Coker, Partch respond to remodel criticism

In response to what they called “word on the street” criticism about Whitman County’s new elections office on Main Street, Commissioner Greg Partch and Auditor Eunice Coker Tuesday sent an open letter to Gazette readers.

“We have been asked to share some acccurate infomation concerning our remodeled county elections building as it seems some have questions and/or concerns about remodeling a building during theses difficult times,” they wrote.

Crews are completing a remodel of the county-owned building at Main and Island streets that last housed Greg’s Electric. The county’s emergency management and maintenance departments use a portion of the building as their shops.

Both Coker and Partch said they issued the letter after hearing from Treasurer Robert Lothspeich that he had overhead criticism about the project over the weekend.

Coker said she was told by Lothspeich that citizens questioned how the county could afford to remodel the building given its current budget deficit.

In the letter, the two explain why the remodel was done and how funding was acquired.

Because of space constraints, elections officials processed ballots in the county vault. State officials in a 2007 review of the elections office said that area did not provide adequate security for ballots.

“Over the past eight years or more the State has repeatedly asked that we provide adequate space for elections and for public access to observe the elections process without, however, providing any funds to accomplish this,” they wrote.

In 2006, Coker was awarded a $360,000 federal grant under the Help America Vote Act. She originally acquired the grant to put a new elevator in the 1955-vintage courthouse.

The grant was awarded, but because the elevator would not be primarily used by voters, the federal government said the county could not use the grant to replace the elevator.

Through a series of meetings over the subsequent years, the county was approved by the feds to use the money to remodel the Main and Island building, which the county purchased from Harrison Electric in 1999.

As part of the grant award, the county was required to pay a portion of the remodel cost. The county used funding from the county’s real estate excise tax proceeds. Coker and Partch noted those funds “can only be used for county infrastructure improvement.”

They noted no property tax revenues or funding from the county’s current expense fund were used on the project.

“We hope by sharing this information you can understand the process and draw your own conclusions as to whether or not this was the best use of taxpayer dollars,” they wrote. “We believe it was, and hope that you all will come check it out at our ribbon cutting/open house.”

County officials and Michael Beaman, the architect for the project, are currently reviewing the work done by contractor James Elmer Construction, Spokane. Coker said the building still needs to be wired for internet and phone service.

Coker said county elections staff is now working on the February election. Once that is finished, they will begin the move. She anticipated the elections department will be ready to occupy the building in late-February or early-March.