Spokane County OKs agreement, asks city to do likewise to avert looming utility concerns at County Raceway
By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
The Airway Heights City Council spent a large portion of their June 21 meeting discussing an agreement with Spokane County that would secure land for a regional community recreational complex.
Council members hashed out pros and cons of a memorandum of understanding to exchange treated water and other utilities at the county's Raceway Park for a 70-acre portion of adjacent county land. Each party's estimated value of total contributions would equal $1,044,231.
After much discussion the council agreed the acreage could provide a wide range of future parkland options and potentially transform the city's northeast corner into an economic center.
Councilman Matthew Pederson said the deal would help maintain future parkland levels of service as well. A scheduled 2012 annexation of land east of the city will introduce about 2,000 residents into Airway Heights, necessitating at least 40 acres of additional parkland to meet the city's comprehensive plan requirements.
Pederson said the 70 acres could also serve a dual purpose as a reservoir recharge site for the city's developing wastewater treatment facility. This would justify using utility funds to finance the land's acquisition, according to city attorney Stanley Schwartz.
“Yes, there's clear park benefit here, but there's also a clear benefit to the utility fund,” Schwartz said, adding that the city would need to find a fair balance between how much the two funds contribute to the acquisition.
Councilwoman Tanya Dashiell expressed concerns about how the land's development would be financed. Other council members assured her that securing the property is the first step and any improvements would be done in phases.
County Parks Director Doug Chase told the council the county needs a finalized agreement soon in order to avoid possible impacts to raceway operations.
“In acquiring the raceway property we inherited an onsite lagoon system that, shall we say, doesn't meet today's standards,” Chase said, referring to a 30-year-old septic site on the property, which was purchased by the county in 2008.
The Washington Department of Ecology recently informed the county that the Raceway must be connected to a public system before July 1, but an extension until November 2011 would be granted pending approval of the MOU with Airway Heights. Chase said the county would need to see utility work completed in the next 14 months. County commissioners approved the MOU last Tuesday and Airway Heights should make a final approval decision in coming weeks.
Among other council business, a resolution was approved supporting the Joint Land Use Study collaborative process, which aims to protect Fairchild Air Force Base from encroachment by surrounding jurisdictions, including Spokane County, Spokane, Medical Lake and Airway Heights.
Representatives from each are now forming a coordinating committee and a technical assistance group to review comprehensive plan amendments, development regulations and code adjustments.
Mayor Patrick Rushing told council about his recent trip to Luke Air Force base in Glendale, Ariz., where he spoke with base officials about their own JLUS. “They called it the ‘J-loose' because it has no teeth to it,” he said, adding that he brought back ideas how to make Fairchild's JLUS a stronger document.
Council also accepted a West Plains annexation area fire operational plan between the city and Spokane Fire District 10. The plan covers shared response for both departments as well as joint training, fire safety inspections and investigations.
A greenhouse gas reduction emission policy was adopted, assuring continued federal public works trust fund dollars. Pederson said he supported the resolution only because it consists of items the city is already doing, but told other council members to remain cautious.
“In the future as these types of requirements come down, take a good hard look at them because they are further and further reaching into the property rights and individual liberties of us as Americans and restricting local governments' abilities to govern themselves,” he said.
After a public forum during which no comments were given, Council adopted the city's six-year transportation improvement plan for 2011-2016.
It was also announced that former city employee Kelly Williquette has been hired as public works director starting July 6.
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at [email protected].
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