Grants available to residents for barn stabilization and rehab work

Residents who own an old barn in King County may be eligible for matching grants to assist with barn stabilization and rehabilitation projects.

A free workshop on the program is 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at Carnation Library, 4804 Tolt Avenue, Carnation, hosted by the King County Historic Preservation Program and the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

Chris Moore, Field Director with the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, will be available to answer questions, discuss the process for completing program documents and provide assistance with participating in this valuable program.

Owners of historic barns more than 50 years old that retain a significant degree of historic integrity can nominate their barn to be designated as a Heritage Barn and be included in the statewide register. Owners of designated Heritage Barns are also eligible to apply for matching grants that can be used to help with barn stabilization and rehabilitation projects. Nomination forms along with application materials can be downloaded from the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation website at www.dahp.wa.gov.

The next deadline for nominating a barn to the Heritage Barn Register is Sept. 25, with the deadline to submit applications requesting barn rehabilitation grant funds set for Nov. 4, 2009.

For more information about the workshop or the Heritage Barn Preservation Initiative, call Chris Moore at (206) 624-9449 or visit www.wa-trust.org. Information about the King County Historic Preservation Program is available at http://www.kingcounty.gov/exec/bred/historic.aspx