Sean C. Morgan
The Wilderness Village Committee is continuing its work to develop a museum component to the Santiam Commons project.
The Santiam Commons is proposed for the former Willamette Industries Sweet Home Mill site, off 24th Avenue and Tamarack Street. The land is held under the Western States Land Reliance Trust. Dan Desler is the managing trustee.
The project is associated with the development of the 750-acre Santiam River Club development, being planned by Troy Cummins and partners.
The Wilderness Village Committee met Wednesday night to talk about the museum. Desler plans to work with the committee to incorporate the museum. He has talked about placing pieces of historic logging equipment throughout the commons project.
When three of Willamette’s old buildings burned last year, the Wilderness Village began seeking a building, Chairman Dick Knowles said. The committee discussed the idea of running a pathway through the commons and placing kiosks, including audio and visual features, around it with information and photos recognizing the 15 or so mills that operated in the area. Along the pathway, the committee could place the historic equipment.
The committee still needs a building for storage and a place where people could visit.
The committee is working with a moving target as the commons project changes in the planning stages, Knowles said. “(Desler’s) been more than generous. He sees us as being part of his structure.”
Coming up, the committee will update its bylaws, something it is required to do annually.