Thurston County wants to buy a Tumwater building so it can consolidate the Sheriff's Office's operations. The building sits on a 2.36-acre site at 1111 Israel Road SW, which is near Tumwater High School and Interstate 5.
The Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to enter into a nearly $14.3 million purchase agreement for the building. The vote occurred after months of searching and negotiations this year, said Capital Projects Planning Manager Rick Thomas.
The effort followed voter approval of a Public Safety Tax last November, Thomas said. The revenue from that tax primarily funds law enforcement in Thurston County, but also includes associated infrastructure projects, including facilities. The Sheriff's Office has outgrown its current facilities and has split up its operations locations.
It now has staff working at the county courthouse campus, the county jail and a warehouse in Tumwater. Not being in one place creates challenges that need to be addressed, Sheriff Derek Sanders said. "The main goal is to anchor us down into one building and really start to get some of the luxuries that other police departments have had for decades which we do not have, which is consolidated staff," Sanders said.
Sanders described the Israel Road building as a good deal for the county. This plan enables the Sheriff's Office to stop paying rent on leased property and move into an already existing space that costs a fraction of what new construction may cost, he said. For example, the new Lacey Police Department station, currently under construction between Lacey City Hall and Interstate 5, is expected to cost upwards of $60 million, he said.
"We've seen some new police departments and some of the ranges that they're going for, probably creeping up on nearly $100 million at this point," Sanders said. "For us, to get into a building that works for us for less than $20 million, I think was a huge deal on our part." What challenges is the Sheriff's Office facing? The Sheriff's Office currently operates out of several locations.
There's an administrative headquarters at the county's courthouse campus on Lakeridge Drive in Olympia, the county jail on Ferguson Street Southwest in Tumwater and a field operations bureau at a leased warehouse building in Tumwater. Detectives work out of the Olympia headquarters, Sander said, while patrol deputies and the county's Narcotics Task Force work out of the field operations building in Tumwater. "They may as well work on the opposite sides of the county right now because they never see each other until the homicide occurs and they come across each other out on the call," Sanders said.
With a consolidated staff, Sanders said detectives and patrol deputies can more easily contact each other and exchange information. The new building also should provide more space for deputies and staff to do their jobs, Sanders said. For example, he said it is not unusual to see deputies stand as they wait for a chance to log evidence and use computers.
Additionally, Sanders said more space will be needed as the Sheriff's Office continues its hiring efforts. "A this point in time, we are hiring a lot," Sanders said. "We are anticipating filling all nine of our new Public Safety Tax deputy positions this year and we don't think we're going to have a problem filling the majority of the 18 (positions) for 2025.
" Sanders also said his office wants to put a playroom at the new building for children who have been separated from their parents or guardians. "Right now, they're coming to the field operations bureau, which is an old children's playground warehouse," Sanders said. "That is where kids go when we have to wait for (Child Protective Services), which can be up to 12 hours.
" In a follow-up Facebook post, Sanders said the new project will provide space for many other needs they currently go without, such as multiple interview rooms, more evidence space, an office for an on-site mental health provider, locker rooms, secure parking and ample classroom training space. How did the county pick this building? The county only publicly identified the building it wanted to purchase on Tuesday. Prior to this action, the county commission had been meeting in close-door executive sessions to consider potential properties and negotiate an agreement.
County Manager Leonard Hernandez said these executive sessions are a necessary part of active negotiations. "If the county were to have an active negotiation in open session, it would be detrimental to the county's position, because it would have to disclose conversations the board is having about its willingness to pay a certain price, effectively eroding our ability to try to get the best price for the public," Hernandez said. The county's Central Services department started working with the Sheriff's Office in early 2024 to find an existing building in good condition that would meet its needs, Thomas said.
The county's real estate broker provided it with a list of 10 buildings in the Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater area, Thomas said. After much consideration, Thomas said the county narrowed the list to four buildings. "Each of these buildings were evaluated based upon criteria such as accessibility to major arterial roads, total building square footage to accommodate current as well as anticipated 20-year needs, physical condition of the building, amount of renovation required and the projected purchase price," Thomas said.
The building on Israel Road best met the county's criteria, Thomas said. He described it as a well-maintained, 56,000- square-foot building with over 150 parking spaces. It currently houses the Washington State Parks headquarters.
The county ultimately agreed to a purchase price of $14.25 million, which equates to roughly $254 per square foot. Notably, the county's Assessor's Office determined the property had an assessed market value of about $19.
1 million in 2024, according to county records. The three-story building was built in 2008 and the current owner is listed as 1111 Israel Road LLC, county records show. The Washington Secretary of State Office filing system indicates that company has a mailing address in Anchorage, Alaska.
What happens next? With the board's approval, Thomas said the county will now enter into the purchase and sales agreement. That includes making an escrow deposit of $500,000, which would start a 105-day timer. During that time, Thomas said the county will conduct a detailed inspection to make sure the property meets its needs.
If everything checks out, Thomas said the county would then pay the seller the remaining $13.75 million. "If the county, for any reason, decides not to purchase the property before the 105-day inspection period expires, the $500,000 deposit will be refunded to the county," Thomas said.
Once the purchase is complete, Thomas said the county will have to spend about $4.75 million to renovate and furnish the building. Thomas said an additional $2 million is expected to be spent to provide a vehicle impound facility and potentially a shooting range.
The Olympian has asked the county to share its purchase and sale agreement and elaborate on its plans for the new building. The public can comment on the county's plans by speaking at the board's regular public meetings or submitting a form on the county's website. The Thurston County Planning Commission also allows public comments during its regular meetings.
A public hearing on the county's 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The public may comment about the new building there as well, Hernandez said. ___ (c)2024 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.) Visit The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.
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