Performing arts center grant, construction changes highlight July SVCC actions

By John McCallum Current correspondent

The Spokane Valley City Council voted at its July 18 meeting to provide financial assistance to a new performing arts center taking shape near Mirabeau Point.

The council originally consented at its May 31 meeting to allocate $785,714 of general fund revenue made available for grant purposes by receipt of federal Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CLFR) money — appropriated through the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) — to the Idaho Central Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center. The center is a project of the Spokane Valley Summer Theatre, which is fundraising for the estimated $48 million, 59,000 square foot facility near the Tru By Hilton Hotel. The theatre will be the building’s main tenant, with Idaho Central Credit Union purchasing the naming rights.

CLFR funding can be used to replace revenue lost as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Spokane Valley has received approximately $16 million in CLFR funding, and using a federal formula, calculated about $10.8 million in lost revenue.

The city has primarily used CLFR funds for law enforcement costs, which has resulted in freeing up a corresponding amount of general fund revenue that can be put towards “other projects and community needs.”

“Essentially, it (CLFR) makes this and other general fund grant awards possible,” Spokane Valley accountant and budget analyst Sarah Farr told the council.

After the May 31 meeting, staff negotiated a grant contract with the

Performing Arts Center. The grant is refundable over a 20-year period, and obligates the center to use the money solely for “the purposes of providing musical, theatrical, educational and cultural programming.”

It also incorporates provisions for helping with economic development and tourism in the city, and the Performing Arts Center’s “commitment to providing access and educational opportunities to those below 80% AMI (average median income) and youth through reduced fees and scholarship options.” Beginning in 2025, the center will begin reporting these metrics to the city to measure the grant’s performance.

Dr. Marnie Rorholm, Spokane Valley Summer Theatre Managing Director, expressed the nonprofit’s thanks to the city for the funding, noting the center is on track to open summer 2024.

“This is an enormous project,” she added.

Not everyone was thrilled with the council’s unanimous decision to provide the funding. Spokane Valley resident John Harding questioned why a privately-funded enterprise should get over $700,000 of public money.

Harding said the priorities for the funding should go to essential public services such as police, fire and utilities. While theatre “is wonderful,” he listed off a number of other impacts of “this so-called Covid” that should be in line for the funding.

“The optics of this just make me sick, I’m sorry,” Harding said.

Local access street work additions

The Spokane Valley City Council unanimously approved additions to local street repair projects currently underway in the city.

At the July 18 meeting, the council approved an amendment to the existing contract with Poe Asphalt allowing the company to perform additional local street repairs coinciding with gas service upgrades being done by Avista Utilities. Avista started these upgrades last year, and the work has resulted in some degradation to existing surface streets that were already in need of work.

“So, we would like to get in there and repair the roads in totality from curb to curb,” Community & Public Works Director Bill Helbig said.

The amendment adds $317,209 to Poe’s $1.567 million contract for this work. The sections to be completely rebuilt are Koren Road from Rocky Ridge Drive to 16th Avenue, Rocky Ridge Drive south end to 16th and 19th Avenue east of Rocky Ridge Drive. The city and Poe Asphalt will conduct the repair work, with Avista reimbursing the city for $132,416 of the extra costs.

At its July 11 meeting the council approved a $345,000 change order to its Local Access Preservation Services contract with Inland Asphalt Paving to repair three additional streets in south Spokane Valley. The original $1.5 million contract was approved by council in March using a new “unit rate” method for determining project costs.

Using his authority under the contract, City Manager John Hohman increased the amount by $224,000 to pay for additional improvements. To date, 33 street sections have been repaved at a cost of just over $1.753 million.

The council-approved increase will pay for $29,152.38 of overages from the first increase, and the additional street repaving, including stormwater and concrete flatwork, of portions of East 27th Avenue and Tall Tree and MacDonald roads. Just over $1.94 million of the work is paid for through the solid waste contract local road wear fee, with CIP Engineering Manager Rob Lochmiller telling council a low bid on street work in the Summerfield neighborhood helped free up more funding.

Future construction, funding search, approved

Also at the July 11 meeting, council unanimously approved awarding an almost $1.55 million contract to N.A. Degerstrom, Inc. for improvements to the North Pines Road/Mission Avenue intersection. Work includes stormwater and sidewalks, existing signalization with a southbound right turn and two eastbound left turn lanes added, along with new signalization.

The project is 37.9% higher than the $1.124 million engineering estimate, mainly due to construction being extended to 2024. Lochmiller told the council the delay stemmed from added requirements associated with federally-funded projects, which the intersection is, right-ofway negotiations with property owners that were wrapped up late in the construction season and some materials that require 4-5 months lead time for shipment.

Council also approved a staff request to apply for funding from the state Transportation Improvement Board’s (TIB) Urban Arterial Program (UAP) and the Active Transportation Program (ATP) for three proposed city projects. The city is seeking $2.08 million from the UAP for the $2.6 million Barker Road/8th Avenue roundabout project and $3.24 million for the $4.5 million Argonne Concrete Reconstruction from Indiana to Knox project.

Additionally, the city is seeking $504,000 from the ATP for the $700,000 Sprague Avenue Pedestrian Crossings near Chronicle and McKinnon-Howe streets (near stores such as Wal-Mart, Costco and Home Depot). All three projects require city matching funds.