By CARA LORELLO
Staff Reporter
Every year, Medical Lake city officials complete a visual inspection to determine which streets should be place on the city's six-year Transportation Improvement Plan, a plan the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) requires all municipalities update annually so it can be adopted into the state's six-year plan and be eligible for grant funding.
On July 17, City Council members approved the six-year TIP for prioritized street projects for the years 2008 through 2013. Street projects were selected based on the level of impact on the city from a mobility and financial standpoint.
The TIP doesn't address every street needing repairs in the city, however the document is subject to annual revisions and is very grant dependent. Most every project included in the TIP is referenced as needing grant funding to cover its costs.
City Administrator Doug Ross said that because the TIP is a static document, the city tries to concentrate mostly on securing funding for priority projects for the following year each time the TIP is updated.
“Each year we go out and look at our streets and try to see what the city can realistically do [to improve streets],” he said.
For 2008, the TIP lists three main projects, including two reconstruction projects to streets Prentis and Evergreen Drive. Complete reconstruction projects involve application of a new road base, top course, asphalt, new sidewalks and storm drains. Money may be withdrawn from the city's water/sewer fund if available to improve water and sewer lines if necessary.
“This is the seventh year we've applied for a grant for Prentis Street; that's a reconstruction job and is quite expensive,” Ross said.
Improvements to Prentis Street will run from Lake to Campbell for an estimated cost of $300,000. Evergreen Drive reconstruction will run from Pine View Dr. to Silver Lake Ave. to fix street base and surface deteriorations caused by vehicular traffic and ground water for estimated costs of $250,000.
The third proposal for 2008 is a continuation of the recently constructed first half of the SR-902 sidewalk, extending the sidewalk from Stanley Street to the eastern city limits for an estimated cost of $275,000. Grant funding will be needed for all three projects.
“Those really are the one's we're going to be focusing on.
We were able to move four off of last year's projects and that's pretty good,” Ross said of major street projects completed this year, including overlays to the streets Legg, Hallett, and the first portion of the SR-902 sidewalk.
By the end of the year officials estimate the city will have spent $477,800 in street projects in 2007, about $156,226 having come from the city's general fund and the remaining portion from grants.
Also approved at the meeting was an interlocal agreement with Spokane County to allow for the disbursement of funding from WSDOT to the city for the implementation and administration of its Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program.
The program is designed to promote participation and awareness in the savings and environmental benefits of alternative transportation and trip reduction. The agreement also compensates the county for the same amount it disperses to the city so that it can develop its program and maintain current services.
The program experienced some changes at the state and county level, requiring the city to resubmit their contract for approval. City transportation coordinator Fran Litzinger said terms and conditions haven't changed in the city's contract. CTR funding allocation this year for Spokane County, effective through June 30, 2008, is $177,759, about $6,700 of which Ross said should go to Medical Lake.
The council also approved a mutual aid agreement for Medical Lake Police Department to provide emergency services when necessary to Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women. MLPD currently provides the service to Pine Lodge, however previous agreements were only verbal.
Cara Lorello can be reached at [email protected]
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