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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Millwood City Hall gets security update

Valerie Putnam vrputnam@yahoo.com

Millwood City Hall is set to undergo some security enhancements.

“It’s been 25 years since anything’s been done,” City Planner Tom Richardson said. “Things have changed a lot since then.”

During its recent regularly scheduled meeting, Millwood City Council awarded the $30,740 project to Inland Construction.

The work includes removal and infill of the door between the hallway and council room, removal and infill of the pass-through window between the kitchen and council room and construction of a wall to separate the mayor’s office from the work room.

“Primarily we get more security,” Mayor Kevin Freeman said. “And give staff a reproduction and production space that will facilitate getting things done in a quiet environment.”

The city had to do more work on City Hall, but bids came back higher than anticipated requiring staff to reduce the project’s scope.

“They did quite a good job of cutting things out,” Freeman said. “Bringing us in to where our initial projections were.”

Also during the meeting, the council heard a presentation by library supervisor Pat Davis and Argonne Branch librarian Kelsie Hudson. Their presentation outlined current programs and plans, as well as the Spokane County Library District’s Aug. 4 ballot issue.

The library district will ask voters to approve a 20-year, $22 million bond to fund four projects in Millwood and Spokane Valley. The cost of the bond is approximately 11 cents per $1,000 assessed property value, or $22 a year on a $200,000 home.

If approved, the Argonne Library will undergo a $1.5 million dollar expansion. The expansion will increase public library space by 6,000 square feet, especially in the children’s area. A larger meeting room, classroom, study rooms and computer space will be added.

The ballot issue also includes a new 30,000-square-foot Spokane Valley Library on Herald Road, a 10,000-square-foot library in Veradale/Greenacres and repurposing the existing Spokane Valley Library.

In other business, the council approved an ordinance adopting the International Property Maintenance Code.

“The code officer will have a better tool,” Richardson said. “We really don’t have much except for the term nuisance. This is more specific.”

Richardson said the code is used by other area municipalities but was overlooked by the city.

City Attorney Brian Werst noted the ordinance contains a specific provision for rodents and insects. The provision addresses an issue brought to the council by a resident at the last meeting in regard to his neighbor’s wood pile attracting mice near his home.