Mike Prager

1. Rob Brewster, 28, has plans for historic rehabilitation of the Montvale, the first single-room hotel built along West First. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review 2. Members of the Canton group, left, and others gathered outside the Montvale for a parade in 1919. Charles Libby collection/Eastern Washington State Historical Society 3. Rob Brewster examines the huge skylight that hovers over the center of the Montvale. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

The newly formed Manito Neighborhood Council will meet tonight at 7 to continue work on organizing the neighborhood. The city's proposed street tree ordinance will be discussed during the meeting in the Wilson Elementary School library. At an earlier meeting, the neighborhood elected Dave Godlewski as president; Susan Winchell, vice president; Dave Nelson, secretary-treasurer; and George Withers, communications officer.

A real estate developer plans to build a high-tech office building just west of Sunset and Assembly. It would be the second of two office buildings at that location. The first was constructed last year. Greg Arger of G. Arger Co. Inc. said the new four-story building will be wired with fiber optic communications cables to accommodate the high-tech industry.

A developer of the Westwood Hills subdivision in southwest Spokane is seeking a replat of an older development proposal. The view property is on a bluff to the west of Hangman Creek Valley near Thorpe and Assembly roads. A neighborhood meeting will be held today at 5 p.m. on the site at 23rd and Scenic Court.

Workers guide the new "ceremonial bridge" into place Monday in Manito Park's Nishinomiya Japanese Garden. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

She'll be coming down the mountain 1. Winter still lingers at area ski resorts, such as Mount Spokane where 4-year-old Sierra Schrankel keeps her eye on dad during a ski lesson on Thursday. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. (Appeared in Idaho edition only.) Louis Scamolla and his dog Bubba enjoy the mild weather on the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene Thursday afternoon. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

A new ceremonial bridge will be hoisted into place Monday at the Nishinomiya Japanese Garden at Manito Park. The new bridge, clad in a long-lasting tropical wood, will replace three aging bridges that previously carried strollers through the garden. Mike Stone, a division manager for the parks department, said the bridge will enhance the natural setting of the garden by reducing the clutter of the old bridges.

Habitat for Humanity wants to build a new kind of environment for low-income homeowners. The organization is asking the city to approve a planned unit development for a 12-home complex near Liberty Park on the South Side. Until now, Habitat for Humanity has helped low-income residents achieve the dream of home ownership one or two dwellings at a time.

A Spokane attorney who bought 40 acres south of the city several years ago wants a zone change to increase its value. Attorney Tom Kingen is asking the county hearing examiner to approve a change from the exclusive agriculture zone to the general agriculture zone. The hearing is scheduled for March 25 at 10:30 a.m. in the commissioner's assembly room at the county Public Works Building. The land is on Valley Chapel Road about two miles south of the Palouse Highway.

In/Around: Airway Heights The owner of a small water system serving a trailer park near Airway Heights was forced to disinfect the system earlier this year. The state Department of Health issued an order in January requiring testing and installation of a chlorinator at the Fairview Heights Trailer Court. "It's pretty well straightened out," said Joe Kieger, manager of the park. "The water seems to be just fine."

1. Jeff Gibson-Smith uses art to help recover from a head injury. He once enjoyed making realistic drawings, but now he creates abstract pieces. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review 2. Artist Jeff Gibson-Smith talks to Katherine Byrne's students at South Pines Elementary School. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Artist Jeff Gibson-Smith talks to Kathryn Byrne's class at South Pines Elementary School. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

The Southside Senior Activity Center is getting help from more than two dozen prominent residents in its drive to build a new senior center building. A 17-member advisory board was named this month to help the center reach its goal. It will be headed by Gordon Budke, a well-known business leader in Spokane. Also, a separate task force has been appointed to oversee the design and construction of a new $1.8 million center.

Traffic on 57th Avenue has more than doubled in the past 11 years because of rapid growth on the South Side. Spokane County engineers want to widen 57th this year to make it safer for the thousands of drivers who use it every day. On Tuesday, the road builders held an open house at the Moran Prairie Grange Hall to explain their plans.

Patricia Manz believes she's found the right place on the South Hill to relocate her Woodland Montessori School. Now she needs the approval of City Hall. Manz has filed for a special permit to build and operate the preschool at the southeast corner of 35th and Havana.

Final plans for improvements to the county's Fish Lake Park will be reviewed during a meeting of the Marshall Community Coalition Wednesday. The meeting will be at 7 p.m at Windsor Elementary School, 5504 W. Hallett Road. County and city officials will be on hand to talk about the park improvements as well as plans for extending the Fish Lake Trail. Work at the park will begin this summer.

A large commercial development being sought for 57th and Regal has been delayed because of Spokane County's emergency stormwater rules. Rich Naccarato of Cedar Builders Inc. has proposed a shopping center and multifamily housing complex on 25 acres at the southeast corner of the intersection. In a letter last month, the lawyer for the developer told county officials the project is being delayed. Attorney Stan Schultz asked that a zone change hearing be postponed until May.

The small neighborhood park in Historic Cannon's Addition is not even a year old, but already it has been victimized by graffiti and other vandalism. "This is the worst graffiti I've seen in one spot in our neighborhood," said Shirley Wilson, head of the COPS Southwest organization. Wilson monitors and reports graffiti throughout the southwest section of the city.

1. Jackie McGowan walks past an empty pasture that once held her farm animals. Many got sick and died from contaminated water. Family members also got sick. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Jim and Jackie McGowan stand outside their home in Marshall, Wash., where they have been fighting off sickness brought on by what they believe is contaminated water. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review (This photo appeared in Idaho edition only)

1. Hultberg 2. Schumacher

Spokane County is holding nearly $2 million in taxes to be spent on conservation lands. Last fall, voters said yes on an advisory vote to continue the conservation tax for five more years. Now, the county and city are taking nominations on lands that could be purchased under the program this year. City officials said they want more land inside the city to be included.

Spokane County is holding nearly $2 million in taxes to be spent on conservation lands. Last fall, voters said yes on an advisory vote to continue the conservation tax for five more years. Now, the county and city are taking nominations on lands that could be purchased under the program this year. City officials said they want more land inside the city to be included.

Spokane County is holding nearly $2 million in taxes to be spent on conservation lands. Last fall, voters said yes on an advisory vote to continue the conservation tax for five more years. Now, the county and city are taking nominations on lands that could be purchased under the program this year.

Seven South Side neighborhoods have submitted plans for spending nearly $350,000 in federal community development money. The requests are part of the annual allocation of federal grant money to Spokane's lower-income neighborhoods. Money will go for such things as playground equipment, sidewalk repair, street tree replacement and social services.