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

Preschool center in the works

Nicole Hilton, left, and business partner Nikki Kinzer (holding son Cody) are renovating a building at 110 W. Cataldo Ave., where they plan to open the Journey Discovery Center, a preschool for infants up to school-age children. (Colin Mulvany)

Journey Discovery Center in Spokane has begun $275,000 worth of improvements at 110 W. Cataldo Ave., where the co-owners said they expect to open their preschool sometime this spring.

Nikki Kinzer said she and business partner Nicole Hilton hope to enroll 89 children as young as 1 month old at the center.

The building contains 5,400 square feet, with about the same amount of space outside for a playground, she said.

Kinzer said a full kitchen will be installed, with the expectation many children will be eligible for food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There will be one classroom for infants, two for toddlers, and three for preschoolers.

The center will have sprinklers and an intercom system so teachers can communicate with the office without having to leave their classrooms, she said.

Kinzer said she and Hilton have 24 years of experience in child care, and degrees in child development. The center will have a staff of about 15, she said.

The state of Washington has awarded the center $25,000 from the Commerce Child Care Facility Fund.

Building permits down sharply

It was a tough year for construction in Spokane County, and not much better for the state of Washington, according to year-end figures from McGraw-Hill Construction.

The value of nonresidential permits fell 40 percent to $232.7 million, while residential activity slumped 25 percent to $178.2 million.

In December nonresidential was off 40 percent at $12.4 million, residential off 12 percent at $6.9 million.

Nonresidential construction for all of Washington fell 34 percent to $3.8 billion. Residential activity sank almost as much: 32 percent to $3.3 billion.

Insurance agency relocates

The Chris Regel State Farm insurance agency, 328 N. Sullivan Road, will relocate March 1 to a larger, newer building east of the Spokane Valley Mall.

The new address is Suite 100 of the office complex at 16114 E. Indiana Ave.

Regel’s agency has been on Sullivan for about five years. The new lease is for five years.

James S. Black was the broker for property owner Sullivan Office Ventures LLC.

Staff writer Tom Sowa contributed to this report. Here’s the Dirt is a weekly report on new developments and business openings, closings or movement in the Inland Northwest. E-mail business@spokesman.com or call (509) 459-5528.