JCFBA Hires Consulting Firm to Manage the Completion of Quilcene Building Project

JCFBA has hired Barker Creek Consulting out of Silverdale to take over management of the project on behalf of Jefferson County Food Bank Association. To advance the project, Barker Creek will lead the effort in soliciting design-build proposals from regional contractors to complete construction of the facility.

Planning for a new Quilcene food bank facility began in 2019. The project initially broke ground in November of 2023, with an anticipated completion date of December 2024. In the intervening time, due to term limit expirations, the Board of Directors elected several new members. As the work proceeded, the new board leadership discovered that the design, planning, and decisions made around implementation costs made by the prior leadership were not sufficient to serve the needs of JCFBA’s operations going forward. As a result, in April of this year, the Board decided it was necessary to conduct a full forensic audit, and placed the Quilcene building project, the largest expenditure in the Association’s 37-year history, on hold.

The audit process, led by Insightful Analytics, is examining organizational records dating back to at least 2020. The information being analyzed includes bank statements, deposit and donation records, vendor invoices and payments, tax returns, contractor agreements, and meeting minutes of both the board and committees specifically related to the Quilcene building project.

Early findings from the audit indicated the necessity to hire an outside construction consultant to oversee the completion of the new Quilcene building. These findings include lack of committee oversight in determining true costs of construction as well as serious issues with fiscal governance protocols around billing for time and materials.

“This decision was necessary,” said Craig Uchida, Board President. “Our executive director and the new officers on the board were not involved in any of the initial planning of this project. We need to understand why this project has become what it is and make sure it meets the needs of our community not just now but well into the future.”

Demand for food bank services continues to grow. At this time last year, the JCFBA network of food banks was serving on average 2,700 households per month. That number has now jumped to 3,400.

“Securing capital funding from government grants, foundations, and individual donors requires considerable planning and strategy ahead of breaking ground. For a campaign to be successful, an organization needs to know where the finish line is. What started as a $250,000 project ballooned into a structure that will likely cost well over $1million to complete. That is problematic on many fronts,” said Patricia Hennessy, Executive Director. Hennessy also noted that there had not been a designated budget developed for the project and funding to pay for it had been coming out of reserves that should have been used to pay for food and other operational expenditures.  “We know the community supports a new food bank in Quilcene. We will finish the building, but how we do this is critical to the long-term goals and vision of our food bank network.”

Jefferson County Food Bank Association (JCFBA) - Jefferson County Food Bank Association (JCFBA) is dedicated to alleviating food insecurity by providing nutritious meals and support to individuals, seniors and families throughout Jefferson County. JCFBA operates four food banks including Brinnon, Quilcene, Tri-Area and Port Townsend.

Founded in 2018 and based out of Kitsap County, Barker Creek Consulting (BCC) provides owners representative and construction management services throughout the Pacific Northwest. Being from Kitsap County, our firm has strong ties to the Olympic Peninsula. At its core, BCC is a firm that is invested in strengthening, enriching, and fostering safe communities.