Future of potato conference in Moses Lake still in question

County needs to straighten financial records before it can borrow money to improve

fairgrounds

GRANT COUNTY — Tri-Cities event organizers are aggressively seeking to host the Washington State Potato Conference and Trade Show while Grant County may not qualify for funding needed to renovate outgrown Moses Lake area facilities.

Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey said conference and trade show organizers require more office and meeting room space along with more exhibit space, if they are to continue holding their annual conference at the fairgrounds and Big Bend Community College. And they need it all in one location.

"The conference is good advertisement for our community," Covey said, adding that the conference brings a healthy injection of $3 million in estimated revenues to the area every year.

Conference officials also want improved restrooms and water and sewer systems that meet their standards. But, he said, facilities have remained the same and the fairground's septic tank just keeps filling up and needs emptying.

First, he said, Grant County needs to get its financial statements in order, and get into a position where it can borrow funds for capital improvements such as those needed at the fairgrounds. Covey was told recently by commissioners that the county was in no position to borrow money, he said.

In fact, the county received a "disclaimer of opinion" from the Washington State Auditor's Office last year, according to SAO spokesperson Mindy Chambers.

"Our audit could not determine whether their financial statements were correct," Chambers said.

Last year, the county didn't receive a complete audit or an opinion from the SAO because financial statements were not completed in time. This year, Grant County received an extension from May until Dec. 31, in which to complete both its own bookkeeping and receive an audit and official opinion from the SAO.

"That's what we're shooting for," Grant County Auditor Bill Varney said. "They (SAO) told us it's going to cut them tight but they think they can do it."

Grant County will be getting some help this year from accounting firm LeMaster & Daniels to complete its financial statements and bookkeeping, Varney said. If the county can have its portion completed by Oct. 31, he believes two months may be enough time for the SAO to complete the audit work.

Varney and Commission Chair LeRoy Allison said there are good reasons why the county didn't have its financial statements completed on time last year. For one, the accountant who did the work previously retired and the county had a hard time finding a replacement. The county eventually hired someone with no government accounting experience who needed time to be brought up to speed.

Additionally, Emmaline Hoffmeister, with the SAO in Ephrata, said the county had "significant changes to implement" during last year's audit while transitioning into a new audit format and standard.

Varney said the county currently has no debt, but if it wants to borrow money for capital improvements for such undertakings as modern water and sewer systems at the fairgrounds, it's important to have financial statements completed along with an audit and opinion from the SAO.

Which is the cause for Covey's concern.

Moses Lake City Manager Joe Gavinski said that the conference and trade show hosting business is competitive and the city is willing to do what's necessary to keep the potato conference and trade show.

However, communities like the Tri-Cities, which are eager to host the trade show and conference, are also having problems coming up with the necessary facilities.

Washington State Potato Conference officials want to find a host that can host the trade show and education portion of the conference in the same location, said Karen Bonaudi, secretary-treasurer of the potato conference board.

The event has been split between BBCC for the education portion of the conference and the fairgrounds for the trade show, Bonaudi said.

Bonaudi said that the groups in the Tri-Cities have not been able to offer a facility with a centralized location for the event either.

She confirmed that the conference will be held in Moses Lake in February 2006, and said that the conference board has yet to make alternate plans to hold the event in another community in 2007.

But, she said, the conference and trade show may move in 2008.

If it is going to stay in Moses Lake, development of facilities will be needed, she said.