City hall's new owner, new future

WAITSBURG - The City of Waitsburg's former city hall building has a new owner. Chet Childers of Burbank, Wash., has taken ownership of the historic Main Street building.

This was the second bid the Tri-Cities construction company owner has made for the building. Childers withdrew from his first offer after a 90-day feasibility study. His original offer for $175,000 included his vision statement for The Vault, a space that celebrates beer making and soaking. It would offer second-floor hotel rooms with spa tubs to soak in dry beer ingredients, a ground-floor craft beer pub, and beer-making items displayed throughout.

After withdrawing from the first deal, Childers kept an eye on the building's offers. After the last round of bids brought the price down to $125,000, he decided he couldn't pass up a chance to own the building.

"I am a distressed building renovator, and love the building's architecture and iconicness," said Childers.

At the March Waitsburg City Council meeting, the council considered two offers for the building. The council accepted the offer from Walla Walla resident David Seidl for $130,000 to close on April 4. With years of deals falling through, the city's realtor suggested stacking the two offers so the second would be automatically accepted without a special meeting. Seidl withdrew at the end of his five-day feasibility period, leaving Childers on the path of ownership.

The city closed the building sale with Childers for $130,000 on April 7.

Now that the For Sale sign is out of the window and he has the keys, he looks forward to learning more about the building and the town. He hopes to find a project that will highlight both. With a history of international travel, volunteerism, construction, and ballroom dancing, Childers has a lot of ideas on how to do it.

This is a new type of project for the entrepreneur, who looks forward to renovating the old 1900s building. His experience in commercial and abatement contracting is evident as he discusses his plans and concerns.

Childers must comply with the City of Waitsburg zoning regulations that require commercial use on the ground floor of the Main Street building. Though The Vault is still an option, he is working with several potential partners and advisors to help him create the best business plan for the space. His ideas center around fun, experiential, and educational businesses, including the original beer spa concept.

The city surplused the building in 2021, after moving to its new building at 106 Main Street.