AH City Council supports commission expansion

In what was a short meeting, the Airway Heights City Council followed suit with the city of Cheney by supporting legislation that would increase the number of Spokane County commissioners.

At its Feb. 16 meeting, council approved a resolution supporting House Bill 2610 and its companion measure Senate Bill 6514. Both would require non-charter counties with populations of 300,000 and more to establish a redistricting committee by Jan. 31, 2017 and divide the county into five commissioner districts. It also requires those counties to hold district-based elections of commissioners by 2018.

Cheney’s City Council voted to support both bills at its Feb. 9 meeting.

Airway Heights also approved a task order for Century West to survey a portion of a planned-right-of-way on the Central Pre-mix Concrete Company property for a proposed extension of Russell Street from Sprague Avenue northward to Deno Road.

Public Works Director Kevin Anderson explained the city does not have a right-of-way at Sprague Avenue, which lies between Airway MX Park and property owned by Central Pre-Mix. He said the city could obtain one from Central Pre-mix, and Century West will conduct a topographic survey and a preliminary design to determine what the right-of-way would need to be and the cost of it. The task order will not exceed $6,000.

“At this point, we don’t see an alternative,” Anderson said. “This survey is information that needs to be gathered.”

Council also approved a scope of work from ALSC Architects for the proposed recreation center on 70 acres near Spokane County Raceway. ALSC would update the feasibility study that was conducted in 2004, look at the possible uses of the facility and what ideas Airway Heights residents would support. The cost of ALSC’s work would be $27,520 with an additional $500 for printing costs.

Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director J.C. Kennedy said the goal of ALSC’s work is to gather information and use it to prepare a bond measure for August.

In other business:

• Council approved the renewal of the Class IV Work Crew Master agreement between the city and the Department of Corrections.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].