North County Residents Ask For Opportunity To Ride Bus In/Around: Elk, Deer Park, Riverside, Chattaroy

A handful of people living around Elk, Deer Park, Riverside and Chattaroy urged the Spokane Transit Authority to extend bus service to their areas so they can shop downtown, see a doctor, work at Northpointe and date.

Some service for the area is needed, and residents even told the board they would support a higher sales tax for STA service. A three-tenths of a cent tax (30 cents on a $100 purchase), is assessed on retail sales inside the STA’s service area, which stops around Day-Mount Spokane Road.

The STA board has been reluctant to extend bus and van service outside its existing boundaries. Residents in some areas inside the service boundaries, such as Mead, have complained they have no regular bus service at all.

About 12 people spoke to the STA board last week. Many were senior citizens who don’t drive and never have.

“A lot of them never did have driver’s licenses, and they’re stuck in Deer Park,” said Janice Purdy, a volunteer at the Deer Park Senior Center. Deer Park seniors spoke of how they carpool and rely on relatives and a van pool, which drops off residents in Spokane at 8:30 a.m. and returns at 2 p.m.

“Imagine having a morning doctor’s appointment and having to stay in town all day,” said Purdy.

One student said her friends need the bus to attend community college, work part-time jobs and date.

“I hate driving, but I love shopping,” said Mary Barce. “If there were bus service, we would take advantage of it.”

“Guys, you’ll understand this: I don’t always like to be with my wife when she goes shopping,” said Dan Bertzel of Deer Park.

The STA board is looking at limited service to the area that would tie in five times a day with current routes at Fairwood Shopping Center. It can run a pilot program in the north county area but only with a $172,213 subsidy from operations.

Under federal law, the STA would also be forced to provide van service for seniors, the disabled and others not able to take regular busses. This involves a van, with 24-hour notice, picking up riders at their homes and driving them to and from destinations.

The board did not take any action on the service extension, but members did indicate they preferred a request by residents for annexation into the STA service area rather than extension of service outside the boundaries.

Sales tax from the annexed area could bring in $140,000 a year to the STA.

“I have a problem with spending tax money outside an area on people who aren’t paying their fair share,” said Don Harmon, Airway Heights mayor and a member of the transit board.

Deer Park resident Bertzel said he already supports STA, but with no benefit.

“I am paying for it and so is everybody in Deer Park when they spend $1 in Spokane,” said Bertzel. “A lot of our dollars come in here.”

, DataTimes