Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Finance Real Estate topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cowlitz County staff outline property inventory and capital needs; board asked whether to pursue surplus sales and valuations
Summary
Facilities and public-works staff presented a county property and facilities inventory, identified surplus and vacant parcels for possible sale, outlined major deferred maintenance (including juvenile facility needs estimated at about $9.8 million), and asked the board whether to pursue appraisals and surplus processes.
Cowlitz County facilities staff presented a multi-part inventory of county real estate and building conditions, asking the commissioners whether to pursue fair-market valuations, surplus sales and prioritized capital investments.
What staff presented: Savannah Clement (facilities) and Sean (staff analyst) described three vacant city lots near the Hall of Justice, two larger parcels in Kalama, and an Ocean Beach Highway parcel that has already completed the surplus process and could be marketed. They said some properties have not been formally declared surplus and would require a public-hearing surplus process before sale.
Major building notes: The Hall of Justice has a vacant third floor (about 45,000 sq ft) and ongoing HVAC and lighting projects and tenant improvements; the administrative building has first-floor vacancies and façade repair needs; the annex is largely vacant but will house a noxious-weeds program in a 2,400 sq ft corner; the juvenile facility needs extensive work (staff estimated roughly $9.8 million for roof, HVAC, security, flooring and other systems).
Tax-title parcels and fairgrounds: Staff said the county holds hundreds of tax-title parcels; many are slivers or otherwise difficult-to-sell and would require foreclosure-process work to regain marketability, while other full-size lots may be feasible for sale. The Fairgrounds/Expo campus (about 47 acres) and associated RV park are largely committed to long-range plans and rural-development funding, limiting disposal options.
What the board was asked: Staff requested direction on whether to ask the countyon-call real-estate agent to develop fair-market valuations and return with surplus-publication recommendations. Commissioners and staff discussed that some parcels have limited marketability but agreed that bringing formal options and valuations back to the board would be useful.
Next steps: Staff offered to return with tax-title maps, fair-market appraisals and recommended surplus procedures if the board directs them to proceed; no board vote or disposition was authorized at this meeting.
