Spencer punching through

POST FALLS - After multiple delays, Spencer Street in Post Falls is scheduled to be punched through to Seltice Way in 2014.

The urban renewal project, estimated to cost $1.6 million for construction and engineering, will extend Spencer from Second Avenue to Seltice and extend Third Avenue to Spencer.

The project will be just north of Ponderosa Elementary on the east side of the city. Spencer will reach Seltice Way between Dairy Queen and Greensferry Road.

"Depending on funding availability, we would like to go to bid in January with construction in 2014," said Tom Lien, URA executive director.

Engineering is expected to be completed in January.

Right-of-way acquisitions, which involved the city, its sub-consultants and the URA negotiating with different property owners, were recently completed.

The city will pay the Murrell Trust $34,404 and the Potlatch Corp. $23,703 and those amounts will be reimbursed to the city by the URA.

With another property owner, the URA agreed to pay Ross Point West LLC $142,940 for right of way.

The extension, which will be less than half a mile, will allow vacant property in that area to be developed and will create an access to Seltice from the Pine Villa neighborhood. The Lucky Pines mobile home park borders part of the stretch.

The project hasn't exactly been smooth sailing.

It was earlier temporarily shelved until the city and URA sorted out which agency would be responsible for specific right-of-way acquisitions.

Lien started ROW negotiations at one point, but stopped when the URA determined that wasn't his role. At another stage, the city suspended talks of ROW acquisition until the URA committed to covering such costs.

The project is in the East Post Falls Urban Renewal District, which in December was extended by the City Council from 2015 to 2022.

In urban renewal districts, incremental taxes that are paid based on the higher assessed values after development are remitted to the agency and are, in turn, paid back to the district proponent for cost reimbursement for infrastructure.

Another project in the East Post Falls URD is the Greensferry overpass, which is expected to cost between $17 million and $19 million.

Lien said he believes construction on both projects can begin next year.