintenance for this property.

There would be some advertising available to organizations through the Whatcom County Parks WebPages, publicity in the Leisure Guide, and Whatcom County Parks & Recreation brochures and publications. Conversely, any program management of the home would include Whatcom County Parks & Recreation in their advertising.

There is always the possibility of additional financing through the County to support Roeder Home activities if requested, or grant opportunities for Parks and Recreation that may be applicable.

B. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR A HISTORIC HOME

As a property on the National Register of Historic Places, the Roeder Home will have specific contractual agreements for program managers. An agreement with the County will contain stipulations for care of the house regarding the stewardship necessary to maintain the historical integrity of this unique cultural resource. In drawing up a lease agreement, the Program managers must be willing to work closely with the county and consider the impacts their uses may have. This is not a lease agreement to enter into without the ability to uphold all terms and conditions of the lease.

A pamphlet on Roeder Home Rental Information (updated 1/20/06) covers specifics on the use of alcohol, damage and cleanup agreements, and the Roeder Home Rules. (See attached document). These rules require consideration for the structures, property, and neighborhood.

C. HISTORY OF REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE OF THE ROEDER HOME

In 1971 Whatcom County was deeded the Roeder Home and Horn House properties situated on seven lots at 2600 Sunset Drive for public park purposes. Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department took over the maintenance and upkeep of the buildings, garage, and grounds at that time. For the past 38 years, Whatcom County Parks has demonstrated careful stewardship of the property and preservation of the structures. This care and maintenance included placing it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 in recognition of the importance of the Roeder Home to the community and its historical significance to Whatcom County residents and visitors.

The care and maintenance given to this property is evident in the interior and exterior of the buildings where craftsmanship of original architectural features and fixtures are unique and irreplaceable.

Improvements to the property do not detract from original workmanship, but have included, for safety and preservation, electrical upgrades and conversion of two main floor wood fireplaces to gas. Walls have been repainted, floors refinished, and insulation installed in an energy upgrade. An IT upgrade for phone lines is in place.

For compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, in 1997 installation of a wheel chair lift at the back of the house with drive up access was completed. In 2008, the house received a new roof, which maintained the metal ridgeline with distinctive end caps on the house. This project uncovered areas of dry rot, which were repaired. A complete landscape upgrade on the sweeping property now includes a picnic table and a donated bench for public use.

SECTION V. CONCLUSION

Within Whatcom County there has been a significant history of community support for its cultural icons and the wide range of activities, programs, and venues they represent. There are many examples of situations where local government has not found it feasible to undertake capital repairs, maintenance or continued staffing of historic properties and their programs. In these examples community leadership has emerged and has undertaken the development of organizations, funding and programs. The Task Force believes it is possible for that to happen in the case of the Roeder Home. It is in this spirit that the several recommendations of:

  1. Interim rental rates for all-volunteer community-based interest groups, and;
  2. Interim utilization of volunteers to provide minimal open hours for the Roeder Home until such time that a community partner is operating programs in the Roeder Home, and;
  3. Supporting, with staff time, a public awareness process that encourages community members to step forward and support the Roeder Home, and most importantly;
  4. Identification of a community partner to work closely with Whatcom County government in reestablishing the broad range of programs and uses of the Roeder Home that have occurred there in the past as well as creating new activities that will result in sustaining support for the programs.

Outreach will be required to find community partners. It is possible that all of that will be self-generated by some of the same people who have participated in the Task Force. Success in creating a working partnership with a community group will be much more likely if the County also puts resources into outreach and collaboration at the different stages of identification, negotiation and agreements with a community partner.

The Task Force members recognize that there is not a great depth of detail in the recommendations offered for consideration. There is perhaps not as much substance as the County Executive or Council hoped for. If there were more time, then a business plan would have been developed and potential leadership for a community partner identified. Understanding this, the Task Force members have described a process that could yield the additional information and depth of community interest that would be useful to the County.

The Task Force members also recognize that caring for and operating such a valuable historic structure as the Roeder Home for the benefit of the whole community is not a task to be undertaken lightly, and thus encourages as much sharing of information, models, and requirements as possible with potential partners.

This report and its recommendations are a result of much discussion, candor, and significant compromise among the Task Force members. In the beginning and still to some extent there is a range of opinion on the role of the County with a partner, what kind of organization that would make the best partner, and how best to use the Roeder Home. Even so, there is a consensus that with the right partnership between the County and a nonprofit organization the Roeder Home can again play an important role in the cultural life of the community.

Pete Kremen's Response To The Report

Summary Final Report

March 24, 2009

Dear Flip:

I have received and read the committee’s report and recommendations. Thank you for your time and efforts in serving on the Roeder Home Task Force.

Although Whatcom County is facing one of its most serious and challenging budget periods in recent years, I remain committed to keeping the Roeder Home open and available for public use. The Home is currently available for the public to use for social events, weddings, meetings, classes and similar activities. I can assure you that the Parks and Recreation Department will continue to maintain and care for the building and grounds.

I welcome community involvement in forming or utilizing an existing non-profit organization to assist in future program delivery and I will have staff help to facilitate this process when possible. Understandably this may require some time to develop. Please be assured that we will give prompt and due consideration to all proposals received. Our Recreation and Senior Services Manager will be available to assist in this process.

As an interim measure, I have asked the Parks and Recreation Department staff to implement on a trial basis and within the current budget limitations, a docent program which will enable the home to be open during certain weekdays for tours, programs and other events. This will also allow groups that offer cultural arts programs, classes and concerts, consistent with the goals and objectives of the home and which are free and open to the public, to use the facility at a greatly reduced rate or at no cost. The County will continue to utilize the services of the Whatcom Volunteer Center to help develop support for this program.

The County Council has adopted a fee schedule for use of the Home which is both reasonable and consistent with similar facilities within the community. Both Council and the Park Commission will review rates later this year and consider any changes in fees at that time within the context of the 2010 budget.

I genuinely appreciate your participation and hard work on behalf of the citizens of Whatcom County.

Sincerely,

 

Pete Kremen
County Executive