KRIS BASSETT RETIRES

Kris Bassett, projects coordinator for the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center and staff to the City of Wenatchee’s Historic Preservation Board and Wenatchee Arts Commission, has announced that she will retire on December 31 Bassett has been with the museum since 1993, and started her career with the city in 1987 as administrative assistant to the director of the Public Works Department. Bassett has maintained the Wenatchee Register of Historic Places for more than 200 listed commercial and residential properties, working with property owners and the Board on the special valuation tax program. Property owners have reinvested $11,872,337 in historic properties since the program began in 1994. In addition, the City of Wenatchee has been awarded six grants written by Bassett from the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. Projects funded by the grants include creation of Wenatchee’s Grandview and Downtown historic districts and restoration the city’s damaged historic fire station tower. She has been a resource for other communities in North Central Washington, advocating for historic preservation and providing guidance in design, zoning and comprehensive planning. Bassett also has served as staff to the Wenatchee Arts Commission, interfacing with the arts community and administering the City of Wenatchee’s 1% for Arts Fund. She has overseen all public art projects in the city, maintained collection records, and helped develop the green-belt area at the north end of Wenatchee. Special projects that Bassett has coordinated for the museum include creating three years of exhibit displays at SeaTac Airport (apple industry, wheat industry and NCW aviation history); contributing to historic displays on the state’s Wenatchee ferry boat, dedicated in 1997; building enhancements at the Wenatchee Riverfront Railway; restoration of the Civil War cannon in Memorial Park; planning the Millennium Street Clock Plaza in Centennial Park; overseeing the brick street restoration project on Palouse and Orondo streets; and replacing historic walking tour signs in downtown Wenatchee. She served as a longtime member of the Wenatchee Downtown Associate Design Committee, and as a representative on the city’s Neighborhood Assistance Committee. The Wenatchee Valley Museum will host a farewell reception for Bassett on Friday, Dec. 18, from 5 to 7 p.m.  Beginning in January, the city’s historic preservation program will be administered through the City of Wenatchee Community Development Department. Museum director Brenda Abney will serve as liaison to the Wenatchee Arts Commission.