Praising the structure as critical to ensuring the sheriff’s office can promptly respond to calls and as an important staging area in the event of an emergency, Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza officially cut the ribbon on the new east end substation in Randle Wednesday afternoon.
“We wanted a facility that could house our emergency equipment and that could house somebody who could service the east end community,” Snaza said. “We didn’t need a big building, but we needed a building with some storage capacity.”
For nearly two decades, the sheriff’s office has operated in makeshift locations in East Lewis County. After the previous substation was damaged by flooding in late 2006, the sheriff’s office set up shop in the old elementary school in Packwood, which it shared with the White Pass Country Historical Museum, before it closed in 2018. Operating costs and staffing issues were cited as contributing factors.
“We started this in 2017, these conversations, and sometimes it takes a long time to get what you want or get how you see things, but today is the day,” Snaza said. “And on my behalf, and the sheriff’s office and my staff, we could not be more excited about opening up the east end substation to everybody in the east end community.
Throughout this time, Snaza said, he eyed county-owned land in Randle for the new substation and discussed the project with former county commissioners Gary Stamper and Lee Grose.
The central location, halfway between Morton and Packwood, was ideal for the new facility, Snaza said.
“I’m thankful for the patience of the community and the sheriff’s office for the length of time that it takes for the government to move this direction and see it completed,” County Commissioner Scott Brummer said.
County Commissioner Lindsey Pollock said it was great for the sheriff’s office to once again have a “solid base” in east Lewis County.
“It’s a nice functional building to work with, and I think this will help us be an even more obvious presence out here in this end of the county,” Pollock said.
Located at 8911 U.S. Highway 12, Snaza, Brummer and County Manager Ryan Barrett broke ground on the project last October. The structure is 12 feet wide by 36 feet long and has four car bays.
“I want to thank the commissioners especially, because without their approval, and without their buy-in, this would not be here today,” Snaza said.
Beginning Nov. 4, the station will be “full service” and staffed Monday through Thursday, Snaza said.
“This is a facility, like the full-service facility we have down in Chehalis, just a little bit smaller,” Snaza said. “But it will still accommodate what your everyday needs are.”
The substation will also house a new truck dedicated to responding in East Lewis County, two snowmobiles, a boat for water rescues and other equipment.
“Never before did we have four bays, a dry space to keep our emergency vehicles,” Snaza said.
The sheriff’s office previously housed equipment at the Packwood mill, where Snaza said that multiple break-ins and vandalism occurred.
“So here we are in this facility. This is a great location to service all of East Lewis County,” Snaza said.
In the event of flooding or another natural disaster, Snaza said the facility could be cleared of equipment and used as a command post or emergency management or other personnel.
“This is a great staging area for all of our events,” Snaza said. “Having this high ground to be able to deploy resources from a dry area where our folks can come. This will be a center place and then we’ll go out and activate our teams.”
The budget for the new building was $300,000. It was funded with money from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund.
