Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
TEKOA — The City of Tekoa has received $12,288 for organizational projects aimed at upgrades through the Local Records Grant Program.
A lengthy application process ended in February, according to Tekoa City Clerk and Treasurer, Eliza Evans-Teague.
“It is a fairly detailed process. They want to see that you have a plan. It’s an organizing records room grant. To do that you need to make sure you have proper shelves, cabinets, environment for archiving records and the ability to implement a better system so you can ultimately manage records better,” she said.
Tekoa will use the funds to replace the shelving in the archive room, hire a part-time employee to manage records and purchase items that will aid in preserving larger archival items.
Evans-Teague states that the shelving currently in use is partially wood. According to state law and regulation, the shelving must be metal.
“Anything you can do to make a records room less flammable is good, too. We didn't have anything like that before and now we will. This helps us serve the public better, too,” she said. “I am excited. We have some really old records here and part of the process is getting it to the records archive so it will be preserved. When things are organized well, it helps everything work better. You would be surprised how often we have to go back into old records. I do a little happy dance even if that makes me a records geek.”
This week, the Washington State Archives announced that $537,759 will be distributed among 27 local government agencies via this program.
The Local Records Grant Program, part of the Office of the Secretary of State, supports local government agencies in improving their technology for records management and better handling public records requests.
Since its inception in 2005, the program has awarded over $4.5 million to various government entities across the state.
Applications for the 2025-26 cycle will open in February 2025.
The Washington State Archives, which has branches in Bellevue, Bellingham, Cheney, Ellensburg, and Olympia, is dedicated to collecting and preserving the state’s historical records and making them accessible to the public.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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