Clackamas County will not be purchasing the Bob’s Red Mill site in Milwaukie for the sake of developing an Oregon State University educational extension center.

The board of commissioners decided against this option during a meeting Tuesday, May 20, citing a preference for staying on the current path of building a new extension center on the Clackamas Community College campus. The commissioners were also hesitant due to a lack of information and the speed with which the county had to make a decision on the matter.

Bob’s Red Mill, which was known for selling healthy foods and had a retail store and cafe, closed in February. In March, the 1.96-acre site was listed for sale at $5.95 million.

Kristopher Elliott with the OSU extension center said the center’s advisory group had recently recommended the idea of purchasing the site to the county commission. The college looked at the site and determined that it would need minimal architectural improvements, according to Elliott.

“This facility will allow us to reach more folks, expand capacity and potentially bring more staff and faculty into the region,” Elliott said before the commissioners rejected the concept.

The county and Clackamas Community College have also been in discussions for years on a natural resource center that would include OSU extension services. Voters approved a 2022 bond measure in part for this purpose.

“It was an opportunity in Clackamas County to bring together the OSU extension office, the college and local farming horticulture businesses to create a center where we could focus on the future of farming, the future of horticulture and have a space where people could learn and get involved,” CCC President Tim Cook said at the meeting. He added that he felt moving away from this concept would amount to a missed opportunity.

The county was given a short timeline to work with on deciding whether to purchase the Bob’s Red Mill site, as the broker for the Milwaukie site already had another offer on the table.

Commissioners didn’t feel comfortable making such a big decision so quickly.

Commissioner Paul Savas said that moving forward with the Clackamas Community College site would honor the voters who approved the bond measure. He added that the site was better located and he was worried about potential issues, as building purchases often come with greater costs than anticipated.

“I’m concerned about that, which is why I’m reluctant to rush into anything,” he said.

Commissioner Martha Schrader felt similarly.

Chair Craig Roberts thanked Bob’s Red Mill for all it has done for the community and for the chance to purchase the site.

“I think the college has tremendous opportunities and I think we are just in a position where it looks like we are staying the course,” he said.