Spokane Valley City Council hears updates on department projects

The Spokane Valley City Council spent Tuesday evening listening to updates and highlights from some of the main city departments.

Steve Worley, capital projects engineer, presented street projects that are candidates for funding from the state Transportation Improvement Board.

The projects are: a traffic signal at Pines Road and Mirabeau Parkway; pavement preservation on McDonald Road between Eighth Avenue and Mission Avenue; concrete intersections at Broadway Avenue at Mullan and Argonne roads; and a long-anticipated sidewalk project on Bowdish Road at Opportunity Elementary School.

Worley said the board likes projects that are ready to go.

Applications are due Aug. 21. The City Council gave a thumbs-up for Worley to pursue the funding.

Public Works Director Eric Guth gave an in-depth update on projects that are underway.

The Argonne Corridor project is on time, and paving will take place during the night beginning Friday.

“We should be done toward the end of July,” Guth said.

The Sullivan Bridge project is progressing according to plan. The contractor is building a temporary bridge across the river.

Guth reminded the council that there’s a Sullivan Bridge project camera on the city’s website.

“The project goes much faster there in the time-lapse mode than in reality,” he joked.

Guth also reminded the council that the Appleway Trail, which is being unveiled at 10 a.m. today, isn’t completely done.

“We are talking about coming back and doing more of a park,” Guth said. The weather has been too hot to put in hydro seeding.

City Manager Mike Jackson added that the Appleway Trail received $1.8 million in the recently approved state budget, opening up many opportunities for how the trail may expand.

“People should know it’s not done; there are other enhancements to come over time,” Jackson said.

Director of Spokane Valley Parks and Recreation Department Mike Stone opened his presentation with photos from the new sand volleyball courts at Browns Park.

He said the opening tournament was very successful with lots of players and their families in the park all day.

A basketball court primarily sponsored by Hoopfest has also been hugely popular.

“It’s great to see that much activity,” Stone said.

This year’s free swim day when the pools opened attracted 900 swimmers, Stone said, almost twice as many as last year.

A smaller parks and recreation project is the striping of tennis courts in Edgecliff Park so they will accommodate pickle ball.

“Pickle ball is very popular,” Stone said, “and we’ve gotten requests for an outdoor court, so we will see how this goes.”

John Hohman, director of community and economic development, said his staff is working on developing an online tool for people who’d like to open restaurants in Spokane Valley.

“We’d be able to direct them there and all applications and permits would be in one place,” Hohman said.

Hohman also shared that Spokane Valley is talking to the Spokane Shock about building a new training facility for the team, but no specific plans have been made.

If a facility is built, it can also be used for youth sports, he said.