Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Garfield City Council authorized a payment of $5,000 to the town’s Public Development Authority in an effort to help a Palouse family hoping to open a restaurant in the organization’s building, the former long-time location of Cher’s Restaurant and more recently the location of Smokin’ Papas.
The PDA has been working since January to prepare the space for opening.
The investment by the city came after the discovery that current health department codes will require $10,000 to $15,000 more than anticipated.
Mayor Jarrod Pfaff and Councilman Daymon Marple, also the PDA president, informed the city council Aug. 28 that neither the PDA nor the Rawlings family had the money to pay for the required health department improvements.
Pfaff proposed that the town issue $5,000 to the PDA. Marple noted that if the restaurant deal does not happen, then the building could still be used as a community center.
Pfaff told the Gazette on Monday that the investment has contingencies.
“Depends on which way it goes,” he said, referring to an agreement still being worked out with the Rawlings. “We’re standing back and waiting.”
Marple said the Rawlings plan to run the place as a bar and restaurant called Gear N’ Cog. The bar facility is in the back of the restaurant area.
Some equipment and supplies were left in place at the building by previous operators, but the list of updates needed for health department codes was longer than expected.
The council unanimously approved the $5,000 transfer at the Aug. 28 meeting.
Marple noted, for example, that the existing Hobart dishwasher heats water to 150 degrees which is 10 degrees below the present health department requirement. A heat booster costs $1,000.
Amanda Rawlings operates a catering business in Palouse called Hearth of the Dragon. For the month of August, she instituted a campaign on Kickstarter, a national website which raises donations for arts, technology and business projects, with a goal of earning $5,000 for the Garfield restaurant. On the Kickstarter page, Rawlings wrote that between personal funds and a loan from the Clearwater Economic Development Association, she and her parents had almost met their goal of $20,000 to open the restaurant.
The Kickstarter campaign failed to reach the goal, which means the $916 pledged by 11 backers will not be paid under the all-or-nothing format for Kickstarter.
During discussion, before the vote, Garfield Councilman Tim Southern asked that, if the Rawlings don’t have the funds to cover these extra code costs, what will happen during a losing year for the restaurant.
Marple noted the CEDA grants and said that the family operation of a husband, wife, and daughter will keep costs down.
The Garfield PDA building’s last occupant, Smokin’ Papas, closed in June 2011. Since then, the space has been available for use, and has been used for Garfield’s Orchard Fest and May Day events.
Smokin’ Papas leased the space from the city.
After a proposal by a snack-food manufacturer from Palouse fell through in the spring of 2012 because of problems getting a USDA Rural Development loan, the Garfield council last December discussed turning the building into a community center.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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