1973-09-04-sc-p11-c1-reardan-has-rural-appeal

September 04, 1973 Spokane Daily Chronicle Page 11 Column 1:

Community Grows

Reardan Has Rural Appeal

REARDAN, Wash.—Changes have begun in this farm-oriented community, as new families move here to live and commute east to work at Fairchild Air Force Base, or increasingly, in Spokane.

Reardan is only 25 miles from Spokane, but for years apparently only a limited numbers of persons sought the rural atmosphere here and worked elsewhere, mostly at Fairchild. Until 1970 a slow population decline was under way. From a high point of 527 persons in 1910, state figures show a decline to a low of 355 in 1968, By last year, the town’s population had increased again to 432.

That year Lincoln County officials—who handle building permits for Reardan—issued only one. So far this year six residential permits have been issued, according to county officials.

Many Reardan residents agree the advent of commuters is a relatively new and increasingly important factor in the town’s life. J. B. “Joe” Johnson, superintendent of Reardan School District No. 260-412, said: "We are getting to be a bedroom town, no doubt about it."

He noted that enrollment in the District school has fluctuated with changes in the level of activity at Fairchild. It has increased, however, from 369 in 1969-1970, to 452 so far for the 1973-1974 school year, said Johnson.

This school district surrounds Reardan, extending a narrow arm as far east as Seven Mile in Spokane County, said Johnson. Thus persons living rather close to Spokane are in the school district.

He said this year about 25 students in the district are children of families employed by the federal government, primarily at Fairchild. Although this figure is down from a high of 42 in earlier years, Johnson said no trend seems to exist in the number of such students attending the district's school.

Another person who sees a rise in resident-commuters is Mrs. Gladys Newcomb, the town clerk-treasurer. She said the number of water and sewage connection charges for new housing has increased in the past two years. A new trailer park was built last year, and two apartment buildings were built within the past five, she said.

She noted, however, that some tenants of these facilities are retired farmers who have moved into Reardan to live.

Businesses Start Up

Two new businesses even have been started in the town, said Mrs. Newcomb. Alexander Carter, Spokane, this year started Carter’s Hawaiian Barbeque Sauce company. Two years ago a jacket manufacturing firm was started by two families who moved to Reardan, she said,

Mrs. Pat Soliday, who with her husband and Mr. and Mrs. Cal Smith run this business, known as Chatket, Inc, said the two families moved to Reardan from Spokane. Smith and her husband now both commute to work in Spokane, she added.

With a work force of seven, the firm was moved from Spokane because both families wanted to get into a smaller town, said Mrs. Soliday. She added she grew up in the Reardan area, and was graduated from its high school.

When she was graduated in 1963 “everyone was leaving the area; now people are coming back," said Mrs. Soliday.

Now in the process of moving back to Reardan is Terry L. Snow, an attorney with Snow & Kain in Spokane. He grew up there, but recently has been living in Spokane. “It’s just the small-town atmosphere I enjoy,”’ he said of his reasons for building a home in Reardan.

How do residents of Reardan react to changes in their town? Snow said there is no zoning ordinance there, and added: “Older people around the town are just not used to the new people moving in, and the changes. They don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers.” Thus no action has been taken to control the direction of Reardan’s development, he said.

Many Pleased

More persons in Reardan, particularly younger ones, appears to be favored by many in the town, One such is Omer A. Rew, owner of Rew’s Second Hand Store. He said of the advent of commuters: “I think it’s a good thing. More people are good for a community Reardan doesn’t have enough people to take care of city problems." He cited the lack of a full-time deputy for the town as a problem of the town’s small size.

Reardan’s mayor, Gilbert Swanson, sees little change in the town’s general business level over the past 10 years. He said the community is still overwhelmingly farm-oriented, with most of its business engaged in supplying the needs of surrounding farmers.

Grant Sought

One need of both farmers and town residents the school district seeks to supply is recreation. Supt. Johnson said an application is in for an outdoor recreation grant for new baseball fields, tennis costs and horseshoe pits. He said this project’s total cost would be $181,000, of which 75 per cent would be paid by the state Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation grant and 25 per cent by the district, payable through “in kind” services.