Priest River Senior Center to be sold at auction

PRIEST RIVER — The Priest River City Council may be considering the procurement of the Priest River Senior Center following the Bonner County commissioners’ approval to sell it at auction.

The board held a special meeting June 20 to discuss the property, which came into county possession due to a quitclaim deed. Quitclaim deeds are normally used to transfer property between family members.

A deed of this nature also “makes no assurance that the grantor actually has an ownership interest in a property; it merely states that if the grantor does, they release those ownership rights,” according to Investopedia. Because of this, the person or entity getting the property accepts the risk that the grantor may not have had legal ownership of the property they have given away.

Because of this liability, as well as the fact that the county did not ask to procure the property, Commissioners Steve Bradshaw and Luke Omodt — the only two commissioners present at the special meeting — discussed selling the property at auction.

During discussion, the commissioners agreed that the property is currently of no use to the county, and with no reason to maintain it, the board unanimously voted to sell the property on the online auction website used by Bonner County.

However, during Tuesday’s regular business meeting, Commissioner Asia Williams said that the center offers numerous resources to the community it serves and it would be a loss to Priest River should it close.

During discussions with Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson, Williams said he agreed that there is an opportunity for the City of Priest River to take the building back and keep it running. The specifics, she said, are currently under review.

Williams urged the community to contact council members, asking them to maintain those services.

“I encourage you from a community standpoint to give your input to the city council,” she said.