2008 marks the centennial of the Olmsted Brothers’ presentation of its parks plan to our city.

As the first in what’s likely to be a busy year commemorating the plan, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture’s Historic Preservation Committee will host a “Discovering Olmsted Landscapes” lecture series on January 24, January 31, and February 7, 2008. Full-series registration costs $30 per person for MAC members, or $35 for non-members.

What’s on the agenda? Lots of Olmsted researchers and specialists, like Joan Hockaday, renowned John Charles Olmsted historian and author; local Olmsted researcher Sally Reynolds, landscape designer Kerstin Martell discussing proposed restoration of the Olmsted-designed grounds of the Bozarth Retreat Center, and - we like this one - FOF board members Rick Hastings and Mike Terrell, presenting on the Olmsted-inspired Strategic Master Plan for the Spokane River gorge, including more on the the proposed whitewater park.

Advance registration is recommended, and tickets for single lectures will be sold as space permits at the door. All lectures are scheduled from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on the MAC campus in the Eric A. Johnston Memorial Auditorium, Cheney Cowles Center, 2316 W. First Ave., Spokane.

For more, check out the flyer, linked below, that we received from the MAC. Drop in for the whole series!

MAC Olmsted Flyer

In preparing our website’s brief on the December 11, 2007 open house for the City’s long-overdue update to its Shoreline Master Program, we pulled out our copy of the original, and were caught by the scope and vision expressed by the “Shoreline Design Plans” included in that document, dating back to 1976.

We know the City’s new version of the shoreline master program won’t include this type of visioning - much of that thought occurred in the wake of Expo ‘74 and simply found its place in the SMP, itself a new creature mandated by the State’s Shoreline Management Act. Besides, the Gorge Master Plan accomplishes that type of work, at least between the Lower Falls and the Hangman Creek confluence.

But like many documents from that area, the 1976 plan reminds us of the energy, optimism and foresight that drove the community in those days; a community that after decades of neglect and decay, seemed to have finally recognized the fact that the river’s health and its own health were one and the same. For instance, page 18 of the plan, which presents concepts for the Central Falls area, states:

“Every community has a heart. It may be a central business district, a civic center, a square, or even a building. The location and character of the heart is paramount as an expression of the character of the whole city. Spokane began on the river near Spokane Falls and Havermale Island. the heart of the City is still there, but cluttered and obscured. By removing this debris, the way is cleared for re-establishing the area in the public mind as the city’s heart. The heart becomes a focus of high aesthetic, social, and cultural significance rather than just some street intersection which is basic to the plan concept of welding together the City, its people, and its river heritage.”

It’s been more than 30 years since those words were adopted, and many would say, shelved. But we’ll set that aside in favor of new optimism - about the development of the new shoreline master program, about the Gorge plan, about new energies in the community and within City Hall, and more.

Quotes like the one above remind us that many in Spokane, many years ago, understood the importance of our river. That so much remains to be done remind us that words are never enough.

Check out our page-merged, 24"-wide version of the map appearing on pages 16 through 18 of the old shoreline master program, from where the quote above is taken, at the link below. A copy of the full document is also linked below.

1976 SMP, pages 16-18 (290 Kb, Acrobat® file)
1976 SMP document (3.5 Mb, Acrobat® file)

The long (LONG) overdue update to the City of Spokane’s Shoreline Master Program continues to progress, which is great news.

What’s the Shoreline Master Program, you ask? Think of it as a shoreline-specific policy overlay, guiding the type, placement and characteristics of development within areas abutting the Spokane River or Hangman (Latah) Creek. It’s a critical document for places like Spokane, where the river and shoreline play such an important role in our civic health, quality of life and well-being. We’re proud to say Friends of the Falls has played a role in the process thus far, including representation on the plan’s Stakeholder and Policy Committees.

But things are still in-process, which brings us to the announcement that the next significant milestone will take place Tuesday, December 11, when the update team will host a public “Open House” at the West Central Community Center, 1603 N. Belt Street, starting at 5:30 pm.

Check out the work produced thus far, including a full mapping and inventory of our shorelines, including existing built and ecological conditions, and - we really love this part - draft restoration plans for impacted areas.

Show up to pose questions, express concerns, and basically make sure City staff and consultants know you care about Spokane’s shorelines.

For more, visit the Shoreline Master Program webpage at the link below, or get in touch with the City’s lead planner for the project, JoAnne Wright at 625-6017 or at the e-mail link below. We’ve included the City’s event flyer and an invitation letter from planning director Leroy Eadie, too.

Event Flyer (720 Kb, Acrobat® file)
Eadie Letter (48 Kb, Acrobat® file)
Shoreline Master Program Webpage (City of Spokane)
, Lead Planner (E-mail link)

Even though funds came through a little late to see the proposed whitewater park completed in 2007, your membership and a really active Board of Directors helped make this year a productive one for Friends of the Falls.

Many of our group’s accomplishments have been spotlighted on these pages. Many received coverage in the local media, or represented work in which FOF leant a hand, or were accomplishments of neighborhoods or other groups who used the Gorge Master Plan as a tool or template for their work.

This is a bit more front-of-mind today for two reasons: 1) on November 20, FOF’s Board of Directors met for their annual retreat, at which the group recounted its 2007 goals, and drafted a new set for 2008, and 2) FOF’s year-in-review for its members is being developed for distribution.

A preview?

• Looking back - major kudos to Executive Director Steve Faust for fronting many of the group’s activities, and to President Barb Chamberlain for helping focus a busy year on our 2007 goal set.
• Looking forward - 2008 should see a renewed focus on involving FOF’s membership, allied and community groups in working on Gorge Plan projects; a bigger, better River Cleanup event, and of course, the permitting, design and - with hard work and another dose of good luck - the construction of the long-awaited whitewater park near the Hangman confluence.

Members, look for our year-end report soon. We’ll post details and a summary overview here, too.

In the meantime, please check your FOF membership status. If it’s been more than a year since you last provided your support, it’s time to renew. If you’ve never helped FOF’s work as a member, we’d love to have your support - it’s what keeps us going!

Join FOF (Site link)