The Dirt: New bar and grill coming to Ponderosa Village in Spokane Valley

A new bar and restaurant is coming to the Ponderosa Village development in south Spokane Valley.

Work is underway on the Ponderosa Bar and Grill, which is operated by Vance Emerson Sr., owner of the Otis Grill in Otis Orchards.

Ponderosa Bar & Grill’s menu will be similar to the Otis Grill, with a variety of steaks, sandwiches, pizza, salads and appetizers. It also will offer a full bar with domestic and craft beers on tap, some of which will be rotated out monthly to feature local breweries, said Karrie Thomson, general manager.

The establishment, at 11205 E. Dishman Mica Road, also will be serving breakfast, Thomson said.

“There’s not a lot of restaurants out in that area,” Thomson said.”People are very excited, especially for a breakfast restaurant.”

The bar and grill is anticipated to open mid-July.

“We are looking forward to having our patio open this summer,” Thomson said. “We are excited to get out there and serve everybody, and get the doors open.”

The Ponderosa Village development, adjacent to Barney’s Harvest Foods, was announced in 2018. It’s headed by Ken Tuntland, owner of Barney’s Harvest Foods, and Clyde Haase, project manager.

Construction was completed in May 2019 on two buildings, which are now home to The Mix Salon and Day Spa as well as Hello Sugar. Snap Fitness opened in January in the development.

Ponderosa Village will be built in phases over the next two years based on tenant demand. At full build-out, it will feature five buildings, each 5,000 to 6,000 square feet.

Tuntland took a community-driven approach with the development by distributing more than 8,800 flyers with surveys asking residents about the type of retail stores they wanted in the neighborhood. Residents expressed interest in mom-and-pop businesses such as coffee shops and affordable, locally owned restaurants.

Caterpillar dealer set for Liberty LakeWestern States Equipment Co. is planning to build a new retail, rental and repair facility in Liberty Lake.

The Meridian, Idaho-based company, an authorized Caterpillar dealer, is building a 127,300-square-foot facility to be used for maintaining and renting CAT equipment at 20150 E. Cataldo Ave., according to an environmental review filed with the state Department of Ecology.

The development includes a 46,200-square-foot equipment shop, a 15,800-square-foot hydraulic/spec shop, a 15,800-square-foot parts warehouse and additional office space. The site also will include 178 parking spaces, some of which will offer electric vehicle charging stations, according to the environmental review.

The project architect is Boise-based Glancey, Rockwell & Associates.

Construction is slated to begin in August and be complete in 2022.

Western States Equipment was founded in 1933 as Western Equipment. The company, which has 17 branches, provides machines and equipment to the construction industry. Its service area covers Idaho, Eastern Oregon and Washington, and parts of Western Montana and Wyoming.

Manufacturer building facilityA Ventura, California-based company is building a manufacturing facility in Liberty Lake.

Swiss Productions Inc., a family-owned and operated precision screw machine company, is building a 25,600-square-foot manufacturing facility with office space at 2232 N. Madson St., according to an environmental review filed with the state Department of Ecology.

The facility will employ more than 40 workers, some of whom are relocating from California, according to the environmental review.

The project architect is Spokane Valley-based Architectural Ventures.

Construction is slated to begin in July. The facility is anticipated to be operational by fall 2021, according to the environmental review.

Swiss Productions, founded in 1982, serves clients in the aerospace, health care, automotive and electronics industries.

This article was updated June 22 to reflect that Vance Emerson Sr. is the owner of the Otis Grill.