Local news briefs
It's busy around the 'ol DTE "office" this time of year. Here are some news briefs we left out of our Another Green Monday.
Spokane - meet Summer Parkways. You've been hearing about, you're probably a fan of it on Facebook, and now the cat is officially out of the bag. On two different Sundays this summer, two miles of Howard Street from Riverfront Park to Corbin Park will be closed off to cars for an all-day funfest of street activity, vendors, and most of all, a lively demonstration of alternative transportation from bikes to skateboards to the 'ol heel to toe express. Mark your calendars for July 11th and August 22nd, and start making plans to be there or to volunteer. According to the S-R article from Sunday, "the idea comes from the popular Ciclovia event in Bogota, Colombia, where thousands of residents turn out every Sunday for bicycling, skating, walking, dancing and other fitness activities on car-free streets." Read more about it HERE. “It’s been a huge hit everywhere it’s done,” said Rick Bender, president of the SpokFest Association, which organizes and promotes bicycling events.
Improvements to Finch Arboretum. New trees and shrubs have been planted alongside the Garden Springs Creek in Finch Arboretum to provide more shade at the same time that invasive and non-native plants are being removed, so says a recent article in the S-R. The work began last summer with a $6,300 grant, and will continue this year with the planting of more new trees along the creek. You can read more about this HERE. In other Parks news, last Thursday the Spokane Park Board unanimously voted to endorse Mayor Mary Verner's nomination of interim Park Director Leroy Eadie to take the position full time. Read more about this HERE. And if you'd like more information about the Parks and how you can voice your opinion on the future of the Parks, take a few minutes to fill out the Community Issues questionnaire which will be used to help the department develop a master plan by identifying services Parks and Recreation can influence and affect.
Dry Fly - not just environmentally sustainable, but economically as well. Kudos to Don and Kent and all of their success with Dry Fly Distilling. It was pretty cool to see their business profiled in the USA Today.
