Volunteers Back To Work At Substation
After a short protest strike, Nevada-Lidgerwood volunteers are again working on the neighborhood COPS substation.
Work stopped for about a week after Neva-Wood COPS president Deborah Wittwer was suspended last month. Wittwer is appealing, and the city is mediating between an angry neighborhood council and the police department.
About 14 volunteers were hammering Saturday, working on the roof of the 5,200-square foot building on the northwest corner of Addison and Wellesley.
The neighborhood is committed to finishing the building, said Al French, president of the neighborhood council.
“One way or another, it is a neighborhood building,” said French. “We need to get it finished.”
The neighborhood has spent about $200,000 to buy and remodel two houses on the site. The building is meant to be a neighborhood hub for social service agencies, churches, police and other government services.
Work has been done entirely by volunteers. Several businesses have donated materials and labor. Washington Water Power recently promised to wire the building for free.
“We’re going to put all the businesses on our sign when we are done. It’s going to have to be a big sign,” said Mel West, construction supervisor.
The neighborhood plans to be done by December, but is in a hurry to roof the structure and finish exterior walls. A drywall business pledged to go to work as soon as the outside work is done.
“We feel we’ve got to get that roof buttoned up no matter what,” said West.
Students from Whitworth College were among the people who were working at the site Saturday.
“At this point we’ll take anyone who wants to work,” said French.
Suspects in attack sought
Police are searching for four men who reportedly attacked a 31-year-old man in the 2000 block of East Bridgeport last week.
The four assailants, described as black men in their late 20s or early 30s, confronted the man and pulled out a pistol, according to police.
When the man said he wasn’t carrying any money, one of the assailants hit him with the gun and started kicking him.
The victim’s jaw was broken and one of this teeth was knocked out.
Man arrested inside house
Spokane County sheriff’s deputies arrested a 26-year-old man as he allegedly was burglarizing a North Spokane residence.
Deputies responding to a security alarm found Stephen Clegg in the basement of a home in the 300 block of west Alderwood.
The back basement windows of the home were broken, and Clegg had cuts on his hands, deputies said.
, DataTimes