Park defense part of legacy
It would be wrong to say goodbye to Scott Lukins without recalling that he and Betty were instrumental in keeping Riverfront Park free of a so-called “amusement center” (“Lawyer, activist Lukins dies,” April 13).
The city had a proposal from a group in Texas to put the center in the middle of the park. Mayor Chase, the City Council, and the Chamber of Commerce were all enthusiastic supporters of the proposal.
Scott, Betty and a few others were so offended at the thought of the city’s Central Park being turned into a carnival that they paid for an ad in The Spokesman-Review, which pointed out that the proposal’s plan was nothing more than that of building a small-town carnival, with the same rides being proposed that were already in use in every cheesy amusement center in the country. The proposal was voted down by the people and the park remained free of sleaze.
Thanks to them and the others, Spokane was spared the blight of a carnival sitting permanently in the middle of the city.
Robert Glatzer
Spokane