The Hawkins project: Worth the try

The Organization to Void Illegal Conduct, a group of Whitman County residents determined to keep the county from spending $15 million of public money on the Hawkins shopping center project at the stateline with Idaho, has decided to pursue its case in court.

Last year, after a so-called public meeting where citizens were not allowed to voice their concerns over the county’s investment in the project, outraged citizens formed the organization and hired a lawyer.

The pending lawsuit has hung over the county since.

The heart of the case is deep resentment that they were treated so disrespectfully at the meeting. The substance is that the county should not be putting so much money into a private enterprise. The hook is that the contract between the county and the Hawkins Company may be illegal because Hawkins is not a registered contractor in the state.

It is neither unusual nor illegal for public entities to give incentives for new development. Still, a good many citizens and even some OVIC supporters have declared they are not against the shopping center itself, just the public money promised for it.

As such, public sentiment is that the center would be a benefit to the county as long as the county does not give away the farm to get it.

Maybe the new commissioners can navigate through the obstacles and find a way to bring the development to fruition.

It is certainly worth the try.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher