O’Neill says CETC fate a ‘forgone conclusion’

Though the fate of the county-owned CETC building in Colfax has not been officially decided, County Commissioner Pat O’Neill said Monday it was a “foregone conclusion” that the building will be razed.

“I don’t want to see one cent spent on snow removal on that building this year,” O’Neill told his fellow commissioners in a workshop session Monday.

The building sustained serious damage to its roof from a heavy snow load last winter.

“Pat, that’s crazy,” said Commissioner Greg Partch.

He pointed out the county could face a lawsuit if the building collapsed under a snow load and damaged adjoining property.

O’Neill said the county cannot afford extra expenses on the building in the face of a mounting budget deficit.

Commissioners decided earlier this month to shut down the building for the winter after receiving an engineer’s report about the roof and the building’s foundation.

The building will be closed after it is used for display space for Oct. 3 for Colfax Hullabaloo.

O’Neill later told the Gazette the cost of making repairs to the building would not be worth the investment.

The engineer’s survey showed the back 10 feet of the foundation of the building was built on unstable river silt. Future settling from that foundation could increase stress on the support beams of the roof.

Commissioner Michael Largent reminded O’Neill that the engineering survey is not yet complete and said he was hesitant to make a decision now on the building’s fate. He added the county did not yet know what portion of the damage its insurance company would pay.

“Until we get finalized numbers, it’s premature to abandon the building,” he said.

Facilities Manager Bob Reynolds and Public Works Director Mark Storey told commissioners earlier this month the county would likely have to pay to stabilize the foundation, which would be about 60 percent of the estimated $125,000 overall cost of roof and foundation repairs.

The balance is expected to be paid by the county’s insurance company.

Reynolds also reported the county would face further costs of remodeling of the building’s bathrooms to bring them into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.