Public records officer serving county well

EPHRATA — Melissa McKnight started in September as Grant County's public records officer, with high hopes of always getting people the information they want, quickly.

To do so, she often studies the state's Public Records Act.

And she tries to familiarize herself with the courthouse's various document storage rooms, where shelves and floors are piled high with boxes, books and stacks of papers.

The public records officer is tasked with managing all of these public records, for the 22 offices and departments of Grant County government, ensuring appropriate disclosure and retention.

Grant County Commissioner Richard Stevens said McKnight, who spent 15 years working in the district court clerk's office, serves the county well as the much-needed, point-of-contact person for members of the public.

"She's trying to get all (the records) they need and not more than they need," Stevens said. "She's very proactive with the job, she enjoys it and it shows."

Grant County Auditor Bill Varney said McKnight's work saves his office time.

"If I get a request for information now, I just bring it to her and let her handle it," Varney said.

Those outside the courthouse appreciate McKnight's efforts, too.

"Melissa, you're my hero," a reporter for the Seattle Times wrote to McKnight in February. "I work with a lot of counties in my job, and you've got to be one of the most helpful public records officers I've found."

McKnight chalks it all up to having an enjoyable and interesting job.

She occasionally finds what she calls "old treasures," such as a Dec. 5, 1916, letter to the former county prosecutor from a relative in Minnesota.

"Dear Cousin, … wondering what to send Grandma Jeffers for Christmas, when it suddenly came to me why not all of we grandchildren go together and get her something," the letter states.

The writer recommends a nice, warm bath robe.

"There are so few things she cares for any more, I'm sure she would have loads of comfort out of the robe … given her by her 13 grandchildren … we can get a nice robe for about $5, making each one's share 40 cents. If … you couldn't spare 40 cents, just send what you can."

It's not all old treasures, the job is also challenging, she said.

There's a lot that needs doing, when it comes to Grant County's records.

On Friday, McKnight traveled down a small, old courthouse elevator, the one some employees are afraid to use, fearing it may strand its occupants between floors.

This time, the elevator stops where requested, leaving McKnight at the basement, a dimly lit, concrete-floored area she calls "The Dungeon."

In the dungeon, the amount of work ahead of McKnight is unmistakable. Boxes, piles of paper and shelves contain mountains of one-of-a-kind documents.

A few of the old documents can be destroyed, but many must be kept. Those kept must be imaged, for electronic storage.

Backups need to be produced so records are never lost or destroyed, as they were when the courthouse was flooded in the 1940s.

McKnight says she has no idea what's contained in some of the dusty old boxes. She must open them up and read the contents, page by page, to find out.

It could take 10 years, McKnight said, to organize and modernize the county's entire public-records system.

"I like that I can look back at the end of the day and see the progress being made," she said.