Agencies Looking At Forming Community Center For Valley

Thu., June 3, 1999

By Marny Lombard marnyl@spokesman.com (509) 927-2166

At least a dozen agencies, ranging from the Community Colleges of Spokane to Volunteers of America, the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council, Planned Parenthood and the Valley Center, are exploring the idea of creating a community center in the Valley.

Money for such a center might be available through the proposed expansion of the Spokane Convention Center. That project, which is expected to go before Spokane County voters this fall, would extend a hotel-motel tax and sales tax for 10 years, in order to come up with $85 million to expand the convention center, as well as provide $20 million for fairgrounds improvements and other county projects.

“There is no community center out here, and services are fragmented. We’re trying to see if we can get some of the convention center money,” said Mollie Dalpae, executive director of the Valley Center.

The major goal of this group is to provide one-stop shopping for services to low-income Spokane Valley families - from a place to pick up food stamps, to a place for low-cost mental health services, as well as drug prevention and domestic violence counseling.

They also would like to provide recreation, parenting classes, large meeting space and other amenities that all Valley families would use. The Department of Social and Health Services is also interested in a Valley center.

At a meeting Tuesday, agency representatives discussed basic issues: How many Valley families do they serve? How much space would they need in a community center? What should be included in such a center? How could they best pitch this idea to the county commissioners?

CCS has discussed for years the need for a major site in the Valley, said Denny Glass, who helps oversee the adult basic education program. Currently community college classes are in several Valley sites.

“We’ve been looking for five years. When we fragment classes at night, we get little puddles of attendance,” Glass said.

Child care is a perennial need in the Valley, said representatives from Central Valley and East Valley school districts.

Community Mental Health has recently rented office space at the Valley Center for counseling, but would like a larger space in the Valley. Other agencies, such as Family Service Spokane and Planned Parenthood, also have a Valley presence, but foresee the need for more space in the future.

Dalpae is meeting with Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin next week to brief her on the project.

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