Session focuses on Sinkiuse
Mayor Ron Covey, right, and the rest of council in the background discuss the possibility of turning Sinkiuse Square into more of a gathering spot for the community and visitors. Currently, the square is mostly a parking lot. Business owners have defended the current status of the square, opposing the city's intention to reduce the parking spots, and hinting that parking downtown will be a greater problem than it is now if the spots are taken away.<br>Sebastian Moraga/Columbia Basin Herald
Downtown square the target of multiple uses
MOSES LAKE — The latest study session to bring a new life to the city's downtown turned into a debate between parking and parks.
The city's plans show the intention to turn Sinkiuse Square, on the corner of Ash and Third Avenue into a gathering spot, not just another park, but redesigned to include a stage and places for events.
Currently, the square is mostly a parking lot for the businesses surrounding it. The plans of taking most of the parking spots away in favor of a plaza are worrisome to a number of business owners, some of whom were present at Tuesday's session prior to the city council meeting.
"I am dead set against it," said Jeff Foster from GMAC Real Estate, of the city's plan. "We need to attract people to businesses and my fear is that we end up with nothing but parks and no businesses."
Jacie Daschel from Vision 2020 said that Sinkiuse Square's uses must differ from those of a regular park. At the same time, she noted that the future Sinkiuse Square will stay closely tied to businesses, given its location.
"This is the downtown business district," she said.
Some council members shared Foster's concern about taking away parking spots in the middle of blocks and blocks of businesses. While Mayor Ron Covey said the first focus should be to attract people to downtown and not cars, councilman Richard Pearce said, but he was hesitant to take parking spots away.
Sinkiuse Square is a couple of blocks away from the Moses Lake Family Aquatic Center and the Centennial Amphiteater, easily the top two tourist attractions within city limits, both with broad parking lots. The closeness of these destinations to the square created divergent opinions at the study session.
On one hand, there is the belief that people will walk the extra block and a half from these parking lots to downtown and the square, if what is going on there is attractive enough.
On the other hand, there is the belief that turning Sinkiuse Square into a signature element a block and a half from the city's most popular recreation spots makes little sense.
"We spent a lot of money on McCosh Park, the amphitheater and the aquatic center," Foster said. "I love the parking (at Sinkiuse Square), I have a vested interest in it."
Councilman Lee Blackwell, a former downtown shop owner, retorted by saying that he never heard people say "there is no place to park" when they came to his store.
"Parking should not be a signature element," he added.
Despite the divergent opinions and the prospect of future study sessions, Daschel said the project to revitalize downtown was going in the right direction.
"Expanding the use of Sinkiuse is a really good idea," she said.
The next study session is Tuesday at 6 p.m. at City Council chambers. They are open to the public.