KMC buys five acres for expansion, to pay health district $2.15 million

Kootenai Medical Center is buying five acres from the Panhandle Health District to expand its hospital campus.

The two parties agreed on a $2.15 million price after several years of negotiations. The 5.1-acre parcel lies just north of the hospital.

Panhandle Health District employees will remain in the current facility at 2195 Ironwood Court until September, 2006, or until a new 46,000-square foot building is constructed on seven acres at Atlas and Honeysuckle Avenue.

The new building will allow the health district to bring all of its operations under one roof, eliminating the need to rent office space in Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene. The state of Idaho’s Health and Welfare office will continue to lease space on Ironwood Court.

KMC doesn’t have immediate plans for the 5-acre parcel, but is developing a master plan to identify future needs.

The hospital has been working for about five years to acquire additional land around its facility. The hospital campus has been expanded by about nine acres since 2000.

“As population grows in the five northern counties and health services expand, the demand for useable land increases as well,” said Joe Morris, KMC’s chief executive officer. “This is an example of two public entities working in a cooperative manner for the constituents of our community.”

Renton company buys Lincoln Container

Allpak Container, a Renton packaging company, recently purchased Spokane’s Lincoln Container and changed its name to Allpak Container East.

The Spokane location will continue to operate from 3038 E. Trent, Allpak said in a news release.

The Spokane business serves customers in Washington, Idaho and Montana from a 60,000-square-foot facility. Allpak is a full-service company providing corrugated packaging along with in-house design and manufacturing capabilities, the release said.

Allpak started in Seattle in 1961 and now has 100 employees serving clients from Alaska to Mexico.

Lincoln Container was founded in 1985 by Darrel Haugen, who died in October, the release said. In addition to retaining the company’s 10 employees, General Manager Terry Piger said Thursday that the company also has hired two people.

Piger said Allpak will “enhance what Lincoln Container does in the marketplace by providing alternative packaging.” He said the company also would improve its local facility.

Spokane Public Schools sells bonds

Spokane Public Schools sold $65 million in bonds Wednesday to fund construction and remodeling of schools throughout the district.

The sale was the last of a $165 million school improvement bond approved by voters in 2003.

District 81 moved up the sale by nine months to lock in favorable interest rates, said Mark Anderson, associate superintendent. Also, with the money in hand, the district can invest the proceeds and stands to make about $1 million in returns on that investment, he said.

That’s “one of the many strategies we’re pursing to deal with an unprecedented increase in materials costs,” Anderson said. District 81 also is asking the Legislature to increase by $11 million its contribution to the collection of projects. Currently, the state has pledged to provide $42 million in matching funds, Anderson said.

ITT officially opens Spokane Valley facility

ITT Technical Institute officially opened its new Spokane Valley facility Thursday, although students have been attending classes there since December.

The 29,000-square-foot building is located at 13518 E. Indiana, near the Spokane Valley Mall. It cost just under $5 million and was built by Lydig Construction, said William King, director of the school.

About 400 students are attending classes there now, but the facility can accommodate up to 600 students, King said.

The ITT Technical Institute in Spokane is one of 78 such schools owned by Carmel, Ind.-based ITT Educational Services Inc., a for-profit college system.