The Fort Steilacoom Park barns preservation project is below budget and ahead of schedule noted Rep. Mike Carrell, R-Lakewood, and the first phase to stabilize the barn, after 30 years of neglect and decay, will be completed today.
“Korsmo Construction is scheduled to finish pulling the Red Barn straight and stabilizing the building on Friday,” said Carrell. “The barn was in great danger of collapsing and the work Korsmo has done clearly has fixed this problem.”
He continued: “It’s a huge step forward – and this after years of effort to protect and preserve the park. I stopped efforts by the State Senate four years ago to sell off the property. Today, there is a cooperative agreement between the county and state allowing the county to lease the property for the next 100 years.
“I am grateful for the work Korsmo has done. Not only have they successfully stabilized the barn, they have also done it for a fraction of the estimated cost. This leaves more funds for the other preservation work that still needs to be done.
“Fort Steilacoom is an important part of Pierce County history – and it has been my pleasure to work cooperatively with Pierce County, the City of Lakewood and Korsmo to preserve this piece of our local heritage. “It is my hope that this part of our past being preserved for the future is used for community events.”