The message sent out to Board members Monday night, September 24th simply read: YAY!

The notice concerned a big win for the Gorge plan and for the community’s efforts to promote the river as a civic centerpiece - specifically, it was notice that the 2004 plan had received the City’s highest honor for urban design, a 2007 “Mayor’s Choice” category Urban Design Award.

Accepting the award from the Mayor before TV cameras and a full City Council, Dr. John Moyer thanked Mayor Hession, spotlighted recent progress on the proposed whitewater park and on the north shore, and pledged the group’s efforts to continue to bring progress to the City.

It was the inagural run for the awards, conceived as a way to recognize and promote positive urban design in the City, or as the certificate stated: “outstanding design that is consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and contributes to the City of Spokane’s Quality of Life.” Winners were selected from 17 entries by a committee of members of Spokane’s Design Review Committee with input from the Mayor. Other winners included the Native Project’s new facilities, the Moore-Turner Gardens restoration project, and downtown arts and housing pioneer Jim Kolva.

The program is expected to occur every other year.

The Gorge plan, initially inspired by the Olmsted Brothers’ 1908 report to Spokane’s first parks board, envisions a number of priority projects between the Lower Falls and the Hangman Creek confluence, ranging from informal trails, to habitat restoration, to a naturalistic whitewater park for boaters just downstream of the recently-completed Sandifur Memorial pedestrian bridge. It was prepared by Moore, Iacofano Goltsman, Inc. (MIG) of Berkely, California with input from hundreds of citizen volunteers, groups and organizations. The plan references a similarly expansive public process that developed a conceptual plan in 2002.

The nomination was prepared by Friends of the Falls and credits MIG, Michael Terrell, ASLA, Jones and Jones Ltd., Economic Research Associates, Thomas Dean and Hoskins, Mayor James E. West, the Spokane Parks Board, Sen. Lisa Brown and Fmr. Sen. Brad Benson, Rep. Timm Ormsby, Rep. Hans Dunshee, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Peaceful Valley, Browne’s Addition, West Central and West Hills Neighborhood Councils, the Downtown Spokane Partnership, Avista Utilities, the City of Spokane, and “numerous other stakeholder groups and hudreds of citizen participants.”

An image of the certificate is linked in the site gallery, and linked below. Information about the project and about the award will be posted on the City of Spokane website by October 1.

Award Certificate (Gallery image)

It’s been a long time coming - nearly 100 years, to be exact - but the Olmsted Brothers parks plan for the City is finally receiving its due.

In honor of the plan’s centennial, Spokane’s Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, known as the MAC, has prepared a major exhibit on the Olmsted Brothers’ parks plan for the City, which will open to the public on October 6th. In addition, members of the National Association for Olmsted Parks will hold their annual meeting in Spokane in honor of the event.

Entitled ”Olmsted Brothers: Designing Spokane Landscapes,” the exhibit will outline the work of Fredrick Law Jr. and John Olmsted, heirs to the legacy of their father Fredrick Law Olmsted, designer of such works as New York’s Central Park, and who has been widely recognized as having pioneered the field of Landscape Architecture. Together, the brothers helped transform much of the Western United States in the same way their father had done back East. Intrigued by our region’s “strikingly picturesque” basalt outcroppings, the Olmsted firm designed parks, residential landscapes and public projects in Spokane over the course of 45 years. This exhibition features their correspondence, photographs, and planting plans and offers a personalized local story, set into the broader context of western city planning. The exhibit will be on display through August 17, 2008.

Hope you made our special members-only event that took place on September 29th - it was a great opportunity to meet and discuss the Olmsted legacy with NAOP members during a sneak preview of the exhibit. Of course, we had nice discussions on the Olmsted “Large Park” concept as expressed in Spokane’s legacy parks plan.

The Olmsted vision of Spokane’s centerpiece large park - called the “Gorge Park” by the Brothers - helped set many things in motion, from the Parks Department aquisition of much of the land prescribed for the area, to initiating the 1974 World’s Fair, to Friends of the Falls’ own recent work promoting the Spokane River Gorge Strategic Master Plan - essentially an articulated version of the Olmsted dream.

“We think people will come away amazed at how many of Spokane’s most beloved parks, neighborhoods and streetscapes were designed or influenced by the Olmsteds,” said Steve Faust, FOF Executive Director. “They may be equally amazed at how much land is already in public hands as a result of this 1907 plan, and like the Gorge area, awaits discovery and greater appreciation,” he added.

Friends of the Falls held a press conference today announcing that funding hurdles have been cleared for Spokane’s proposed whitewater park, opening the way for final design, permitting and eventual construction. The group, through State grants, local donations and City contributions in the form of materials for the feature, has raised approximately $1.2 million over the past two years. The most recent large donation allowing the project to meet its funding goals was in the amount of $40,000 from Teck Cominco, a diversified mining company with regional offices in Spokane.

The proposed whitewater park is one of several priority projects identified in the Gorge area Strategic Master Plan, developed through an extensive community involvement process involving more than two dozen groups, organizations, agencies and tribal governments. The proposed feature will include two u-shaped arrangements of native boulders, intended to create drops, waves and pools in the river for kayakers and other users to enjoy. The project also includes the addition of parking, restorative landscaping, and a small visitor center at the entry to the area. The project is expected to benefit all users of the area - including anglers, hikers, mountain bikers, residents of adjacent neighborhoods, and anyone using the Centennial Trail or proposed Fish Lake trail.

Other major supporters of the capital campaign included Mick & Shelly McDowell, Mountain Gear, Tomlinson Black, the Harriet Cheney Cowles Foundation, Red Lion Hotels, Walt & Karen Worthy, the Spokane Canoe & Kayak Club, Avista Corporation, Greenstone, REI, the Downtown Spokane Partnership, Global Federal Credit Union, Wendle Ford, Yoke’s Washington Foods, and the Spokane Association of Realtors. Over one hundred individuals have donated to support of the Whitewater Park. A complete list of supporters is available for download and viewing below, along with the press release announcing the event.

Honored guests included Spokane Mayor Dennis Hession and State Representative Timm Ormsby, who each spoke briefly about the benefits of the project. State Senator Chris Marr was also present, along with Governor’s Representative Sheila Collins, and major donors Mick and Shelly McDowell. State Senator Lisa Brown, who was recognized for having led funding efforts in Olympia, was unable to attend.

The next phase of the project, according to FOF Executive Director Steve Faust, is to complete an agreement with the City of Spokane’s Parks and Recreation Department for development of the facility. That agreement has been largely reviewed and is near completion, according to Faust. FOF is currently negotiating with professional design teams for contract services, and several permits are required, including a City Shorelines Permit.

Regarding permitting, Faust said “Throughout the past year we have been speaking informally with permitting agencies (mainly Fish & Wildlife and DOE), the Spokane Tribe, city officials, neighborhoods, local anglers, boaters, and others regarding the project, and believe each group’s issues can be addressed in the project design. We are eager to do that, and appreciate the interest, patience and understanding the various groups have shown.”

“Given the time needed to permit the project, we expect to begin construction of the whitewater features and support facilities no earlier than May 2008, with project completion in October 2008” Faust said.

The Whitewater Park is expected to attract whitewater enthusiasts and spectators from around the region, creating a focused center of activity in the confluence area of the Gorge - helping make the area safer for all citizens. Based on the experience of other cities, project supporters expect the Whitewater Park will return $1 to $2 million a year to the community in increased tourism and recreation-related spending.

Press Release (172 Kb, Acrobat® file)
Supporter List (40 Kb, Acrobat® file)
American Whitewater news article (Weblink)

Friends of the Falls’ President Barb Chamberlain recently forwarded staff and board members an e-mail from the Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, relating another of many positive steps we’re seeing in terms of the river’s growing prominence in Spokane’s civic identity.

Even though the message we received was missing the specific image she noted - security filters being what they are - her note including the statement “Look at the use of the river in marketing destination tourism!” made us think the image was something like the one gathered from the CVB site posted to the left, one of many the agency is using these days to promote Spokane.

We’re excited about harbingers like this and the many, many others that we’ve noticed in the past few years, indicating a community that’s growing to appreciate and value the river as it’s centerpiece. Business-boosters, community activists, neighborhood volunteers, cultural advocates and river organizations like ours all have important perspectives to share, and it’s great to have so many focused on the Spokane River these days.

Prompted by the e-mail image, we’re pretty sure that’s what Barb saw, too.