Salvation Army on the move; building up for sale for $1.65 million
Kristen Harmon, The Dalles Salvation Army Service Center Coordinator, said she is waiting for some assistance from Portland headquarters to make the move to their new office and pantry in the former Chronicle building at 811 E. Second Street, across from Domino’s Pizza.
By Tom Peterson
The Army is on the move.
The Salvation Army that is.
And it is thinking small while going big with a sale.
The charity is moving in weeks to come to a new office in the former Chronicle building,811 E. 2nd Street, The Dalles, next to Precision Automotive.
Its current site at 623 E. Third Street is up for sale.
“It’s a big undertaking to move,” said Kristen Harmon, The Dalles Salvation Army Service Center Coordinator. “There’s a lot to move over.”
The new site of the Salvation Army in weeks to come - 811 E. Second Street. The sweet bike does not come with the building ;) The Salvation Army has been active in The Dalles in one form or another since 1865.
Realtor Brian Lauterbach said the charity had signed a lease agreement for the former Chronicle building which was renovated in 2017. It had previously housed Tum-A-Lum Lumber.
It marks a major change for the charity which is downsizing from 24,000 square feet to 4,600 as it has made moves to alter its impact in The Dalles.
Why Move, Why Now?
The move is part of an overall change of strategy in The Dalles as church services were halted and the thrift store shuttered last summer. Instead, Salvation Army is moving into more social services in The Dalles, starting with food assistance.
In so doing, the charity needs far less space.
Food box assistance, a mainstay of the charity, has been stopped until the move is made to the new building.
For Harmon, these are seismic moves. She has dedicated the last 28 years of her life to the charity at the same location in The Dalles.
“I was born and raised in The Dalles, and I went to college and moved back and away from the big city, and here I stayed,” she said on Tuesday, Jan. 3. “It’s sad to see it go,” she said of the thrift store and the building.
At the same time, Harmon said she has done a walk-through of the new office across from Domino’s Pizza and could see where her office and the food pantry would be.
Super Snooper - this horrible photo taken by me through a dirty window gives an idea of the interior of the new building the Salvation Army has leased. It will become an office and food pantry for the charity in weeks to come.
“... And I am getting excited,” she said. “I have learned that change can be good.”
“They are going to modernize,” she said. “Clients will have a choice in the pantry. They will be able to go shopping like a local grocery store so, they can get items they need for their particular style of cooking and needs.”
It retrieves food from the Columbia Gorge Food Bank in the Port of The Dalles, which is part of the Oregon Food Bank network.
Salvation Army “intends to increase other types of assistance and help fill needs that are not being met in the community,” she added. “We just don't know what those are yet.”
Salvation Army is also selling the minister's quarters, or its house at 622 Summit Ridge Drive near the Oregon Veteran’s Home. Zillow had it valued at above $400,000
That incredible Salvation Army sign might have to make the move too. We counted the screws this morning - at least 48 to remove it. Oh and probably a small crane to boot. But that sign… priceless.
What Happens to the old building?
It’s for sale - $1.65 million. The commercial two-story building has 24,000 sq. ft. on two floors and the deal includes the adjacent 10,000 sq. ft. parking lot. It also has a nice chunk of land at .29 acres. The layout gives way to many possibilities for re-development, such as retail and vertical housing.
Listing Agent Brian Lauterbach said he has had some nibbles on the property already and, generally, developers are looking to do additional housing on the upper floor and create retail space on the first floor.
“I think it would be perfect for indoor food carts,” Lauterbach said throwing out other possibilities. “You could actually set it up where you could pull food carts in and out of the building. They’ve done it elsewhere, like at PDX. You could get six to eight carts in there, and it would be out of the weather.”
East Downtown Renaissance?
The sale and renovation of the building would add mightly to the synergy that is already occurring downtown. Just down the street, The Steltzer Enterprises backed by Azure Standard is setting up a grocery store and health hub in months to come in the currently vacant 15,000-square-foot building at 315 Federal Street.
Volunteer and Employment opportunities
Harmon, who is currently the only employee with Salvation Army in The Dalles, will need assistance in the near future.
“We will need several volunteers to assist with running the food pantry,” she said. “We’ll need them to guide people through to help with questions about amounts and what people can and cannot get. And we’ll have to restock the shelves.”
Salvation Army will also be hiring an assistant for the food pantry. “Look out for the job posting on the Oregon Employment website and on Indeed.com and our own website,” she said. “The position will do everything I do in addition to driving the food truck back and forth to the food bank.”
TD Kiwanian Dick Rife seen here getting his laps in at Thompson Track said had he known the competition was so close, he would have thrown another $9 at it. Sometimes it’s a game of inches.
Lions edge Kiwanis by $8 in Bell Ringer
The Dalles Lions Club pulled off a squeaker of a win as the two community service groups competed against each other in gathering donations for the Red Kettle Campaign; you know the one. Local Santas stand in front of grocery stores and other businesses and ring their bell to collect donations in their red kettles.
This year, the groups raised $,5,970.
Lions Club: $2,989; Kiwanis: $2,981.
Oh, that’s a stinger. Just $8 difference.
“Had I known it was going to be so close I would have chipped in the extra $9,” said Kiwanian Dick Rife after learning of the narrow scrape.
Harmon was delighted either way.
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“The communities come through every year, and we raised enough to get things done and make things happen.”
If you missed your opportunity to donate, you can still drop off a gift at the Salvation Army at its Third Street location or mail it to Salvation Army, PO Box 1970, The Dalles, Oregon 97058.
