Agenda - 03-01-2005-8b - Laserfiche WebLink

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Please provide a short summary of the project within the space provided: Orange County, including Hillsborough and Chapel Hill, and many private individuals /entities throughout the county have a substantial number' of historical documents, artifacts, photographs, etc. which are not currently accessible to anyone due to the lack of appropriate space/ facility in which to display /house them, This Heritage Center project is to construct a facility which houses and safeguards these items, and allows the to access these historical materials. Please provide a more detailed description and rationale for the project within the space provided: Orange County has many valuable, even irreplaceable, historical records.. Currently, these records are scattered and poorly maintained.. To preserve and consolidate these records and make them available for citizen use, an Orange County Heritage Center is proposed. Currently, collections exist in the North Carolina Room (apart of the Orange County Public Library), the Burwell School (records of the Historic Hillsborough Society), and the Orange County Historical Museum. Most of the records held by the last tluee organizations are not catalogued nor are they readily accessible to researchers. Standard conservation practices are not in place. The North Carolina Room holds census records and family histories in bound volumes, on micorfilm, in filing cabinets, in periodical and maps. These materials are catalogued and available for use on site. A volunteer who is awell-trained genealogist donates one day a week to assist patrons.. The material with a computer, a copier, and two microfilm readers is stored in a cramped 360 square foot room. Additional space is needed for shelving and for public and staff workspace. A new or expanded facility could acconunodate all these important records. The facility should include secure records storage under proper enviromnental conditions, workroom space, a public research area, and space for necessary equipment -- computers, micorform reader /printers and copiers.. The County's 2004 Library Services Task Force Task Force suggested that the space also provide meeting room(s) with a small kitchen attached, small auditorium for symposiums and speakers, opportunities for artists to display, and security including lockers for visitors' bags. Approximately $120,000 is available from a private trust fiord dedicated to supporting the North Carolina Room collection and could be used for a new or expanded facility. Other than this source, the only current or planned funding, other than any potential federal funds, is Orange County government. Estimated needs for staffing include $80,000 for 2 FTE staff and capital costs as follows: Renovation /New Construction at $125 / sq. fl. for 7,000 sq feet $875,000 Shelving $ 55,000 Furnihire /Equipment Costs $ 68,000 Total Estimated Project Cost $998,000 Please attach an itemized budget for the project including the total ~roiect cost all current funding sources, and all olamred fimdinu sources along with any additional materials necessary to explain the project. Contact Susan Howard (202-225-1784• Susan howardnmail.house.eov) if you have any questions.