Resistance mounts to Orchard Hill facility move

WASHINGTON — Community members opposed to a Washington County plan that would relocate administrative offices to the Orchard Hill Complex are growing more organized and more adamant about their position, as a petition urging the county to keep offices downtown exceeds 200 signatures.

While county supervisors appear ready to lock in the plan for Orchard Hill, opponents -who packed into a board meeting on Tuesday — said such a move would detract from downtown business traffic, and that the renovations required would squander one-time money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) alongside local taxpayer dollars.

"Typically, the Chamber’s legislative actions are fairly informational, connecting our elected officials with the community,“ Washington Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michelle Redlinger said at a planning meeting with petition signers last week. ”But we also feel passionate about the supervisors staying downtown because of the services they provide and the traffic they bring to the downtown … a shift of this magnitude, it could have some really negative economic impacts.“

Instead, advocates said the federally granted ARPA money should go toward a move by some offices into the Federation Bank Building or McCreedy Building — both of which would require renovations of their own — or a new structure built on the county-owned lot of the former jail, an abandoned building next to the courthouse which demolition crews expect to level in the coming days.

Redlinger said she hoped to reach a middle ground with members of the board.

“The Chamber would be happy to organize a public meeting, and try to put forward our spirit of collaboration … and see if we can find any commonality between your space needs and the concerns,” she said at the Tuesday morning meeting.

A number of community leaders spoke on behalf of the petition during the meeting, including Washington Mayor Pro Tem Millie Youngquist, former County Supervisor Abe Miller and business owners like Karen Bates Chabal, alongside a handful of speakers during a public comment period.

Those advocates cited many reasons for pause, including widespread unawareness of the ARPA-funded plans, which have slowly unfolded in news coverage dating back to fall, 2021. Others claimed the move was unpopular with the employees it would affect, or said the landmark Federation Bank Building would fall into disrepair without use by the county, since its titular bank business has moved out.

Isabella Santoro, who owns the former location of Winga’s Cafe — soon to be Northside Diner — and whose family owns both Dodici’s establishments on the square, said shops depended on visitors to the courthouse’s government offices for business.

“Our downtown stores claim they frequently have customers who stop in either because they were killing time before their appointment at the courthouse, or they just came from there and were curious about what the downtown had to offer,” Santoro said. “Our community has worked so hard to energize and revitalize our city center. This momentum is fragile, and requires everyone to work together to keep it moving.”

Organizers plan to arrange an informational meeting on the matter that’s open to the public, rather than request a county-held public hearing that would follow more strict rules of engagement.

Petition-writers said county supervisors would be invited to that meeting. If a quorum of at least three choose to attend, Iowa law would require it to follow government meeting notice requirements and open meeting policies.

Not everyone at the meeting backed the petition, however. Washington resident Mike Murphy said he saw few downsides to the at least $4.17 million Orchard Hill renovation proposal.

“I think you guys are doing the smart idea by consolidating your county offices,” he said. “I don’t know why you’re getting any flack on this.”

Members of the Board of Supervisors themselves were skeptical or ambiguous about reconsidering the facility plan. Supervisor Marcus Fedler said he understood the complaints as a downtown business owner, but that economic development downtown was a concern for the private sector, not the county government.

“I do think that, obviously, there will be an impact to the downtown, I do, there’s no question about that,” he said. “What’s going to move Washington County to the next level is its people and their willingness to fight and work hard, that’s the only thing that has ever made moves.”

Supervisor Stan Stoops said he personally favored a move to Federation Bank but suggested that he may not vote accordingly despite pressure from the voting public.

“I ran on a platform that I would listen to my constituents, and for the lion’s share of the time, I do,” he said. “Sometimes, you can’t. You’ve got to do what’s best for the county.”

Supervisor Jack Seward Jr. said he was skeptical that the petition had accurately gauged public opinion.

“There’s a lot of folks out here, and probably a lot of folks on the petition, that are only interested in throwing darts at something, and not wanting to have a real conversation,” he said.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com