The Dirt: Plans submitted for new Adams Elementary

Plans have been accepted by the city of Spokane to rebuild Adams Elementary on the same plot at 2909 E. 37th Ave.

The move comes before voters have had a chance to approve the bond for the construction.

Spokane Public Schools voted unanimously in November to send a resolution to voters in a special election scheduled for February, according to previous Spokesman-Review reports.

If approved by voters, a $200 million bond would be allocated to replace Adams and Madison elementary schools, and the cost for design plans to replace Balboa and Indian Trail elementary schools.

No new commercial building permits have been submitted for the other schools under their current address, according to city of Spokane permitting data.

The bond would also fund upgrades at Chase Middle School, an addition and modernization at Garry Middle School and the modernization of the oldest section of North Central High School, which was last updated in the 1980s.

It would pay for upgrades at the Libby Center, Spokane Public Montessori and an addition to the Community School, according to previous reports.

According to the application, the school would be three stories and encompass 60,420 square feet. The structure would have an occupancy load of 1,599 people and cost an estimated $26 million to build.

Spokane’s Garco Construction is the contractor listed and NAC Architecture will design the building.

STA announces Valley route update

Six permits have been submitted by the Spokane Transit Authority to the city of Spokane to build new bus stops.

According to the permits, six stops will be constructed as part of the Sprague Line project, a bus route connecting downtown Spokane to Spokane Valley.

The route will go as far east as South University Road where the Valley Transit Center is located at 10501 E. 4th Ave.

The route is currently known as Route 90 and is one of the most heavily used, with annual rides of 866,634 in 2019, according to the Spokane Transit Authority Website.

Stops will vary but each location included in the permits will be fitted with shelters, according to Carly Cortright, Spokane Transit Authority’s chief of communications.

Currently, Route 90 consists of 62 bus stops, seven of which have shelters.

The cost of the six new bus stops is estimated at about $842,000, according to the application.

Stops designated as a “station” are used 75 times or more everyday by riders.

Stations will be equipped with a shelter, bench, leaning rail, lighting, wayfinding, waste/recycle bins, and real-time information screens that inform travelers when their bus is expected to arrive, according to the organization’s website.

Stops to be updated into stations as part of the project will be at 4299 E. Sprague Ave., 3599 E. Sprague Ave., 3600 E. Sprague Ave., and 501 E. Sprague Ave., according to Cortright.

These stops will look similar to those that were installed this year on the Monroe-Regal route and what are currently available at City Line stations, she said.

Stops used between 75 and 25 times daily are designated as an “enhanced stop” and will have the same amenities except for the information screens.

Enhanced stops will be constructed at 3901 E. Sprague Ave. and 500 E. Sprague Ave., Cortright said.

If ridership increases at enhanced stops, they may be upgraded to stations in the future.

All stops will be accessible to riders with disabilities and improvements will be made to sidewalks for American Disabilities Act compliance during construction, Cortright said.

During the installation of the sheltered locations, current stops may be temporarily relocated a short distance away. In some cases, stops will be unaffected because the new stop location is not exactly where the current stop is, Cortright said.

Information will be posted at stops to inform customers how they will be affected. Information can also be found on the organization’s website and via phone call at 509-328-RIDE.

Eastbound stops as part of the Sprague Line project will be built at intersections of South Freya Street and South Sherman Street.

Westbound stops will be at intersections of South Havana Street, South Myrtle Street, South Freya Street and South Sherman Street.

There are roughly 15 new stops projected to be built for Sprague Line, Cortright said.

“Lots of enhancements and improvements are happening along this corridor in the next year in accordance with our mid- and long-term plans,” she said.

Construction of the Sprague Line is estimated to be completed next year.

ICCU headed to South Hill

Idaho Central Credit Union is planning to expand to Spokane’s South Hill according to plans submitted to the City.

On the plot located at 3065 S. Regal St., the unique pyramid-shaped building will be demolished and replaced, according to a separate permit application submitted to the city.

The building was previously a Wells Fargo Bank location since its construction in 1977, according to Spokane County data.

The credit union purchased the site just over a year ago for $4.2 million.

The new building will be a one-story, 4,862-square-foot building.

The project also includes two canopy structures and cash machines.

In sum, the project is estimated to cost around $5 million.

Spokane-based Garco Construction is the contractor listed and Boise-based Lombard Conrad Architects will design the building.