County forwards offer on Pullman health office

Negotiations kicked off Monday in Whitman County’s attempt to purchase the county health department’s Pullman office.

County commissioners signed off on a $94,000 offer to purchase the building in the Professional Mall which it currently leases from the Pullman Regional Hospital Foundation.

Megan Guido, who directs the foundation for the hospital, said Tuesday the foundation wants out of the landlord business.

The health department currently leases the building from the hospital foundation for $1,200 per month. The county pays $28,085 per year in lease and utility costs on the building.

The lease ends July 31.

Commissioner Pat O’Neill, who has taken the lead on negotiating the potential purchase of the building, said his primary objective is ensuring the cost of buying the building will not exceed current lease payments.

He made the $94,000 offer, despite saying the office condo unit was valued at nearly $180,000 in an appraisal five years ago.

“I negotiate tough,” said O’Neill. “It’s the taxpayers’ money, and I want to make sure we don’t pay any more than that.”

Guido declined to comment on the offer, saying the two sides were still in negotiations. She did say the foundation is planning to have the building appraised again before agreeing to a sale price.

County officials last month discussed what would be the best option for the Pullman health office- closing the office or buying the unit from the foundation.

The office, however, serves a majority of people who use Whitman County’s health department.

The Pullman branch also serves the majority of the county’s 550 Women Infants and Children clients. It also administers immunizations, HIV testing and tuberculosis tests.

The office also issues food handler permits, refers clients to doctors and fields waste enforcement complaints.

If the county decided to close its Pullman branch, operations there would likely be moved to the health department’s main office in Colfax.

“That was just not a viable option,” said Commissioner Greg Partch.

After discussing options with Fran Martin, health department director, the commissioners decided it would be best to buy the building and maintain services.

Eight employees staff the Pullman office, four of whom work there full time throughout the week.

If the county does buy the building it would borrow the purchase money from the county’s solid waste fund – a fund dedicated to future upgrades to the county’s landfill facilities. With no major projects planned for the landfill, the fund has become a short-term bank for the county and for local taxing districts.

Whitman County Library this summer borrowed $550,000 from the solid waste fund to pay the up front costs of its current remodeling of the Colfax branch. That money will be repaid when the library is reimbursed its costs from a USDA loan.

The board of the Pullman hospital foundation is slated to discuss the price of the building at its Jan. 20 meeting.