San Juan County staff report multiple real‑estate moves, Banner Bank purchase and courthouse seismic grant effort

San Juan County facilities staff told the council on Jan. 13 that 2024 ended with a flurry of real‑estate activity and that planning for repairs and long‑term campus decisions remains unfinished.

Facilities Director Greg Sawyer outlined recent transactions the county completed or considered last year: acquisition of a Banner Bank office building (presented as a flexible staff and office location), the county’s purchase and development work at McKay Harbor, a Lopez Island property used by public works, and a Shaw Island parcel found to meet county needs. The county completed the sale of its interest in the Orcas Island senior center to the senior center’s governing board; county staff said they negotiated a leaseback and then identified other county‑owned space for public health clinic operations and administrative offices.

During the presentation Sawyer said the county submitted a request to the State Historic Courthouse Preservation Program for funds to complete seismic upgrades to the historic portion of the San Juan Island courthouse. He said his office requested an award but the governor’s capital budget for the biennium initially funded a subset of applicants; San Juan County’s application currently sits below the initial funding cutoff. Sawyer told the council he expects the county’s project cost for courthouse seismic work to fall in a range between about $1.5 million and $3 million and that winning a state contribution would require legislative action this session if additional funding is to be secured.

Why it matters: The county’s property moves create short‑term capacity for staff relocation and program continuity, but they also create a set of choices about whether to invest in renovating and seismically upgrading older county buildings or to plan for replacement. The courthouse work, if funded, would address known seismic vulnerabilities in the historic structure and has both preservation and safety implications.

Council discussion and next steps: Council members pressed staff to bring a formal facilities master plan and an inventory of deferred maintenance, capital costs and prioritization. Facilities staff said previous consulting work (Miller Hall) produced ideas and schematic designs but that council and administration paused full master‑plan work because of cost escalation and changing priorities. Council members asked for a concise plan — an initial county‑led needs assessment that inventories buildings, summarizes urgent safety repairs (including the legislative building’s siding and HVAC concerns) and lists recommended next steps and estimated costs. The council requested that staff and the county manager return with a proposal and timeline to produce that assessment so council could evaluate whether to finance a full master plan or stage capital work in prioritized phases.

On the courthouse grant, staff requested support for outreach to state legislators to seek additional capital funding if the Legislature can add awards. Council members agreed staff should prepare a letter and a short legislative memo for the Jan. 21 meeting to brief legislative representatives and the council before the session proceeds.

Quotes attributable to staff: Facilities Director Greg Sawyer said, "We have an asset [Banner Bank] that gives us flexibility to rehome staff during renovations and a building we can decide to keep or sell later." Regarding the courthouse grant he said a state award was not secured in the governor’s initial appropriation and added, "We have not been totally out of the running; we will pursue legislative support."

What staff will deliver: Facilities will prepare an initial county facilities needs assessment — an internal inventory and prioritization with cost ranges — and circulate it for council review. Staff will also prepare a draft letter for legislative outreach on the courthouse seismic grant request and place it on a next council meeting agenda as requested.