Palouse Arts Council plans to depart Grange building

Palouse’s Grange Hall building will officially close Aug. 1. The Palouse Arts Council made the decision to close the hall after they decided the price to buy the building was too high. One more wedding has been booked at the building before it closes.

The council has maintained the building for the past eight years, and sought to buy it in order to apply for grant funds to upgrade the building.

Washington State Grange legally owns the building. The arts council made several offers to buy it, but said each of their offers was turned down.

“They are just not budging. We didn’t want to leave,” said Sandra Schorzman, Arts Council treasurer.

Schorzman pointed out the building needs repairs to the roof, furnace and drainage system.

The council’s first offer was $5,000 in the fall of 2010 and in December 2010 they offered $20,000. The state Grange initially sought $140,000 and its last quote was $70,000.

State Grange property manager Terry Hunt said in an interview with the Gazette that he did not yet know what they will do with the building after the arts council departs.

“We’ll probably market the building and property but I don’t know that as of yet. There’s been some interest,” Hunt said.

He added the Grange hired a professional appraisal of the building and property which came in much higher than the $70,000 they offered to the Arts Council

Hunt said they will make a decision on the future of the building in the next 60 days.

The building was home for the Palouse Grange which turned the building over to the Palouse Arts Council eight years ago.

The council used the building as a site for community dances, shows, weddings and other events.

Palouse Grange members turned the building over to the council because the membership roll had declined to a point where they could not maintain the building, according to Richard Gamet, a past master of the Palouse Grange. He said between five and 10 members were participating in Grange meetings at the time they decided to turn the building over to the Arts Council.

Gamet credited the arts group with doing a good job of keeping up the building. They were responsible for keeping up maintenance and paying taxes, heating and other operational costs.

“They kept the building in a condition where people could continue to use it,” Gamet said.

Palouse Grange 177 still holds its charter, although the membership has dwindled over the years with the passing of many long-time members.

Gamet said the present building was constructed after World War II and actually served as the third site for meetings of Palouse Grange 177.