Sharing The Power Cheney Man’s Generators Make The Rounds Among Families In Need

When it came to generating heat and light in the days after the ice storm, Rande Lindner of Cheney was a hero to many west of the city.

Lindner, a maintenance worker in the Cheney School District, has a collection of large generators - and a large sense of generosity.

As he heard of residents in need, especially elderly and isolated residents in the Garden Springs and West Spokane areas, he was quick to loan out seven generators, most of which crank out 2,000 to 3,000 watts of power.

Ironically, Lindner acquired the generators because of fire, not ice.

In the wake of Firestorm ‘91, burning trees crashed into power lines and left scattered areas without power.

At the time, Lindner and his wife, Anita, were trying to develop Camp Comia, their vision of a non-profit youth camp near the Cheney Rodeo grounds for Civil Air Patrol cadets, Scouts and Camp Fire groups.

The 20-acre site was formerly used by the Dominican Sisters to house troubled teens. The firestorm showed how easily power can be disrupted.

To provide a backup power supply for the complex, Lindner started fixing large used portable generators he bought at auctions and sales.

Plans to open the youth camp suffered a tragic setback when Anita Lindner was killed in 1994 during the shooting rampage at Fairchild Air Force Base. She was just entering the base hospital to fill a prescription.

Lindner still hopes to open the camp this summer.

But last week and this, the generators have been put to good use, powering wells and furnaces and appliances. As one residence regained power, a generator often has been loaned to a neighbor in need.

As of Monday, families at 25 homes have been helped with the alternate power sources.

Coffeehouse offers sanctuary

While the lights blinked off one by one in the houses nearby last Tuesday, The Rocket Bakery at 14th and Madison continued to glow.

Inside, the espresso machine gurgled, hot milk frothed and cocoa steamed.

As the ice storm turned trees into giant crystal chandeliers and homes into dark, cold, caverns, the small coffeehouse stayed lighted late into the evening, well past normal closing time of 9.

No bigger than a walk-in closet, the coffeehouse drew 25 people inside while the storm raged. “We kept watching the lights blink out all over,” said David Thoren, who worked last Tuesday night, when the ice storm arrived.

“We watched the lights flicker inside and wondered if we were next,” he said.

But the coffeehouse never lost power.

“People saw that we were open and they kept coming in,” Thoren said. “We felt like we were an island in the whole city.”

Storm ups the ante

Two weeks ago, Jackie Johnson talked to an arborist about removing one of the three century-old black locust trees outside The Fotheringham House Bed and Breakfast, which she and her husband Graham own. The price tag was $650.

Now she needs a quote on all three, which began shedding branches a week ago Tuesday on the morning of the ice storm.

One of the first limbs took out the power line to the two-story Victorian house across from Coeur d’Alene Park in Browne’s Addition. Later branches took out two sections of picket fence.

“We turned away a houseful of guests last night,” Graham Johnson said the following day as he stacked limbs next to the sidewalk.

The bed and breakfast was expecting 60 women for a cosmetic clinic sponsored by Nordstrom and a major cosmetic company. Because there was no power, the bookings were being canceled last Thursday.

Even after electricity returns to the neighborhood, the bed and breakfast will be dark until Washington Water Power can assign crews to such smaller repairs.

“They know about us, just like they know about 10,000 other people,” Jackie Johnson said, raking limbs.

Across the street to the west, limbs from the catalpa trees outside Patsy Clark’s Restaurant continued to crack and fall. To the south, Coeur d’Alene Park was littered with trees and limbs.

The sun was rapidly setting as the Johnson’s finished their cleanup of limbs. The neighborhood was quiet except for the distant sound of chain saws.

Three teen-agers in a small, black sedan sped down First, hit the brakes on an ice patch and spun 360 degrees.

“That’s the second time they’ve done that,” said Jackie Johnson, shaking her head as the sedan sped past on the icy side street.

Families gather for warmth

The day after the ice storm, Angela Jolin and her 5-month-old baby, Alec, woke up to a cold house at 32nd and Arthur.

“I felt like I was in a tomb,” Jolin said. “I said, ‘I think I’ll go join somebody else.”’

She drove over to her sister-inlaw’s house at 608 West 25th. There Susan Barrentine and her husband, Bryan, had a warm fire and a houseful of small children.

They were joined by Barrentine’s sister, Becky Reid, 2908 W. Euclid, and her husband and three children.

“Our house was 50 degrees, and we knew Susan had a working fireplace,” Reid said.

Susan Barrentine propped a carton of orange juice on a bench on her front porch and a gallon of milk in a snow-filled luggage carrier above the car.

She lighted her gas range manually. Bryan Barrentine made teddy bear pancakes and eggs, and their daughters, Kaitlyn, 6, and Sarah, 3, were thrilled.

Later that day, the women sent their husbands on a mission to Costco for more candles, batteries and flashlights.

They planned to play cards by candlelight on Wednesday evening. All three families were considering sleeping together at the Barrentines’ house.

“In a way, it’s kind of fun,” Susan Barrentine said. “It’s kind of like a camping trip.”

Outside barbecue comes in handy

Scott Martin stood in line for 15 minutes outside the White Elephant store on North Division Wednesday so he could buy three bottles of propane gas and a flashlight.

Martin, who lives in an apartment in the East Central neighborhood, said he need the fuel for his camping lantern and cook stove.

The unemployed machinist rode out the last hours of the storm last Tuesday by barbecuing outside with his neighbors.

“A bunch of us ate some shrimp and a couple of steaks,” he said.

Limb clearing a volunteer effort

Michael Clevenger prepared for the storm’s aftermath by packing a thermos of hot coffee and a can of WD-40 to keep his chain saw humming.

Clevenger, who lives on the South Hill near 12th Avenue, stalked out into the ice and snow to cut tree branches.

And the branches weren’t even on his property.

The sheetrock worker walked two blocks to Jennifer’s house.

Clevenger didn’t remember the woman’s last name, but he did know she lives alone, is about 50 and probably would need help removing the branches.

“I planted all her flowers, put up her mailbox, and built all her screens,” he said, pointing to a neat yellow house on the corner of 14th and Adams.

About noon he learned that she no longer lived there.

“Somebody told me she moved back to Italy and rented the house out to some students,” he said.

Still, he continued to cut the branches into three-foot sections with his red chain saw.

“I stacked the big wood up so people could use it for firewood,” Clevenger said. “Jennifer’s not here, but that’s all right. I know she’d appreciate it.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GENERATOR TIPS Rande Lindner offers the following tips for those using generators: Keep the generator outside and away from buildings to ensure adequate ventilation. Make sure the generator is grounded. A shock from an ungrounded unit, while not necessarily fatal, can be severe. Whenever possible, run the power directly to the appliance.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Chuck Rehberg Staff writer Contributing to this report were correspondent Pat Kondas and staff writers Janice Podsada, Jim Camden, Mike Prager and Jamie Tobias Neely.