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While the 5-2 approval by the Spokane Valley City Council was expected, some of the cost numbers in a design study for a new city hall were not.
In the end, the council agreed at its regular meeting Tuesday to move forward with spending $50,000 for work that’s not site specific on what the city will need in a new city hall building, which is expected to be located at University City – the site of a planned city center.
But the approval – which came without votes from Council Members Rose Dempsey and Gary Schimmels – came only after some hand-wringing over a total price tag of $377,000 was inserted in the language of the motion.
“My understanding was that we were going to authorize $50,000 for non site-specific activities,” said Deputy Mayor Dick Denenny. “This doesn’t seem like what we talked about.”
Dempsey was even more blunt.
“I think we’re buying a pig in a poke,” she said.
For the past few two weeks ago, the council discussed the idea of scaling down design work – which would be done by Spokane architectural firm Bernardo Wills/GGLO – for a schematic design for a proposed 60,000 square-foot, three-story structure. The work would also include a more detailed analysis of the final cost of new city hall building – currently, the city leases space at Redwood Plaza, 11707 E. Sprague.
While it has always been known that the full scope of work would cost $377,000, the council had reached consensus on March 10 to only spend $50,000 at this time. That’s because the city has yet to make a deal on property near University and Sprague with the owners of the shopping center.
On Tuesday, Neil Kersten, city public works director, reaffirmed that’s exactly what the council is doing. However, since the council needs to authorize the city manager to enter into the entire contract, he said the $377,000 total number needed to be included.
“You’re approving Phase 1, which is $50,000,” he said. “We’ll come back for approval of Phase 2.”
While the money to fund the study has already been budgeted through the city’s building fund, Schimmels agreed with Dempsey that the cost is too high right now.
“I’d support $50,000 but not $377,000,” he said.
Council Member Steve Taylor said the city has authorized the $10 million reconstruction of Barker Bridge without city staff members needing to check back with the council.
“To bring this back, it just becomes a political football,” he said.
Mayor Richard Munson countered, however, that the council needs to “pay attention with what’s being said in the public” and move through the process carefully.
Council Member Bill Gothmann added that, in the case of Barker Bridge, “We own the land.”
In other action, the council approved a first reading approving an airport overlay zoning for city land near Felts Field. The council voted 6-1 – Dempsey said no – for “option 4,” which would set housing density standards near the airport.
That option would allow for home owners who wish to subdivide their property – and who have already paid for water or sewer hook-ups – to do so. It would also require the notification to future homebuyers that they would be living in proximity to an airport and accept the noise that comes with it.
On Tuesday, however, representatives from both the airport and the
Washington state Department of Transportation Aviation Division told council members to be wary of too much housing near the airport as it could jeopardize the future – and economic benefits – of the facility.
Council members said they would consider those comments before making a final decision at their April 7 meeting.
Munson said he was “somewhat dismayed” by the comments coming from the state agency.“They had over a year to come to us,” he said.
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By
Mike Huffman
