Road loan repaid; changes possible for WSU extension

POMERO–The Garfield County board of commissioners (BOCC) approved repayment of a loan and discussed re-staffing efforts for Washington State University extension offices in the area at their meeting on June 13.

The commissioners passed resolution 2022-17 to accept repayment of a loan from the County Road fund to Current Expense fund. The amount repaid was 1,200,000, the same amount as loaned with no interest.

Jim Kropf, the WSU Extension Director of County Administration, and Mark Heitstuman, Garfield County’s interim Extension Director, discussed re-staffing efforts and options. One possibility they discussed with the BOCC is creating a two-county region with Garfield and Columbia counties. The home office of said region would likely be in Dayton, with the director’s time divided between the two counties.