Office and retail complexes planned on Liberty Lake Road
Sonrise Investment plans to build an office building and retail complex on property it owns on North Liberty Lake Road.
The company has hired Baker Construction to build two brick-and-stucco complexes on land near Washington Trust Bank. A building permit is pending.
The single-story office building will be 3,800 square feet. An adjacent 4,200-square-foot retail complex will house up to four businesses, said Joe Stoy of Baker Construction.
Builders plan to break ground on the office complex in mid-October and on the retail building shortly afterward, Stoy said, adding, the project should take about three months to complete.
Agreement may help challenges
The council passed a franchise agreement that establishes guidelines for utility work done on city-owned right of way.
The agreement, passed at Tuesday’s council meeting, may improve communications between the city and Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District, which disagreed over aspects of two road projects this year.
In one instance, the city and sewer district butted heads over procedure for patching city-owned roads that are torn up to make utility repairs.
In January, the district responded to a broken water main on Broadway Avenue. After a section of road was torn up and the main repaired, the district hired a contractor it regularly uses to put on a temporary cold-weather patch.
In the spring, the company put on a permanent patch, without first obtaining permission from the city.
City Manager Lewis Griffin said the district’s contractor used wet dirt as backfill and failed to obtain proper permits and reports for the work. What started as a $250 fine escalated to a bill for $3,000 when the city was unhappy with the patch and re-did the work.
Sewer Commissioner Harley Halverson told the council that the district was accustomed to county procedures and the county didn’t require permits for small patches.
However, he admitted that the district needs to get up to speed with 4-year-old city’s procedures.
“We know the city is the boss,” said Halverson, who supported a franchise agreement.
To improve communication and planning, Doug Smith, the city’s director of planning and community development, and Lee Mellish, general manager of the sewer district, have agreed to meet regularly.
Top readers get recognized
The mayor presented gifts of appreciation to kids who spent the most time reading this summer. Top readers were Kylie LaBlanc, Jason Walker, Hayley Sullivan and Katie Mullin.
Summer intern Megan Klegin, a Central Valley High School sophomore, was also recognized for her library work.
Architect approved
Bernardo-Wills Architects will design Liberty Lake’s community center.
The City Council approved the firm on Tuesday at the recommendation of a committee made up of several council members, city staff and library representatives.