The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife is moving ahead with plans to develop a regional headquarters building at Mirabeau Point in Spokane Valley.


Late last month, Washington Gov. Gary Locke approved the states capital budget for the next two years, which includes $3.9 million for the structure at Mirabeau.


Fish and Wildlife has ordered an appraisal of a parcel near the Spokane Valley YMCA building and expects to buy between four and six acres there later this year, says Madonna Luers, a Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman. The Spokane office of Tacoma-based Pacific Design Group PS is designing the building.


Luers says site work on the project could start as early as this fall, and construction could begin next spring.


Fish and Wildlife hopes to build a 12,000-square-foot office building, but plans might have to be scaled back if the land is more expensive than anticipated, Luers says.


The structure needs to accommodate the departments 50 employees who work in the Spokane area, something the agencys current offices dont do, Luers says. The agencys regional office here now is located in a 2,900-square-foot office building at 8701 N. Division, on Spokanes North Side, and accommodates about 15 employees. About 10 Fish and Wildlife personnel work out of a small office in Spokane Valley, and the rest of them work from home offices.


Its catch-as-catch-can to support our workers, Luers says. This is a long overdue building for us.


Fish and Wildlife had sought $5.6 million for its new facility here so that new warehouse facilities could be built at the same time. While the agency didnt receive all of that money, it hopes to buy enough land so that warehouse facilities could be added later.


The eastern region, one of six regions in the state, covers the states 10 easternmost counties and employs a total of 120 people.