The Dirt: Gonzaga to begin baseball facilities expansion

Gonzaga University has submitted a permit request with the city of Spokane to begin the project to expand the Patterson Baseball Complex.

The project will add a new locker room, provide space for a hall of fame and add an indoor practice facility, said Jacob Simonson, project manager and architect with ALSC Architects.

The permit indicates the $6.9 million expansion will add about 3,800 square feet to the locker rooms and about 11,500 square feet for the indoor practice fracility.

“They are hoping to start in June and they think (construction) will go through about March of 2024,” Simonson said. “The idea is they would be ready for the first game of the new season.”

The addition will extend along the south side of the current facility at 703 E. Spokane Falls Blvd.

Work also calls for demolishing existing batting cages, relocating a field lighting pole and reconfiguring the complex’s parking lot.

The expanded facilities will “provide more recruiting power,” Simonson said. “The indoor practice facility is really just so they can practice year round. That was the main driver of the whole project.”

The project contractor is Garco Construction, which worked with DCI Engineers.

The Patterson complex can seat more than 1,500 attendees and includes a clubhouse with locker rooms, lounge, training room, laundry facility as well as locker rooms for officials and visiting teams, according to Gonzaga’s website.

It was named after the family of the late Michael Patterson, a former attorney and past chairman of Gonzaga’s board of trustees.

The original Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field opened in 2007, bringing baseball back to Gonzaga’s campus after spending four years at Avista Stadium.

In 2018, Washington Trust Field was renamed Coach Steve Hertz Field.

A Gonzaga baseball coach, Hertz took two teams to the NCAA regionals and was named conference Coach of the Year four times.

Plans turn to Electric Avenue

Plans have been submitted for property owned by developer Harlan Douglas to build a large building just south of Spokane International Airport.

Steve Krum filed a building permit request with Spokane County to construct a 75,000-square-foot building on property at 9500 W. Electric Ave. The property is just south of the airport and north of Geiger Boulevard.

The listed contact is Steve Krum, the construction manager for Douglass Properties. Efforts to reach Krum were unsuccessful.

The project architect is Ron Mackie of Architectural Ventures, who also could not be reached for comment.

According to a building permit request filed April 27, plans include building a 40-foot-tall building with dimensions of 150 feet by 502 feet. The documents do not list its intended purpose.

The expected cost of the project is $6.6 million.

Coffee stand planned for East Appleway

Ryan Layton, CEO of Storage Solutions Spokane, has submitted a building permit request with Spokane Valley to construct a new coffee stand at 19311 E. Appleway Ave.

The proposed coffee stand would be northwest of Ridgline High School and west of Liberty Lake.

Michael Kiehn, an architect with Russel Page Architects, said he drew up plans for the coffee stand in November. The building permit was dated April 27, but Kiehn said he’s not sure when Layton hopes to start or complete the project.

Plans include building a 714-square-foot structure to house the coffee stand. The expected cost of the project is about $250,000, according to the permit.