Council exploring ‘Walker House’ purchase

The agreement allows the city to spend up to $50,000 to contract for inspection, counsel, and appraisal services ahead of a potential final closing, slated for up to 180 days after the signing of the agreement. It also allows the city to deposit $15,000 into an escrow account in anticipation of closing the sale, slated for up to 210 days from the signing of the agreement.

The agreement gives the city 150 days to perform any due diligence tasks and another 30 days to close the sale, with an optional extra 30 days.

According to City Clerk/Treasurer Jan Brending, this next 150 days will be a busy time for the city dealing with the purchasing process, in which the city will need to finalize funding for the purchase. Brending said the city is exploring an opportunity to use a limited tax general obligation bond, which is a form of financing that would not be brought to the voters, but instead to a simple vote of the council. The caveat to this is that the debt taken on by the city will be serviced through residents’ property tax without raising the levy limit.

Brending said there have not been any donations to the purchasing effort as of Friday, and the purchasing process does not align with any state or federal grant cycles.

“We’re not considering a grant by a state or federal grant, but we may be seeking funding from outside sources,” Brending said. “We’ll take any donations for the city.”

City Administrator Pat Munyan said the city worked with local realtor Jeremy Deny to coordinate the pricing of the property.

The Walker house, a longtime fixture of the White Salmon downtown core takes its namesake from heralded community member Margaret Walker, who along with husband Forrest, purchased the house in the early 1970s, for just $28,500.

Walker was a prolific volunteer in the community, spending time to help out with the schools, the hospital, the city library, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. She also ran the concession stand at the baseball field for decades, which adopted the name Margaret’s Snack Shack in her honor. Walker passed away in July of 2019.

The house itself was originally home to early pioneers to the area, Rudolph and Wilhelmina Lauterbach, according to a write-up by the Gorge Heritage Museum. The couple moved to White Salmon from Germany in 1892 and began constructing their home in 1904, taking two years to complete.

The house has three stories, seven bedrooms and seven baths and is located at 245 W. Jewett Boulevard.

“The family (Margaret Walker’s family) has… I think really embraced how creating a community space within the Walker home is a wonderful way to recognize someone in our community that did a lot of things throughout, and that’s what the city sees also as an opportunity to honor her legacy,” Mayor Marla Keethler said.

According to a city memo, purchasing the Walker house would mean the ability of the city to “preserve the historic significance of the structure to the city’s history, and to also create a gathering place that enriches the lives of residents as well as visitors.”

The city has listed ideas for the project in the memo. Some collaborations with other community organizations may be pursued, such as a visitor welcoming center, a community garden, a student-run café in partnership with the White Salmon Valley School District, community dinners, an artist workspace, and event rental space.

Brending told councilors last week that funding the full $1.5 million for the property “puts a very hard position on the city of White Salmon.

“As your clerk/treasurer I could not support that purchase,” Brending said. “I think it will impede your general fund. $119,000 (per year for debt service) is a new police officer, which I know there is a desire to possibly add one in 2023.”

Brending said that “I love the Walker house. I think the mayor’s vision for it is pretty amazing, I just have concerns about financing portions of it.”

During council discussion, Councilor Ashley Post said she supports the deposit and expending of funds to perform due diligence on the property but acknowledged further conversations will need to be held regarding maintenance and supporting the building further on.

“Even if the family were just offering to donate the house to the city, that it will still be a very significant decision to make, just because of the costs to bring it up to speed and ongoing maintenance that it will require,” Post said. “It would be very helpful to have a public hearing at some point.”

Councilor Jason Hartmann spoke in favor of the purchase agreement, saying that the building serves as an asset to the city.

I think it’s an amazing landmark in White Salmon,” Hartmann said. “If we are able to move forward and make this purchase, I think there’s so much that we can do to add to the quality of life for the residents and vistors of our city. But it’s not like… we are giving that away or we are losing that. We’re talking about purchasing an asset. Even if the market tanks, the loss would be recoverable.”

Councilor David Lindley was the one ‘nay’ vote on the purchase agreement. He spoke in favor of soliciting more comments from the public before coming to a vote. In conversations with some residents, Lindley said he had heard reservations about the cost of the property, and its potential to reshuffle priorities for the city. He also said he was interested to hear from the professionals conducting due diligence on the property before signing off on the purchase.

According to the staff memo, the city comprehensive plan identified the property as being eligible for the State Historic Register and possibly the National Historic Register.