Suomi Hall grant

The applicant contact for Friends of Suomi Hall thanked the commission for the opportunity to further the restoration.

Described community enthusiasm, visits from Finns seeking tours, and upcoming phases including new windows and a reliable elevator.

President of the Lower Columbia Preservation Society detailed years of volunteer fundraising — auctions, markets, prune tarts — and said the grant puts the project over the finish line.

Spoke about the hall's legacy of supporting immigrants and praised the group's hard work earning the match.