Sewer Projects Flow Along In Valley

Sat., Feb. 5, 2000

By Lorie Hutson lorieh@spokesman.com (509) 459-5446

There is at least one Spokane County budget that has not felt the pinch of Initiative 695 - yet.

Although there are still questions about raising sewer rates and other fees in the wake of I-695, sewer construction projects for the next two years have not been affected, said Bruce Rawls, county utilities director.

County commissioners had approved rates for the sewer construction program through 2001 before the initiative, which requires voter approval of new taxes, passed in November.

By early spring, crews will start digging trenches and burying sewer lines serving about 1,400 Valley homes and businesses.

The county plans to extend service to two areas of the Valley this summer: along University Road and Mission Avenue, between Interstate 90 and Sprague Avenue; and the portion of the Ponderosa neighborhood east of Van Marter Road.

Sewer construction along University and Mission will be coordinated with road improvements there, said Kevin Cooke, sewer planning and design manager. It is scheduled to start during the first part of April.

Construction in the Ponderosa neighborhood should begin about a month later.

Work in both areas should be finished before winter weather.

“We strive to get done by Oct. 1,” Rawls said.

Also, crews will extend a sewer line from Dishman-Mica Road to Painted Hills in anticipation of building sewer lines to homes there in 2001.

This year’s Valley projects are expected to cost about $9.6 million and account for most of the $13 million worth of sewer improvements planned countywide in 2000. The sewer program is financed with a blend of state grants, county funding and connection charges.

Cooke said the county holds open houses for residents who will have sewer lines extended into their neighborhoods. At the meetings, utilities workers explain the costs, construction timeline and give residents general information about what to expect.

The open house for residents of the University and Mission areas was held recently. The date for a meeting with Ponderosa homeowners will be announced soon.

Spokane County will spend its entire annual budget for sewer improvements in 2001 in the Valley.

Areas slated for sewer projects next year include:

Along Sprague from Park Road to Argonne Road, stretching southeast along Dishman-Mica Road;

South of Interstate 90 and north of Sprague along Argonne Road;

The Painted Hills neighborhood;

A small area along Eighth Avenue and west of Park Road;

A small area west of Pines Road and north of 32nd Avenue.

Overall, the county sewer construction program is about two years ahead of schedule, Rawls said.

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