Kroc Center adding 140 parking spaces

Construction will start this spring on a one-story parking deck at Coeur d’Alene’s popular Kroc Center, thanks to a $2 million grant from the Salvation Army.

Before the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center opened in May 2009, membership was projected at about 8,000 people. Today, the center has 18,000 members with an average of 2,000 people visiting daily.

“We understand there is a need for additional parking,” Major Ben Markham, associate officer and director of operations and business, said in a news release. “We’re grateful the Salvation Army saw the need in our community.”

By repainting the existing lines in the parking lot and building the new $2.6 million parking structure, 140 spaces will be added to the 353-space lot. The remaining $600,000 will come from local Kroc Center building reserves.

The parking deck will be accessed by a new bridge entrance off Golf Course Road, in the parking lot’s southwest corner, Markham said. Architects West of Coeur d’Alene will design the parking structure, and Goebel Construction of Spokane will build it.

Construction and building fees will constitute 81 percent of the cost, with 10 percent going toward soft costs and the remaining 9 percent covering a project contingency fee, the release said.

Construction is due to begin in May and end in the fall.

The Kroc Center will remain open during the construction, although a portion of the west end of the parking lot will be fenced off.

Patrons are encouraged to help reduce use of the available parking spaces during that time by carpooling, using alternative transportation or walking, running or biking to the center.