RDDA looks for support in hiring executive director

RITZVILLE – A request from the Ritzville Downtown Development Authority (RDDA) for the city council to write a letter in support of the RDDA applying for a grant was turned down at the July 6 council meeting.

The grant would partially fund a part-time executive director for two years.

John Rankin presented both the benefits and risks he saw in the grant opportunity, which would fund a 20 hour per week position for two years at 75%. The other 25% would have to be funded by the city or the RDDA itself. After the grant expired, the full cost would fall into the hands of the city or the RDDA, unless other grants were available.

The Washington Main Street Affiliate Capacity Building Grant Program, set up by the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation along with the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, is designed to benefit Washington Main Street Affiliate organizations in establishing the executive director position with the goal of downtown revitalization.

Rankin said hiring an executive director would move Ritzville up from an affiliate in the organization to becoming a full member. However, being a full entity would require funding the position 100% after the grant expired. Rankin said parts of the grant were geared toward design, promotion, organization and economic restructuring.

Rankin's concerns included future funding, and finding someone with the talent and experience for the position, which called for presenting future projects for the downtown area. Rankin said his own work with the RDDA was mostly focused on restoration of buildings and infrastructure.

"So you'll have to weigh whether you want to commit to it, whether it's that important," Rankin said. "The other big concern for me downtown right now is dealing with George and his ever-expanding cast of parasites. They bought another building downtown and we're getting all kinds of feedback."

The Collective Adventure, a non-profit organization located at 109 West Main Avenue, offers meals and other items for free. Benches in front of the sidewalk offer those unemployed an area to smoke cigarettes and relax. George A. Smith is the registered agent for the corporation, which is governed by a board of five. According to opengovwa.com/corporation, governing persons are governors George A. Smith and Mary K. Smith; and officers Ginger Richards, Lois Gust, and Steve Schofstoll.

Phone calls to the Collective Adventure and Smith's cell phone from the Journal July 7 were not returned, nor emails responded to.

The Collective Adventure recently acquired additional property at 315 West Broadway Avenue in Ritzville, from Carol Lee Frank in Moses Lake. According to the Adams County Assessor's office, a quit claim deed filed June 16, 2021, listed the gross selling price at $30,000. According to Charity Navigator, the organization files Form 990-N, allowed by the IRS for charities with less than $50,000 annual revenue.

"A lot of business owners are really concerned about it," Rankin said, adding security cameras at his business downtown near the city's public restrooms "go off 24 hours a day."

"Do I want to try and go after a grant and make a bunch of improvements when we've got this ball and chain over here?" Rankin said.

"Every town is dealing with those types of issues," Mayor Linda Kadlec said. "For me, it's more of a concern than a ball and chain. We need to find answers."

"I don't disagree with helping people," Rankin responded. "I disagree with where they're doing it and how they're doing it. That kind of activity doesn't belong in your downtown unless you're on Skid Row in L.A. or something. It's just really sad, to me, that it's happening."

Councilwoman Debbie Chapman spoke in favor of the RDDA hiring an executive director.

"The towns that are successful and have a downtown business area, have followed the Main Street Program and have hired someone for that position," Chapman said. "We've been doing it with all volunteer staff. We either need to jump in the game and do this, or say we're not, and just walk off. I hate to spend money we don't have to spend, but we either give this program the respect it needs and try it, or we just walk away and chalk up another mistake."

Councilman Mark Weigand expressed his own concerns.

"With this being a pandemic year, with what we've gone through and we still are in it, I would not be willing to commit that kind of money at this point in time," Weigand said. "We don't know what's going to come this year or next."

Ritzville Police Chief Dave McCormick expressed concerns about people living downtown.

"They're turning our business district, some building purchasers recently, into apartments down there," McCormick said. "So I'm thinking our concern should be the downtown historic business district, not historic downtown apartments and taking up the parking spaces for the businesses that are open and trying to operate. Has anybody talked to businesses downtown; do they want this, and what would their contribution be?"

Rankin said the grant just came up 10 days earlier.

"The only people I've been talking to downtown are the ones that are mostly fed up with what's going on downtown," Rankin said.

Kadlec closed the discussion and asked for a motion. Councilwoman Chapman motioned the city write a letter of support and Councilman Dennis Chamberlain seconded it.

The motion failed.

The council did approve allocating $4200 from current expense funds to the Adams County Development Council for an update to the Boyd Report, following a presentation by ACDC Manager Janis Rountree. Rountree said the Boyd Report is used to provide side by side comparative operating costs of bringing a business to Ritzville versus other areas. Rountree said the report had not been updated since 2018. The full cost for the update is $18,000. She said the county commissioners agreed to commit funding for it. Rountree said the original report, done in 2015, cost in excess of $60,000.