Port signs agreement for St. John property

ST. JOHN — The Port of Whitman County is working to purchase property in St. John to conduct a brownsfield study for a future hospital clinic.

The Port of Whitman County Commissioners are moving forward with plans to enter into two Earnest Money Receipt and Agreements with property owners in St. John.

In June 2024, staff from Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics approached the Port about a potential brownfield site in St. John.

The hospital hired a geo-technical engineering firm to assess the site in 2021, observing evidence of potential contamination on the site stalling clinic construction.

The Port would use funds from an ongoing grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency of $500,000, issued for their Whitman County Reuse and Revitalization Program used to lead community-wide brownfield assessments through September 2027.

The two parcel property owned by Dennis and Penny Hinds and the Whitman County Fire Protection District #2 is currently in the process of going through with the agreements.

The Port is set to meet with the community of St. John during the town council meeting at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 14, to discuss the project further.

Pending no unanticipated concerns from the due diligence period, the transaction will close by Oct. 31.

“The town of St. John looks forward to this partnership with the Port of Whitman County, the current landowners and the Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics,” said St. John Mayor Mike Webb, noting there is currently a 30-mile radius of people who come to seek care in St. John.

When finalized, the Port will enter a due diligence period to conduct phases one and two of environmental assessments.

Upon ownership of the property, Port staff plan to apply for additional federal cleanup funding addressing any contamination to either lease or sell the site to the hospital to construct a new medical clinic for the community of St. John.

“Our current clinic is critical to the community of St. John, but was not designed as a clinic, and a new space is needed to expand medical services and maintain compliance said Whitman Hospital and Medical Clinics CEO Hank Hanigan, noting his appreciation for the property owners willing to enter into the agreement.

“The town is committed to keeping medical services in our community,” said Webb. “Opening a new clinic in St. John will fill a large gap in our community and support our region.”