Press Release
Public Health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kittitas County Declares Emergency for the Armory Building – Main Event Hall

Kittitas County, WA - 02/27/2025 - Today the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners signed a resolution to declare an emergency for the structural beam failure in the Armory Building at the Kittitas Valley Event Center. The main event hall is the only space identified as a hazard and no one is allowed in the event hall portion of the building until the beam failure has been resolved. The main event hall is the only spaced identified as a hazard. However, the rest of the Armory facility is safe; Kittitas Valley Event Center staff continue to provide work with rental facilities and events. The Noxious Weed Control Board and the WSU Extension Kittitas County site are continuing to operate.

All events scheduled in the main event hall during March are canceled and will be relocated to other facilities on the ground.  Event Center staff are working as quickly as possible to get a contractor to replace the beams that are failing.  “Our goal is always to provide safe, friendly, and efficient services to all of our clients,” states Event Center Director Kady Porterfield.  “We may need to relocate events into April as well, depending on the contractor availability, but safety is always our top priority.”
 
Yesterday on February 26, Event Center staff noticed the appearance of wood splitting on two of the beams in the Armory’s main event hall.  Staff immediately responded by contacting an engineer.  Today the structural engineer assessed the building and determined a structural failure that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
 
With the declaration of an emergency, the structural beam failure can be addressed as quickly as possible.  The process of declaring an emergency gives the county legal authority to waive the bidding and other small work requirements.
 
Status updates to the beam failure and impending construction will be communicated directly to customers who are already booked for events.  The Event Calendar at Calendar: February 2024 has already been updated to reflect the closure for repairs.  If you have questions about your rental for March or for all other questions, please contact the front desk at the Kittitas Valley Event Center at 509-962-7639.
 

• Kittitas County Declares Emergency for the Armory Building Main Event Hall.pdf

Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us

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Contact: Kady Porterfield, Kittitas Valley Event Center Director, 509-962-7675

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