Mayors seek delay in Real Life ruling

The mayors of Post Falls, Rathdrum and Hayden want the Kootenai County Commission to delay its final decision to allow a septic system above the aquifer and reopen the public hearing on Real Life Ministries’ proposal to build a new campus on the Rathdrum prairie.

In a letter signed Tuesday, the mayors urge the commission not to “unilaterally bypass” a 2005 agreement between the cities and county not to approve large projects until a sewer master plan on the prairie is complete.

“Our agreement to plan and work together should be more than mere words on paper,” wrote Hayden Mayor Ron McIntire, Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin and Rathdrum Mayor Brian Steele.

The request follows a similar letter sent last week by the Hayden Lake Recreational Water and Sewer District and North Kootenai Water District. The groups also asked the commission to reconsider its decision.

The $300,000 study is expected to wrap up by year’s end. It will dictate the size of sewer pipes, their location on the prairie and the placement of lift stations and treatment plants. The overall idea is to eventually eliminate septic tanks above the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which is the source of drinking water for more than 500,000 people.

The cities opposed the plan by Real Life Ministries to build a new campus over the aquifer without first having sewer service. The campus eventually would include a 3,500-seat worship center and nine other buildings totaling 458,000 square feet.

Hayden City Administrator Jay Townsend said reopening the public hearing is a better option and would create less animosity than filing an appeal in district court.

The commission is scheduled to sign and finalize on May 24 its approval to give the church a conditional-use permit to build a new campus on 116 acres east of state Highway 41.

Townsend said attorneys for the cities think it’s still possible for the county to postpone that final move and reopen the hearing so the cities may provide more information on why they think the county is violating the contract and perhaps rendering the sewer study useless.

County Attorneys John Cafferty and Erika Grubbs didn’t return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday.

The cities also take issue with the way in which the application for a conditional-use permit was advertised, downplaying the actual size of the proposed campus.

The mayors question whether Real Life Ministries even qualifies for a conditional-use permit under county law because the plan is not only for a church but also for business offices, retail space and other buildings organized around a village green that could include a 2-acre artificial lake, two miles of trails and ballfields.

In a 2-1 vote, the commission approved the permit May 3.

Commissioners Rich Piazza and Todd Tondee said they don’t think the project would harm the aquifer because the church agrees to connect to sewer when it’s available. The commissioners also said construction will happen in phases, so the full impact likely won’t occur for 25 years – long after sewer is available.

They argued that the community benefit, especially with the offer of public ballfields and recreational spaces, outweighed the other concerns.

Neither Tondee nor Piazza returned phone calls seeking comment on whether they would consider reopening the hearing.

Commission Chairman Rick Currie voted against the permit, saying it would violate the agreement with the cities.

Real Life, which claims to be the largest church in the Inland Northwest, has agreed to hook to sewer once it’s available. Until then septic tanks would serve the facilities.

The Panhandle Health District said the property has the capacity to handle the equivalent of 23 residential septic tanks. The district only allows one septic system on every 5 acres above the aquifer.

Townsend said it goes against the entities’ agreement – and smart planning – to allow the church or any development to use septic until a sewer system is available. He said developers must share in the cost of getting the sewer system to the property. Townsend said if the commission agrees to reopen the public hearing it’s unclear if just the cities could testify or the general public.

Larkin, the Post Falls mayor, testified against the proposal at the April public hearing and Hayden sent a letter in opposition. Previously the cities had discussed the importance and ramifications of the agreement with the county commission.

“We felt we had a large enough voice,” said Townsend, the Hayden city administrator.

Now he said that’s obviously not the case and that the cities need to present the commission with more information and clarify their concerns.

The nondenominational Christian church is outgrowing its complex in Post Falls off Cecil Road. About 12,000 people attended Easter services last month.