11.07.01

Senator Maria Cantwell Introduces Bill to Preserve the Fort Vancouver National Historic Reserve

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today introduced legislation that will reauthorize federal participation in the historic preservation efforts of the Vancouver Barracks at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Reserve, one of the most historically significant sites in the Pacific Northwest.

"The Fort Vancouver National Historical Reserve is an important part of our history," Cantwell said. "This legislation will enable the federal government to continue contributing to the preservation effort."

The Fort Vancouver Historic Reserve is rich in cultural and historic national significance dating from before the arrival of Lewis and Clark through the mid-20th century. For more than 10,000 years, Native American groups inhabited the prairies along the Columbia River that include the site of present-day Vancouver and the historic reserve.

"The preservation of this site, which is near the heart of Vancouver, will be a boost for the local economy. It will draw more people and business back to the city," Cantwell said. "It is important both historically and economically to preserve these structures that have such a rich and lengthy history."

Last year, Congress authorized the transfer of the 16 buildings that comprise the West Barracks to the City of Vancouver, and the project partners have devised a Cooperative Management Plan that identifies $40 million in necessary spending to replace failing infrastructure and rehabilitate the 16 buildings to the Secretary's standards under the National Historic Preservation Act. The Cooperative Management Plan for the Historic Reserve calls for the Barracks to be reused for historic preservation, education, and other forms of public use.

The federal government, the State of Washington and the City of Vancouver have committed significant resources to this project in recent years, and the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust has initiated aggressive efforts to raise funds quickly.

"Senator Murray and I are working hard to obtain the critical federal dollars needed to preserve the Vancouver Barracks, and this legislation will allow us to take the next step at the federal level," Cantwell concluded.