June 2024 Update

Valued Members of the Renton Historical Society:

We appreciate that many of you have understandable questions and concerns about the recent news of the separation between the Renton Historical Society and the City of Renton. We hear those concerns and take them most seriously. We apologize for the delay in communication. The Board of Directors of Renton Historical Society has been working diligently to obtain the clarity needed to provide you with a meaningful update. 

Below is a brief review of the historical arrangement between the City of Renton (hereafter City), the Renton History Museum (hereafter Museum) and the Renton Historical Society (hereafter RHS).

The City and RHS have been partners in the development of the Museum since it first opened in an old fire station in the Renton Highlands in the early 1970’s. Historically, the City provided two salaries for a Museum Director and a part-time Museum Assistant, as well as a floor of basic operating support. This included computer hardware and software, building and yard maintenance, basic printing, and mail services. RHS funded mission-related expenses. This included costs associated with funding exhibits, programs, publications, events, care for the collections and more. RHS also funded two positions, the Curator and the Volunteer and Education Coordinator (or sometimes Public Engagement Coordinator). As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Society has received grants in the past that served to support the Museum which were otherwise not available to the City.

In 2005, the City and RHS signed a Museum Management Agreement (MMA) memorializing that arrangement. It expired in 2015, but continued to guide the relationship until 2022, when discussions resumed regarding the next version of the MMA.

The City has grown significantly throughout the course of the aforementioned relationship, and in that time has developed more clearly defined rules surrounding its ability to collaborate with third party organizations. Most noteworthy is the fact that the City cannot provide financial or logistical support to any outside organization. This includes nonprofits like RHS. As a result of this change of City policy, RHS is now expected to manage its own administrative, financial and fundraising efforts. 

This transition is expected to take time, as RHS volunteer Board members must develop infrastructure and systems to manage RHS nonprofit efforts in a way that aligns with RHS bylaws and applicable City, State, and Federal law. No official deadline was set originally, however, there is now the expectation that RHS immediately transition all such operations.

In the interest of full transparency, it should be acknowledged that in recent years there have been a number of significant communication issues and conflicts between the City and RHS. Tension and confusion over responsibilities, direction and the strategies behind the restructuring of the relationship culminated into a need for a more expedited separation.

The process of separating administrative tasks has just begun, and the details are still being worked out. The RHS Board of Directors has been in active communication with the recently appointed Parks and Recreation Administrator, Maryjane Van Cleave, who holds the authority to make decisions that relate to the relationship between the City and RHS.

In an effort to honor the City’s stated goal of separation of administrative and logistical operations, the Board of Directors has taken the following steps.

  1. Made significant effort to build and strengthen positive and productive lines of communication with the City.
  2. Secured office space at the Renton ReadySpaces.
    1. Office Number 7 at 801 SW 16th Ave Suite 115, Renton, WA 98057
  3. Ensured RHS leadership can still be reached at a new phone number.
    1. (425) 473-0411
  4. Ensured RHS leadership can be reached at a new email address.
    1. info@rentonhistory.org
  5. Taken action on the development of a new logo and more functional website where Board minutes, financial disclosures, artifact information and upcoming events will be made public. 
    1. www.rentonhistory.org

RHS remains a 501(c)(3) non-profit and therefore donations will continue to be tax-deductible. Thanks to the faithful and generous support of RHS Members and others, RHS’s current financial condition is sound. We will be able to fund the creation of infrastructure and systems required to execute this separation.

Your membership with RHS will continue to grant you access to the Museum for the duration of that membership, as agreed on by the City. It has been repeatedly communicated to the Board of RHS that the City is willing and open to resuming a partnership with the Society in the future once this separation is finalized. Over the course of the next year, the City plans to renovate portions of the Museum, and during this time RHS will complete the transition. It is expected at this time that the relationship between the Museum and RHS will resume as a mutually beneficial partnership in early 2025.

We will strive to keep our members updated with significant developments. We invite you to connect with us via email at info@rentonhistory.org if you would like to work with us on a volunteer basis as we develop Renton Historical Society over the next year.

Sincerely, 

Your Dedicated Renton Historical Society Board of Directors