It’s official.
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners gave final approval this week for the sale of the historic Claquato Church property west of Chehalis.
The commissioners passed a resolution during its business meeting on Tuesday that approved the sale months after the county declared the property as surplus.
The move officially accepts an offer from the Claquato Cemetery Board to purchase the property for $5,000 and commit to significant restorations to the building and additional construction in other parts of the property.
The last bit of paperwork was the final step needed to move forward with an arrangement that has been in the works since July.
As a result, the proceedings during Tuesday’s meeting were brief. Lewis County Board of Commissioners Clerk Rieva Lester presented the resolution to the commissioners during the meeting.
“This has been in the works for a while,” Lester said. “The county had deemed it surplus to the county’s needs. It’s in need of repair, and the Claquato Cemetery association has agreed to take over that property and will be working to restore it.”
The language of the resolution directs the chair of the Lewis County Board of Commissioners, Scott Brummer, to sign the deed to the property and otherwise approves the final closing of the sale of the property.
According to previous reporting by The Chronicle, the Claquato Cemetery board was the only bidder on the historic property and had made plans to purchase the property years ahead of the building's declaration of surplus by the county.
Lewis County has owned the church building for roughly 80 years since taking ownership of it in 1948. According to the bid document from the cemetery board, it has been more than 60 years since the church was the subject of any restorations or repairs. In 1953, Chehalis Post No. 22 of the American Legion raised money with help from the county to repair the foundation of the building, replace the roof and make myriad repairs to the interior of the church.
The announcement of the sale of the building in July initially sounded the alarm for many in the community and those across Washington interested in historic buildings. Claquato Church is recognized as the oldest standing church building in the state of Washington. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington State Heritage Register.
The building was completed in 1858. At the time, Claquato was the seat of the Lewis County government as part of the Oregon Territory, roughly 40 years before Washington rose to statehood.
The Claquato Church Cemetery Board hopes to invest approximately $2.79 million into restoration of the church and an additional building.
The nearly 40-page bid offer from the cemetery board details the improvements it hopes to make in the coming years to turn the property into a historic site capable of hosting visitors and offering education.
Restoration efforts on the building will include first and foremost the replacement of the church's roof. The cemetery board has identified a list of other parts of the building in poor condition and in need of repair or restoration. While the roof is first to go, the walls, windows, stairs and ceiling are also in poor condition. Each of these elements reportedly show signs of deterioration or water damage.
The new building mentioned in the cemetery board's plans would act as a visitor center and community space. It would include a parking lot for visitors as well as American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalks and paths, a visitors lobby, meeting room, outdoor event space, offices for the church and cemetery administration and bathrooms accessible from both the interior and exterior of the building. A concept for the building is based on the Graham Visitors Center at the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle.
According to the bid document, the visitor center would be a way to make a space for education and displays that would inform visitors about the church without making changes to the church itself.
“This report proposes the construction of a visitor center and event space that will increase visibility of and support engagement with the historic campus comprising the church and the cemetery, without modifications to the existing structure,” the cemetery board states in its bid proposal.
