Grant County commissioners decide not to buy downtown Ephrata building

EPHRATA — Grant County Commissioners approved a budget revision allowing them to buy property adjacent to the Grant County Fairgrounds, but they decided Monday not to purchase a building in downtown Ephrata, which they also had been considering.

The building, at 252 West Division Ave. in Ephrata, was a Washington Mutual and is unoccupied. Grant County Central Services Director Tom Gaines said Tuesday the owner was asking about $595,000 for the structure, but the building was appraised at about $283,000.

County officials planned to use the building to expand the Building and Planning divisions. Gaines said it would require extensive remodeling and parts of it couldn’t be used as county officials intended.

At a Monday meeting with commissioners, Gaines said the owner seemed to be holding firm on the price, and he couldn’t justify recommending the purchase. The Building and Planning divisions need more room, he said. County officials will be looking at other options.

The property adjacent to the fairgrounds is about 60 acres at the intersection of Paxson Drive and Valley Road. County officials sold it to the Moses Lake School District in 2017 as the possible location of a new school. But the district’s plans changed and the land remains undeveloped. County officials are interested in that property if the two sides can reach agreement, he said. County and district officials have had discussions about the property, Gaines said, but so far they are just preliminary discussions.

Commissioners approved a budget revision after a public hearing Monday afternoon, adding spending capacity for $1.2 million. The original budget revision proposal was for $1.7 million, but commissioners deleted the section addressing the Ephrata building.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.