The Dirt: Spokane officials seek to update multiple facilities

Officials from the city of Spokane have submitted two separate permit applications to update three buildings.

According to plans, the city intends to remodel the Water Department’s administration building and offices located at the Spokane Upriver Dam.

Both permit sets were submitted by David Steele, a project coordinator and real estate manager with Spokane’s Facilities Department.

“There’s no real connection to the two projects. The water department was looking at its assets with the understanding that we won’t be building new facilities anytime soon,” he said. “Both spaces have been lived in for a long time without any updates.”

The Upriver Dam Facility, located at 2701 N. Waterworks St., will receive updates to its control room where city staff monitor dam operations including water and power levels, Steele said.

The effort will include making the space more presentable to the public.

“The dam is one of those spots that has a public facing aspect because it is often toured by local students,” he said. “My kids toured it when they were young and got to see the control room so the city saw this as a great opportunity to take a step forward and modernize its fits and finishes to make it more presentable for the next 25 to 30 years.”

About 25 city staffers work at the facility, which includes offices, a training room and restrooms – all of which will receive updates. Work will include replacing mechanical and HVAC systems and windows to ensure it aligns with energy code requirements, according to Steele.

The project is estimated to cost $1 million and planned to go to bid around March of next year, Steele said.

The city of Spokane Water Department administration building will receive similar updates to bring the campus up to energy codes.

Located at 914 E. North Foothills Drive, the campus spans about 7 acres and is the main hub for the department’s roughly 100 employees, Steele said.

In addition to updates to its mechanical systems, the campus will receive a building addition that will connect two existing structures.

The addition will connect their current offices to the brick building at the corner of North Foothills Drive and North Hamilton Street. The brick building, built in the 1930s, is among the oldest on site, according to Spokane County property records.

Due to its outdated mechanical systems, the space is underutilized, Steele said.

“We’re taking that historic brick building and essentially splitting it in half to provide training space and offices,” he said. “A big cost driver for the project is removing all the old heating and cooling and air quality systems from the 1940s.”

Those updates are projected to be completed by February. At that point, Water Department personnel will move to the updated space, allowing their current offices to receive similar alterations, Steele said.

The estimated cost of remodeling work was estimated to cost about $5 million, according to plans.

“It’s been a long time coming for these facilities,” Steele said.

Integrus Architecture, based in Spokane, designed both projects.

Avista expands to West Plains

To meet the growth of the West Plains, Avista Utilities is planning to construct a new transmission line spanning approximately two miles, according to plans submitted to the city of Spokane.

Immediately northwest of Spokane International Airport, the transmission line will be installed along U.S. Highway 2. It will begin where Highway 2 intersects with Spotted Road and it will go east and end near the intersection with Geiger Boulevard, plans show.

According to documents submitted to the city, Avista’s infrastructure will support area growth.

“Avista is joining this effort by strengthening the electric grid to support recent growth and future development,” plan documents read. “Constructing a new(230-kilovolt) transmission line is one piece of a larger reinforcement plan in the West Plains.”

According to Kate Yarboro, project manager for Avista, the new transmission line will connect two future substations.

“The Bluebird-Garden Springs 230 kV transmission line will connect Avista’s future Bluebird and Garden Springs substations, strengthening the electric grid and supporting the needs of the growing West Plains community,” Yarboro wrote in an email. “This project reflects Avista’s commitment to delivering reliable energy and investing in the long-term well-being of the people and neighborhoods we serve.”

The estimated cost of building the transmission line is $900,000, plans show.

Plans were submitted as part of the predevelopment process, which gives developers the opportunity to garner feedback from city building officials before construction permits are sought.