 |
When Millwood Mayor Dan Mork sent out a community survey in February 2006, he was hoping to determine how residents felt about their city.
It turned out that most of the feedback centered around a particular street.
Citizens expressed growing concern with safety conditions along Argonne Road, the north/south thoroughfare that runs through the center of Millwood, dissecting the downtown business district.
“Argonne has become the main divider in our town,” Mork said in 2007. “It needs to be safe for motorists and pedestrians.”
It didn’t take long for Mork and the Millwood City Council to move the renovation of the corridor to the top of the municipal priority list. In June 2007, the town hired W & H Pacific, a Bothell-based consulting firm specializing in development and transportation, to conduct a study of current and projected traffic conditions on Argonne.
The report focused on statistics such as the average speed of vehicles, traffic volume and the destination of motorists.
A series of workshops followed with a diverse collection of stakeholders attending the meetings at Millwood Town Hall. Representatives from the city of Spokane Valley, the Inland Empire Paper Co., the Spokane Valley Fire Department and other groups added their input to a discussion of potential improvements.
The corridor study revealed that one in every five vehicles traveling down Argonne is a truck, generating increased wear on the road surface. In addition, 94 percent of motorists who utilize the street reside outside Millwood.
Business owners along Argonne like Jeff Postlewait of the Rocket Bakery told city leaders that inadequate pedestrian pathways, vehicle speed and truck traffic continued to present challenges for merchants and customers.
“We definitely hear about it on a daily basis,” he said.
The first stakeholder meeting took place in August 2007. In November of that year, Keith Martin of the Washington Department of Transportation spoke at a City Council meeting and provided recommendations on how the city might approach the design work on Argonne. The presentation included talk of the bidding process as well as target dates for the start of construction.
Mork also brought up the possibility of including additional upgrades to the corridor such as the construction of sidewalks.
“It would be a shame to hurry up and get this done when we could make other improvements,” Mork said.
On the funding front, the project would benefit from news of a $1.3 million grant through the Spokane Regional Transportation Council. The city later secured another $108,000 from the state Transportation Improvement Board to help with sidewalk work.
With Welch/Comer Engineers on board as the design team, city leaders began receiving updates on the start of construction, set for spring 2009. On May 4, Red Diamond Construction of Spokane broke ground on resurfacing work that would run from Frederick to South Riverway.
A month into the project, a number of business owners spoke out at City Hall, claiming that the upgrade was bypassing recommendations made in the corridor study such as curb extensions – intended to improve pedestrian safety and slow down traffic – along a series of street corners. Matt Gillis, project manager with Welch/Comer, emphasized that the construction schedule revolved around the base bid, while the corridor study provided a long-term blueprint for improvements.
By late June, Mork had secured nearly $27,000 in additional grant money from the TIB to help with sidewalk upgrades. The city would supply a $3,600 match and provide another $23,000 to fund additional pedestrian work.
“It makes sense to do this now while Argonne is being resurfaced,” Mork said.
Meanwhile, commerce along Argonne suffered as lanes were cut back and parking was restricted. Some businesses reported up to a 50-percent dropoff in sales during the construction work.
“It’s been very noticeable,” said Julie O’Reilly of the Rocket Bakery. “People haven’t been able to turn into the parking area off Argonne.”
At Argonne Cycle, proprietor Paul Edwards saw less of an impact than many of the shops that rely on walk-in business.
“We had anticipated it to be a lot worse,” Edwards said. “We’re more of a destination point.”
Sidewalks along the east side of Argonne are now complete, providing a pedestrian walkway that includes wheelchair ramps at each intersection. Mork said the city is hoping to install a bike lane in the future that would run from Empire and link to the Centennial Trail.
Mork acknowledged that while the project did take a toll on business and try the patience of motorists and pedestrians, the finished product will have a positive impact on the community.
“We’re hoping that these improvements will make Millwood more than just a city you drive through,” Mork said. “People should know they’re in Millwood.”
On Saturday, Aug. 29, the Millwood Better for Business group will sponsor a celebration of the Argonne Road facelift called “Taking Back Our Streets.” Festivities will begin with the inaugural 5K Wellness Run at 9 a.m. All proceeds from the $15 registration fee ($30 for families) will benefit the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. Local runners Heidi Tobler and Sheri Albrecht are raising money for the cause by running the Nike Womens Marathon.
The event will also include a series of promotions by retailers along Argonne from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m as well as a pancake breakfast at the Masonic Temple from 8 a.m. to noon.
|
|
By
Craig Howard
