The Plateau is receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars for various non-profits, businesses, and cities to support heritage, the arts, capital projects, and operation costs.
4Culture, King County’s grant service for everything from public arts to science and tech, announced Dec. 11 that $165 million was recently provided to King County cultural organizations. This money was raised through a Doors Open sales tax of 0.1% that was approved by voters in 2023.
The tax is expected to generate around $700 million over seven years.
The Plateau (and its borderlands) may be only receiving a small portion of that $165 million, but it could be a huge boon for local organizations that have struggled to find funding.
Nine local organizations are receiving about $1,618,400 — some for one-time projects, and others for three years of operations.
“I am glad to see investments in Southeast King County organizations and projects, an area that is often overlooked by the County,” said Reagan Dunn, Vice Chair of the King County Council. “These organizations bring life to our local community and work to preserve the unique culture and history of the region. My office is working hard to build connections across District 9 and highlight opportunities for investments.”
Receiving sustained support for the next three years is Arts Alive! ($52,000 total), the Cascade Foothills Chorale ($55,500), the Enumclaw Plateau ($76,600) and Black Diamond ($81,300) historical societies, the Neely Mansion Association ($105,000), and the city of Enumclaw ($132,000).
And receiving a one-time grant award for various capital projects are the Enumclaw Historical Society ($32,600) to restore the original look of their museum building and increase display space; the Black Diamond Historical Society ($11,800) to restore the railroad depot’s unfinished basement; the Neely Mansion Association ($140,000) to paint the inside and outside of the historical mansion; the Enumclaw Expo Center ($264,000) to expand rodeo arena seating; and the Sacred Land Collective ($613,000).
“I feel very fortunate to partner Enumclaw Expo Center with 4-Culture. As the oldest fair in Washington State, the Enumclaw Expo Center (formerly King County Fairgrounds) plays a significant role in showcasing agricultural heritage and community traditions. Improvements ensure the site continues to honor this legacy while adapting to growth and new opportunities,” Expo Center Director Rene Popke said in an email. “Receiving that grant dollars will help enhance the guest experience and support economic growth by attracting more events increasing visitors who spend on local lodging, dining, and shopping.”
Alina Hibbs, Enumclaw’s Parks and Rec Department director, said the increase in funding will not only support current events like the annual Easter Egg Hunt, the summer concert series, and night markets, but help the city start new events like art walks.
“These funds enable us to promote the creation, preservation, and enjoyment of arts, heritage, and cultural experiences which ultimately results in a vibrant local community,” she continued, adding that the most important thing detail with this funding is that it keeps all the city’s events free to the public.
And Rich Elfers, president of the Enumclaw Historical Society, said that the improvements they aim to make to the building will help them in their mission of teaching locals about the storied history of Enumclaw by increasing display and storage space.
“The better educated the Enumclaw public is about its own local history through stories, artifacts, and displays, the tighter the connections we will have to bind us together as a community,” he said.
The Sacred Land Collective did not respond by print deadline to their planned use of the funds.
