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UL I 17 2023
Grant County
Central Services
POBox 37
Ephrata WA 98823
(509) 754-2011 Ext -3276
To: Board of County Commissioners October 10, 2023
Re: Appraisal for Land Purchase
The Board is aware of the high cost to the county to build the new Coroner's office at the new hospital
site. The cost has been high enough that, as the County representative, I couldn't justify the cost. My
concerns were validated by outside contractors whom I have spoken with and the hospital's project
manager. This has helped me recommend building the new coroner's office elsewhere and with our team.
At various times, the Board, I, the Law and Justice Committee, and the coroner have met to discuss this,
and we (and by direction of the Board) have concluded that we should go in a new direction, either in
Moses Lake near the hospital or at the new jail site. Selfishly, I would select the jail site as we have a
design team and general contractor in place, and under the GCCM laws for the jail, this project could be
included through a simple change order. This would be the most inexpensive way to realize the new
office.
However, Ephrata is not the best location for the coroner's services. With the high percentage of cases
being from the Moses Lake area, the relationship with the hospital, and the need to be nearby, it seems
essential to be near the hospital. A property has been identified near the hospital and appears reasonably
priced. We must add this to the budget and capital facilities plan for inclusion in 2024 to continue this
path.
With the Board's permission, Central Services will order an appraisal of the property and get a fair market
value, then approach the owner with an offer if we decide to build in Moses Lake. This will require an
entire competitive procurement process, including publishing an RFQ to select an architect, paying for the
continued design, publicly bidding the project, and selecting the low -responsive bidder. We are
responsible for the design costs thus far, which could be as high as $3.65,000, but we are negotiating that
as best we can. We will begin this project with that cost as an overhead and the land cost. It is also
critical to remember that the new hospital is scheduled to be open in the first quarter of 2026, leaving the
coroner without an office if we do not complete this building.
Respectfully submitted,
C�om &arncf
Tom Gaines
Director, Grant County, WA
Central Services Department
Cc: C. Morrison, K. Smith,
Tom Gaines
Director of Central Services
tgaines@grantcountywa.gov
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