Wexagaw County commission approves purchase of used meeting table from disbanded Rotary chapter

WEXAGAW COUNTY — The Wexagaw County Board of Commissioners voted 4-2 Tuesday evening to purchase a used conference table from the disbanded Rotary Club of Houghton Mills for $240, ending a procurement debate that began in October.

The seven-foot-by-three-foot oak table, built in 1978 by the Kensington Furniture Company of Grand Rapids, will replace the county's current folding table in the second-floor conference room of the courthouse. The folding table, purchased in 1993, will be relocated to the maintenance department's break area.

"This is a solid piece of equipment," said Commissioner Harold Voss, who inspected the table at the former Rotary meeting hall in Houghton Mills on January 11. "The finish has some water rings near the center, but the legs are sound and it seats eight comfortably."

Thirty-day inspection period

Under the terms approved Tuesday, the county will take possession of the table on March 15, following a thirty-day inspection period during which county maintenance staff will assess the table's leveling requirements and determine whether the second-floor doorway will accommodate its width.

"We need to be certain about the doorway," said Commissioner Linda Raphael, who voted in favor of the purchase. "The last time we moved furniture up there, we had to remove a door frame."

The Houghton Mills Rotary Club, which disbanded in November after sixty-two years of operation, is selling its remaining assets to settle outstanding obligations related to its former meeting hall. The table was originally offered at $320 but the county negotiated a lower price after discovering a loose veneer strip along the eastern edge.

Commissioners Martin Krebbs and Susan Terhune voted against the purchase, arguing that the county's existing folding table remains serviceable. "I see no reason to spend taxpayer money when what we have works fine," Krebbs said.

County Administrator Joyce Wernham noted that the conference room table is used for subcommittee meetings, planning sessions, and interviews with prospective employees. "A permanent table projects stability," she said.

The Wexagaw County board will revisit the matter at its March 14 meeting to receive the inspection report before authorizing final payment and delivery.