Hitting The Road Department Of Licensing Office In The Bowdish Center Will Be Moving To The West Plains

The Valley’s state Department of Licensing office will close as early as February and move to a new multi-service facility being built on the West Plains.

That means the nearly 66,000 people who use the licensing center at 11530 E. Sprague each year will have to go either to the West Plains or the North Side to renew their driver’s licenses, take exams for new licenses or get state identification cards.

“Going to the North Side one is a real pain. You’ve got a 45-minute wait,” said David Bradley, who renewed his license in 10 minutes at the Valley office on Wednesday.

For most Valley residents, the round-trip to either the new West Plains facility or the North Side office would be a one-hour drive.

Shutting down the Valley licensing office is part of an effort to house complementary state agencies in the same location, said Ken Mark, assistant director of driver’s services in Olympia. The Department of Licensing will occupy a new building alongside the Washington State Patrol, which performs vehicle inspections.

Combining the two agencies under one roof near Geiger Boulevard and Interstate 90 also is in response to pressure from the state Legislature for the Department of Licensing to own its own buildings, Mark said.

Currently, the department leases all but two of its 63 offices statewide, Mark said.

“It’s been one of those things that’s been bantered about for some time,” Mark said. “I’d be less than honest with you if I told you that everyone out there thinks this is the best idea.”

Count many Valley residents among those who aren’t happy with the plan.

“My driver’s license is due in December, so this is the last time I will be able to catch it in the Valley,” said Jen Evanson, a Dishman resident.

Ponderosa resident Dr. Gary Newkirk has used the Valley licensing office since moving to the Valley 16 years ago.

Newkirk recently made four trips to the Valley office, to renew his own driver’s license, to take his 17-year-old daughter to get her learner’s permit and then her driver’s license, and to get a state identification card for his 12-year-old son. Airlines now require all passengers, including children, to show photo identification before boarding.

Shutting down the Valley office will create an inconvenience, Newkirk said. Like other Valley residents, Newkirk said he will be forced to take time off work to visit the new facility out west.

“That’s almost a half day of work when now you can get the job done on the way home,” he said.

State Sen. Bob McCaslin, R-Spokane Valley, has opposed the move for nearly two years and pledged to continue fighting to block the closure of the Valley office. McCaslin is concerned the commute will cause gas, oil and tire expenditures to rise for Valley residents, he said.

“I just don’t see where the state’s going to benefit from it,” McCaslin said. “We’re certainly not going to.”

In a letter to McCaslin earlier this month, Kathy Baros Friedt, director of the state Department of Licensing, said housing two state agencies under one roof makes sense.

“This facility will support one-stop shopping for vehicle and driver licensing functions which enhances operational efficiencies and improves public access to licensing services through the Customer Service Center concept,” Friedt wrote in the Oct. 9 letter.

The state also plans to sell vehicle licenses out of the West Plains office, Mark said. Emissions testing will not be offered, however.

The concept may be a good idea, but the location is lousy, said Georgeanna Conrad who was renewing her license Wednesday afternoon. She favored combining the services in a more central location.

“That’s kind of a far out place for most residents,” she said.

Department of Licensing officials are hopeful license renewals, identification cards and other non-testing needs will be served at a Valley “express office.”

However, opening a satellite office will take time and money, officials said. The department has submitted a request to the state Legislature for $320,000, the estimated cost of operating a satellite office for the next two years, Friedt wrote.

While the satellite office would handle approximately 15,000 renewals per year, it will be at least a year before it is up and running, Mark said.

Until a satellite office opens, those functions will be handled at the new facility or at the North Side office, which served nearly 100,000 motorists in 1995, according to the Department of Licensing.

“I knew it was busy every time we went, but I never knew it was that busy,” said Ponderosa resident Darcy Brown, who plans in the future to use the North Side office, which is at 6519 N. Lidgerwood.

Newkirk is uncertain which office he will use.

“I really think the state needs to do better, especially for something that is required,” he said.

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