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Commissioners discuss opening Jamgon Building civic spaces to public; staff warn of policy, security and AV issues
Summary
The board discussed requests to allow outside groups to use the Jamgon Building and Civic Center after occupancy is granted, but staff said current policy limits use to county and tenants and flagged unresolved issues including occupancy, cleaning, AV security and user agreements.
Commissioners discussed whether and how to open the Jamgon Building and Civic Center to outside users at the Jan. 29 Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting. The auditorium, meeting rooms and shared spaces are currently limited to county and tenants under the county’s existing policy; staff said the county does not yet have an occupancy permit for full public use.
A commissioner noted requests from community organizations, including Columbia Health Center, to use the space for staff meetings. County staff and counsel cautioned that opening the facility to third-party use requires policy decisions on user eligibility, liability, cleaning, security and use of audio-visual equipment. "Use of the auditorium, meeting rooms, and shared spaces is limited to the county and to tenants of the building," county staff recited from the existing policy. Staff recommended a deeper policy discussion before approving third-party use and suggested developing a process for reservations, cleaning responsibilities and liability agreements.
IT and facilities staff raised security and technical concerns. An IT staff member said allowing guest access to AV equipment could elevate cybersecurity risk: a USB drive infected with malware, for example, could compromise an auditorium computer and the broader network. Facilities staff noted roughly $100,000 worth of AV equipment in the auditorium and recommended a signed user agreement, deposits or other accountability measures to protect county property. Commissioners and staff discussed interim workarounds: community rooms currently allow laptop connectivity that relies on the laptop’s audio and camera, while the auditorium uses a different AV system that does not fully support simple laptop plug-ins for audio and camera functions.
Several commissioners said they want the building to function as a civic center and asked staff to draft operating procedures that would allow public use while limiting county exposure. Proposed next steps included creating a working group of IT, facilities, county counsel and commissioners to draft a reservation policy, clarify cleaning and setup responsibilities, define deposit amounts or fees, and determine what upgrades would be needed to allow safe, professional hybrid meetings. Staff said they would provide cost estimates for upgrades and draft recommended policy language.
Why it matters: The Jamgon Building is a county-owned civic space built with public funds; clarifying use policies affects public access, county liability, and long-term maintenance and technology expenses.
Next steps: Staff to form a working group, develop recommended reservation and user-agreement language, estimate costs to secure AV and support hybrid meetings, and return to the board with policy recommendations.
