To free up more space for the planning and zoning department and the auditor's office, the Pennington County Commission decided not to renew the lease with the coffee shop inside the courthouse.

Commissioner Nancy Trautman said it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it was still difficult to make.

"Gosh, we hated to. It's one of those tough decisions you have to make," she said. "We just are so cramped for space, we decided we would not renew it."

Wayne Sumner, 71, opened the business in 1988 with the help of the state's business enterprise program, which helps visually impaired people become independent business operators.

Sumner rents space from the county and leases the shop's machines from the business enterprise program. He said he realized county government was growing and needed more room. He said he wasn't surprised his lease wasn't renewed.

"Sooner or later, either I was going to retire or they were going to fail to extend the lease," he said. "It gave me something to occupy time. There are good business days and bad business days, but it wasn't unexpected and it didn't shock me or anything. Sooner or later, it was going to happen."

Dan Jennissen, planning and zoning director, said he hates to force Sumner out, but space in his office is tight and more room is vital. "Every available corner is filled with a filing cabinet. We have no open space whatsoever," he said.

Auditor Julie Pearson told the county commission on Tuesday the space could be used by her office for voting booths during early voting.

Tight quarters exist throughout the courthouse, which has caused the county to start planning a major project to build a new office building near the courthouse and move all county departments out of the courthouse. Such a move would accommodate the ongoing space needs of the court system.

Trautman said taking the coffee shop space buys some time for the auditor and planning department while the larger office project is prepared.

"Since the contract issue came up, we really had to seriously look at our space needs versus providing a coffee area, and which was more important," Trautman said. "We really, really need the space."

The coffee shop lease will end in 90 days. Trautman said the county will use the next three months to develop a plan to get the maximum use out of the space.

Sumner doesn't begrudge the county. In fact, he said the shop hasn't been making as much of a profit in recent years, primarily because of the impact of going smoke-free and installing a security system.

"People used to stop by here and have coffee, smoke and visit with their clients or whatever," he said.

Sumner said he's getting long in years, so retirement is a possibility, though not a certainty.

"I'm so old, my wife would like me to retire. But if I find something else that interests me, I'd probably do it. Who knows? I may fade into obscurity and oblivion," he said.

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415, or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com