In last week's SR story about Crowdswell, a website launched by partners of Spokane creative firm Magner Sanborn, we mentioned two local "swells" -- the name the site uses for worthy projects that people can support through funding or work. The two swells -- both appropriately small and manageable -- were a slightly damaged bench outside a downtown Spokane business and the desire to install a doggy-pickup bag dispenser along the Centennial Trail in Kendall Yards.

Another new project on Crowdswell is finding support for the proposed pedestrian-bicycle bridge in the University District.

The U-D "bike and ped bridge" has some state and institutional money earmarked. But there's a gap in how much is needed to get the bridge off the drawing board. The total target for the bridge is somewhere around $7 million, said Brandon Rapez-Betty, the U District's project manager.

The hope is that Crowdswell could be used to raise about $200,000 in local and regional support, to get the ball rolling. The goal would not be to cover the full $7 million, but simply fill in the gap that will be left after the state and area groups define their funding levels for the bridge.

 

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