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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Dirt: Spokane-based ESD adding on to conference center

This is an artists rendering of the new addition planned for the Educational Service District 101 conference center on South Regal Street.

Educational Service District 101, one of nine such districts statewide, is adding on to its conference center on South Regal Street.

The 7,900-square-foot addition to an existing building is valued at $2.3 million, according to permits issued by the city of Spokane. When complete, the center will be nearly 14,000 square feet in size.

The one-story addition is currently under construction at 4202 S. Regal St. It will have one large conference room with a capacity of nearly 300 people, said Cameron Golightly, project manager with Meridian, Idaho-based Design West Architects, which designed the center. The conference room will have modular walls allowing the space to be made into four smaller rooms.

“They currently have a conference center that has one large conference room and a couple classroom-sized rooms,” Golightly said. “They do a lot of training for teachers, for staff, for superintendents, and their existing conference center is always full. They just saw the need for this one.”

Design West has offices in Spokane, Pullman and Kennewick. The company also designed the Moscow Intermodal Transit Center, Boise State University Student Recreation Center and Village Center Cinemas in Wandermere. Recently, it’s done work on Washington State University’s Museum of Art and Public Safety Building.

ESD 101 serves 59 public school districts and 45 state-approved private school districts in seven counties, allowing them to collectively plan and buy equipment. It also acts as an intermediary between the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the school districts. Other ESDs overseeing the state’s 295 school districts are in Yakima, Vancouver, Tumwater, Bremerton, Renton, Pasco, Wenatchee and Anacortes.

ESD 101 oversees districts with nearly 100,000 students.

Meridian Construction, of Spokane Valley, is the project’s general contractor.

WSU students design ‘parklet’

near Garland Sandwich Shoppe

A “parklet” is going in on North Madison Street, in front of the Garland Sandwich Shoppe in north Spokane.

The parklet, which is a parking space or loading zone that’s converted into a sidewalk extension, was designed and installed by third-year architecture students at Washington State University.

Led by Mona Ghandi, assistant professor in the School of Design and Construction, the project is described as a way to generate pedestrian activity, help local businesses and create new functions for streets.

The parklet will provide outdoor seating for the sandwich shop, which is at 3903 N. Madison St.

“Our objective is creating a vibrant public space in the neighborhood that benefits the people in the neighborhood and local businesses and attracts newcomers,” Ephraim Elongo, a junior architecture student, said in a statement.

Another WSU parklet design will be entered into the American Institute of Architects Spokane competition, which recognizes excellence in architectural design in the Spokane community. The 2018 AIA Design competition will take place April 26 and 27 at the Spokane Convention Center.

Students designed and began building the Garland parklet on the Pullman campus. Students received support from the Inland Northwest Architecture Foundation, Pullman Building Supply, Integrus Architecture, Garland Sandwich Shoppe, WSU’s School of Design and Construction, Bernardo|Wills Architects, MMEC Architecture and Interiors and ALSC Architects.

Valley Real Life converting

retail space in Otis Orchards

Valley Real Life Ministries is converting old retail space into a church in Otis Orchards.

The $1 million project will share a building with Otis Hardware, 4904 N. Harvard Road. The buildings were built in 1995 and this will be their first remodel, according to county property data.

The building is owned by J&B Partner, and the most recent sale of the 3-acre property was in 2006 for $20,000.