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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane Park Board loses a member as U.S. Pavilion covering talks continue

Spokane Park Board President Chris Wright said the debate over covering the U.S. Pavilion in Riverfront Park, seen here in September 2015, did not lead to member Susan Traver’s resignation. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

The Spokane Park Board’s full capacity was short-lived, as the group’s vice chair resigned shortly after the choice to delay whether to cover the U.S. Pavilion in Riverfront Park.

Park Board President Chris Wright confirmed that Susan Traver, who had served as the group’s vice chair and head of a committee overseeing finances for the entire park system, told members of her decision to resign Friday. Wright said he didn’t believe her decision had anything to do with the pavilion covering question.

“She did not cite the pavilion,” Wright said, saying an insinuation the two were connected would be unfair. “I think, after seven years on the board, you start to wear out.”

Traver could not be reached for comment. Last week, she cautioned the board against delaying the decision whether to cover the pavilion, arguing a full cover didn’t make sense for the structure’s future plans. The panel unanimously voted to wait for more information on the potential cost of covering the structure, built by the federal government for Expo ’74 and then gifted to the city, before amending a park plan written three years ago.

Wright praised Traver’s performance and commitment to the volunteer job.

“Even I have contemplated quitting from time to time, and she has talked me out of it,” Wright said.

Traver’s departure leaves a vacancy on the Park Board just as the panel confirmed two members to fill out its ranks. Wright said the board is already discussing who will replace Traver as vice chair and in her committee assignments.

City Council President Ben Stuckart has asked for a full meeting with the Park Board and pavilion designers next month to address the pavilion covering. An editorial Stuckart penned with Mayor David Condon that appeared in the Oct. 18, 2014, edition of The Spokesman-Review said plans for the park included “a new cover for the pavilion.”

“I don’t believe, on a tax measure, that you go back on what you promise the citizens. That’s not right,” Stuckart said.