Eagles organization to stay in downtown location

Jul 23, 2008 7:32 AM - We're staying in the building, said Jimmy Carter, president of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. We're hanging right where we're at.

The building at 307 W. Chestnut Ave. has received several offers, but The Eagles never reached a final agreement on the price with any of the potential buyers, said Jerry Mellon, an agent for Lakemont Real Estate who represented the Eagles. The listing has an asking price of $720,000, according to the Yakima Multiple Listing Service.

The building has been off and on the market in the past few years as the organization looked for a new location that would better house a shrinking membership.

There was much speculation about the possible new uses for the building, which currently houses, among many things, a lounge and a bowling alley. The building is assessed at $715,300, according to the county assessor's records.

The organization received heat last year when it initially refused to implement the voter-approved statewide smoking ban. It had potential penalties of almost $60,000 for not complying with the state law, but the group never was fined.