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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Council approves renovations for Valley Mission Park

A $900,000 plan for renovating Valley Mission Park will be done in phases under a strategy approved Tuesday.

The Spokane Valley City Council liked Deputy City Manager Mike Jackson’s proposal to go ahead with $400,000 worth of work the city currently can afford.

Jackson is to work out details and come back to the council with a more formal proposal. Tentatively, Jackson called for installing swing sets and two new picnic shelters.

Also, he said sight-obscuring trees and shrubs along the hillside park’s ridgeline would be removed to improve public safety. While removing the trees would reduce cover for illicit activities, it would also expose to view houses south of the park, Jackson acknowledged.

Plans to install $100,000 worth of lighting in the park and to repair and expand its parking would have to wait until more money is available, Jackson told the council.

Before firming up plans for Phase I work, Jackson wants to see whether an over-budget bid for renovating three city swimming pools can be brought under control.

The City Council last week rejected the only bid for adding amenities to the Valley Mission, Park Road and Terrace View pools. A $2.69 million bid by M.J. Takisaki Inc. was nearly $593,000 more than the city’s estimate.

Council members agreed to seek new bids with a modified construction schedule to alleviate concerns that some contractors said kept them from bidding.

Plans now call for the contractor to have more time to add a beachlike training pool at Valley Mission Park, a “lazy river” attraction at Terrace View and a water slide at Park Road.

However, construction of new bathhouses would have to be completed before the existing pools open this summer so the contractor doesn’t have to fence off the work sites.