Getting There: Spokane County commissioners reconsider proposed Bigelow Gulch name changes

Spokane County will wrap up the decadeslong Bigelow Gulch Urban Connector Project this fall, bringing a smoother, safer ride along a new stretch of the project’s namesake carved through a hillside.

But the changes to the once agricultural community of Orchard Prairie won’t stop there.

The new alignment of the road will require name changes for portions of what used to be Bigelow Gulch Road, meaning those who live in the area can expect a change of address in the near future. The county commissioners were set to vote on the name changes at a public meeting last week, until Orchard Prairie residents lobbied the commissioners to delay the vote until they have more input.

The changes as they were presented last week would have renamed both sections of Weile Avenue to Bigelow Gulch Road, as both will be connected with the newly built portion of roadway. The section of the former Bigelow Gulch Road circumvented by the new alignment would have continued Espe Road to the new stretch of the connector, and renamed the arcing section from Espe Road to Weile Avenue to Lancer Road.

The final name change involves a small section of Bigelow Gulch just west of the present-day intersection with Weile Avenue, where county officials proposed the name Newton Road.

Those proposed renamings didn’t quite resonate with Orchard Prairie residents, who told the commissioners they’d prefer a more minor change, or names more consistent with the area’s identity.

Homeowner Karen Sprague said during the meeting that she and her neighbors are curious why simply adding “Old” in front of the former Bigelow Gulch stretch would not suffice. Sprague’s neighbor Janet Miller floated the same question.

County Engineer Matt Zarecor said they work with emergency responders in the region to find names that are not used elsewhere in the county to avoid any confusion when residents call for a fire, medical or police response. Adding “Old” to the name of the road would not provide enough clarity for first responders needing to know someone’s location, he said.

“They don’t want any piece of the name inside the new name, and that’s an emergency services thing,” Zarecor responded. “It’s just to gain clarity and make sure that emergency services, when they dispatch, get to the right spot.”

Sprague also suggested having the entire portion renamed to Orchard Prairie, but Zarecor said that would conflict with the road the name stems from. The existing Orchard Prairie Road also runs north-south, while the stretch needing to be renamed runs mostly east-west.

The county tries to keep directional orientation consistent when they do have to rename some of the old county roads, which can wind back and forth.

Orchard Prairie could be continued from where it ends now on the former Bigelow Gulch Road down to present-day Weile to the east, but the other section proposed to be Lancer Road will still need a new name, he said.

Zarecor told the commissioners that renamings are difficult because of the work it creates for homeowners with new addresses, but also due to how challenging it can be to find a name that pleases everybody.

“You start putting these things out for public suggestion, and you’re going to make a lot of people very unhappy,” Zarecor said. “In my experience, there is almost never a consolidation of thought on where we should go with road naming.”

He also reminded the commissioners that construction will be completed in mid-October, and that it would be best to have the names established sooner rather than later so first responders know where to go when the road opens, and property owners can get on with the work associated with a name change.

Zarecor said Public Works is prepared to assist the residents in that effort.

“We’re empathetic to people’s concerns,” Zarecor said. “As you might imagine, it’s not very fun to have your address changed, all your bills, all your parcels, all your people that you know that send you Christmas cards or anything else. All that has to change, and it’s a lot of work and a lot of effort.”

The commissioners voted to postpone any final decision on the name changes until Sept. 24. The Public Works department will brief the commissioners on the standard procedures for renaming existing roads Tuesday during its 9 a.m. briefing meeting, which will be streamed live on the county’s YouTube page.

Commissioners Chair Mary Kuney encouraged those interested in getting involved to contact the Public Works department or their representative on the board, Commissioner Josh Kerns.

Kerns said he appreciates the concerns of the residents and looks forward to finding a solution that “makes as many people happy as possible.”

“I get it,” Kerns said. “These road names will outlast any of us, and this is pretty infrequent that something like this happens. This is probably the most names we’ve had to rename at one time.”

Sprague said “there’s been a lot of concern” about the proposed names shared in their neighborhood Facebook group, where they’re now brainstorming “a whole raft of ideas” for alternatives, which include the names of notable settlers in the area and of nearby flora or fauna.

She was glad to see the commissioners took their concerns into consideration and postponed the changes, and that it helped her better understand the role of a county commissioner and the challenges they contend with – even on what could be considered a minor decision.

“I’m impressed they have to go through all that stuff; I didn’t know what all commissioners do, to be honest,” Sprague said. “I thought they treated the issue very respectfully.”