With rent increasing again for Washington County Public Health, the options moving forward and need for all county offices was discussed in a joint meeting of the Washington County Board of Health and County Board of Supervisors. Currently, the public health department is in the upper floors of the Federation Bank building. The bank is looking to sell the building. The bank has asked that starting in October, the health department pay 40% of all of the Alliant and city utilities for the building. Peggy Wood with public health said that will be an increase of about $12,000 annually. The change also calls for public health to be responsible for all maintenance of the upper floors. Public Health Administrator Danielle Pettit-Majewski would like to have a counter offer, because it blurs the line of tenant and landlord regarding maintenance.
The question of if the building were to sell, where would public health go was raised. Supervisor Chairman Abe Miller suggested the Ainsworth Elementary School which is owned by the City of Ainsworth. He said the county could purchase the old school for the cost of one annual rental payment. He did say it isn’t ideal. Concerns of reduced accessibility for public health clients were voiced, as well as added mileage expenses for public health staff. When asked if other county departments would move to Ainsworth too, Miller said that’s not the case, “No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying priorities. You know, there’s a difference between that versus public health. …You serve, you serve, whatever, a class of people, a variety class of people, whether it’s older people, whether it’s people in need, whatever.” Pettit-Majewski replied, “I’m going to have to agree to disagree with you.”
Supervisor Jack Seward said moving away from the county seat would be out of necessity and temporary, and the county could continue to look for options within Washington.
In 2005, public health moved into Federation Bank in what was expected to be a temporary solution. In 2015, a bond referendum to construct a public health building near the sheriff’s office failed with 45.3% of the vote in favor of it. In 2017, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to not pursue the McCleery Calendar Factory with Hobart Historic Restoration. Had that been approved, no bond referendum would’ve been needed to fund the project and it would’ve moved the public health department six blocks from its current location. That building remains empty.
Last September, the department’s rent increased in its current location by about $6,000 annually. Regarding the Ainsworth Elementary School, in August of 2017, the Highland School Board recommended the sale of the school to the City of Ainsworth with a stipulation that if the city decides to place the building up for sale, the school district has the first right to negotiation. The next month the building and ballfields were sold to Ainsworth for $2.
Moving forward, a committee with representatives from the Board of Health and the Board of Supervisors will meet to negotiate the recent 40% utility request from Federation Bank, do a walk-through of Ainsworth Elementary School, and check with Washington County Hospital administration to see if there’s space there.
Audio below is from a tape recording from the Washington County Auditor’s office of the joint board meeting of the supervisors and the board of health.
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