In brief: Pines Road segment closing for paving work

SPOKANE VALLEY – Pines Road will be closed to through traffic between 16th and 24th avenues for paving work beginning Monday. A sidewalk was added to the east side of the road last fall and gaps in the sidewalk on the west side were filled in, said assistant capital projects engineer Eric Amsden. Now the city is doing a grind and overlay pavement preservation project in the same area, she said.

Traffic will be detoured to Bowdish Road via 16th and 24th avenues through May 29. Residents will be allowed to access their homes during construction. Call (509) 720-5012 for more information.

Public meeting planned on Balfour Park project

SPOKANE VALLEY – People interested in learning more about the expansion of Balfour Park are invited to attend a meeting Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Spokane Valley Library, 12004 E. Main Ave. A conceptual plan for the site has been developed based on public input received during a previous community meeting. People are invited to look at the plan and comment.

The city recently purchased 8.4 acres of vacant land at Sprague Avenue and Herald Road and plans to partner with the Spokane County Library District to build a library on the property and expand the park next door.

Appleway Trail plan to be presented

SPOKANE VALLEY – A draft plan for the proposed Appleway Trail will be presented during a community meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at CenterPlace, 2426 N. Discovery Place. The plan incorporates suggestions made by the public during a previous community meeting.

The proposed trail would run down the former Milwaukee Railroad right of way south of Sprague Avenue between University Road and Evergreen Road. The land is owned by Spokane County, but the city has an agreement that allows it to build and maintain a trail on the site until it is needed for future transportation uses.

CVHS student named Huggable Hero finalist

LIBERTY LAKE – Katy Dolan, a junior at Central Valley High School and co-founder of Life Enhancement Through Education in Music, has been named a finalist in the 2013 Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes contest.

She’s one of 30 students nominated for making a positive impact on her community. LETEM collects gently used musical instruments, repairs them and distributes them to low-income students. The list of nominees will be pared down to 10 in July.

Each will receive $10,000 in educational scholarships, donations to a charity of her choice and a mentoring scholarship.