The Wallowa County Board of Commissioners gathered for the final time in 2022 at its meeting on Dec. 21. From left are John Hillock, Susan Roberts and Todd Nash.

ENTERPRISE — The possible expansion of the Wallowa County Museum was brought before the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners at its final meeting of the year, Wednesday, Dec. 21.

Tim Funk, chairman of the Friends of the Wallowa County Museum, gave a brief presentation on what’s going on at the museum, housed at the old First Bank of Joseph building in Joseph.

He said he wanted to emphasize that during the past year, the museum installed lighting costing between $7,000 and $10,000.

“As we sit here, we’re in the process of putting in a new heating system at between $15,000 and $20,000,” he said. “All of that is from donations from people here in the community and we really appreciate that.”

But the two-story building built in 1888 is getting full.

“The other thing I wanted to mention was that how many new things are being donated to the museum,” Funk said. “Maybe five years down the road, we should be thinking about somehow expanding our space.”

He said curator Jude Graham also has been getting donations from outside of the county. One example, Funk said, is from a family on the East Coast that has ties to the county.

“If we’re going to expand the museum where it is, we’re going to have to try to get some grants to pay for that,” he said. “We don’t know exactly what that might look like.”

That got the commissioners thinking.

“Is there any idea where that expansion might go?” Commissioner Susan Roberts asked.

“There’s about 2,000 square feet of dirt behind the museum between the building and the alley, but that would be the only place where the museum is currently,” Funk said.

He expressed his appreciation for the support the commissioners have given the museum, but said, “change is inevitable.”

The commissioners agreed the museum is a valuable asset to the county.

“It’s becoming a museum that tells a story rather than a holding place,” Roberts said. “That’s what a museum should do; it should tell a story.”

Commissioner Todd Nash agreed, and expressed his appreciation for those who give their time and efforts to keep the museum going.

“We appreciate the volunteers,” he said. “Wallowa County doesn’t run without volunteers.”