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While a formal vote will be taken at an upcoming meeting, the Spokane Valley City Council agreed Tuesday to take a look at spending up to $50,000 in initial design work for a new city hall.
Two council members – Gary Schimmels and Rose Dempsey – are flat-out against the idea, however.
“I know we’ve got the money,” Dempsey told the council. “But it’s like we’re saying, ‘We’ve got the money, let’s spend it! We’ve got the money, let’s spend it!’”
Initial design work of a new city hall – tentatively set to be located at University City, the site of a proposed city center – would be done by the Spokane architectural firm Bernardo Wills/GGLO and would include a schematic design for the proposed 60,000-square-foot , three-story structure. It would also include a more detailed analysis of what the building would cost.
Last month, the council looked at a similar proposal to spend up to $377,000 – an amount that was challenged by some city residents and the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce. City staff members agreed it would not be necessary to spend that much money at this time.
Neil Kersten, city public works director, told council members Tuesday that he recommends spending up to $50,000 for initial architectural design and stopping there until real estate is acquired.
“Until we have a site nailed down, I wouldn’t want to spend more,” Kersten said.
Gary Bernardo, the principal architect, has told the city that there is work that his firm can do to make sure that the University City site is the correct one.
Schimmels, however, said that land question needs to be settled first.
“I’d suggest that $50,000 is $50,000,” he said. “I wouldn’t suggest spending this at this time and not spend any more until we go forward.”
Money for the design work has been budgeted in the city’s Civic Building Fund for some time.
Mayor Richard Munson suggested bringing the matter for a vote at a future meeting, which was supported by the majority of the council.
“I get so many e-mails asking, ‘Why aren’t you doing any planning?’” Deputy
Mayor Dick Denenny said. “If you spend the money to do it, you get criticism. If you don’t, you get more criticism.”
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By
Mike Huffman
