Title
Willamette Falls Legacy Project and Willamette Falls Trust Grant Agreement
Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Approval of the Willamette Falls Legacy Project and Willamette Falls Trust Grant Agreement
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The agreement between the Willamette Falls Legacy Project and Willamette Falls Trust lapsed and a formalized agreement is needed to support the work the Trust has been performing at the request of the Partners. The agreement was identified as one of the next steps at the May 12th City Commission Work Session. The agreement is valid until June 30, 2022.
BACKGROUND:
In 2011, the 23 acre Blue Heron Paper Mill at the edge of the falls closed, creating an opportunity for Oregon City, Metro, Clackamas County, and the State of Oregon to form a partnership (the Partners) to honor and reimagine the Willamette Falls Legacy Project (WFLP) site. The Partners formed a non-profit which was subsequently renamed Willamette Falls Trust (WFT) in 2015 to support the project in ways which the other government agencies were unable to.
The agreement between the Partners and WFT lapsed and a formalized agreement is needed to support the work the Trust has been performing at the request of the Partners. As the project has evolved, the tasks the Partners have asked the Trust to perform on their behalf have expanded to reflect the advancement in the design of the riverwalk. The proposed agreement acknowledges the following:
•• Community Engagement. The Trust will continue to conduct site tours, donor prospecting, leadership recruitment, and other events.
• Fundraising. The Trust has raised over $7 million to date towards the riverwalk. The agreement includes an additional minimum of $5,912,939 when the project meets specific criteria.
• Defining Expectations for World Class Programming. WFT will continue to lead initial planning for active programming of the riverwalk for the Legacy Project. WFT will continue to define the scope of “world class” active programming and articulate design requirements. This will also establish the baseline for determining programming feasibility and may include recommending organizational relationships to deliver “world class” active programming. The programming planning will include approaches and recommendations for curating narratives and options for scaling programming in conjunction with completion and opening of each phase of the riverwalk. In addition, WFT will continue to collaborate with indigenous people and affected tribes to understand how they may be included in future programming of the riverwalk. Once the general vision for programming is further defined, Oregon City is expected to add further refinement and clarity at a later date.
• Design input. WFT will continue to participate in the design of Phase 1 of the riverwalk to ensure the physical design does not preclude future programming and interpretation opportunities.
• Organizational Governance, The agreement acknowledges a variety of minimum for the WFT organization ranging from a business plan, leadership status to records.
• Attendance at Events & Meetings. The Trust will continue to be invited to attending events and regular project meetings.
• Communications. The agreement includes protocols for communication and collaboration of messaging.
The agreement also includes responsibilities for the Partners such as extending an invitation to events, communication on the project status, and minimal funding.
The agreement was identified as one of the next steps at the May 12th City Commission Work Session where a briefing of the project was provided to the Commission. The term of expires on June 30, 2021. The term of this Agreement may be extended for up to two 1 year periods. The agreement will require signature by each Partner prior to execution.
OPTIONS:
1. Approve grant agreement
2. Do not approve grant agreement
BUDGET IMPACT:
Amount: $50,000 per Year
FY(s): 2019-20 and 2020-21
Funding Source: Budgeted from the Willamette Falls Legacy Project