The Airway Heights City Council moved some items forward at its Monday study session to its Feb. 16 meeting.
Council forwarded an approval of a task order for scope of work from ALSC Architects for the proposed recreation center on 70 acres near the Spokane County Raceway. On Jan. 19, council voted to move forward with the process of placing a bond initiative before the voters to construct a full service recreation center and authorized staff to begin the process.
City Manager Albert Tripp explained that council approved a feasibility study to build a recreation center on the property currently occupied by Yoke’s Fresh market. He said ALSC would update the study from 2004 and look at the possible uses of the facility and what the community would support. The cost of ALSC’s work would be $27,520 with an additional $500 for printing costs. Tripp said the funding source for it would be from the executive reserve fund.
Council also discussed fees to use the recreation center and its programs. Mayor Kevin Richey suggested Airway Heights residents who paid for the bond would pay less than people from outside the city. Councilman Larry Bowman suggested council look at public comment and ask if the “level of support is still there.”
“We need to ask what amount would someone be willing to pay for this?” Bowman said.
Council also discussed alternatives to improving the road condition on 21st Avenue. Public Works Director Kevin Anderson said staff has graded the area on the east where Garfield Street is and presented a long term vision of what the plan is going to be.
The state considers 21st Avenue as one of two bypass routes for Highway 2,” Anderson said. “What we’re doing is planting the seeds for this project. This might be a 20-year project or it might happen in five.”
Anderson said he wanted to focus on a two-block stretch of 21st Avenue from between Garfield and Hayden streets as there are a number of businesses located in that area. He listed poor drainage, heavy truck traffic and aggressive vehicle braking from motorists, as problems that contribute to the road’s poor conditions.
“This is no easy fix, it’s going to cost money,” Anderson said.
Some of the alternatives Anderson presented are replacing poor soil with a new component, installing crushed rock and surfacing it after the soil is replaced and improving drainage. He also recommended installing a sewer line between Garfield and Lyons streets.
Anderson said the city could apply for federal grants to help pay for the project because it’s transportation.
“We are looking into alternatives and we’re pushing this a bit and talking with some people to see how much support is out there,” Anderson said.
Other items council forwarded to its Feb. 16 meeting include:
• A street survey task order from Century West
• A renewal of the contract between the city and the Department of Corrections regarding DOC work crews
• Employment agreements for city department manager positions.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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