Centers To Continue Leadership Program

A program that trains people who want to play a greater role in their community will continue this year as a joint effort of two North Spokane community centers.

The Institute for Neighborhood Leadership is being organized this year by staff at the Northeast and West Central community centers - and will be offered at both locations.

The seven-week curriculum is geared toward residents who want to gain a better understanding of how local government works, and who want to learn how to give presentations, organize and run meetings and sustain organizations.

Training begins Oct. 4 at the Northeast Community Center and Oct. 5 at the West Central Community Center. Classes will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the program lasts seven weeks.

Jeff Gombosky, a Vista volunteer in northeast Spokane, is recruiting people for the classes and future sessions.

The course is free. Enrollment will be limited to about 15 people per class. To sign up or to get more information, contact Gombosky at 487-1603.

Emerson-Garfield COPS shop

Good news for another North Side community policing operation. The COPS organization that serves the Emerson-Garfield neighborhood has has found a home at 630 W. Shannon.

“We looked at many different buildings and we noticed this one was empty, empty, empty,” said Debby Stannard, president of COPS North Central.

Newman Lake resident Susan Rouse has agreed to rent the building to the COPS organization for $1 a year for five years, said Stannard.

Police volunteers will occupy 2,000 square feet of the house. The rest will be used by the owner for storage, who feels having the COPS organization there will eliminate a problem with frequent breakins, Stannard said.

Dave Gunstrom, building chair for the neighborhood group, said the organization still needs to gain a rezone of the property to use it for a police substation.

Youth volunteers from the AmeriCorps national service program have agreed to rehabilitate the building. Gunstrom hopes they can begin work early next year.

“It needs a lot of work,” he said. “There’s absolutely nothing in there except an old bathroom. We’ll need lots of donations to make this work.”

Shadle library hearing

The city hearing examiner will take public testimony at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on the permit application for the new Shadle branch library. The building site is in the northwest corner of Shadle Park. The new library will replace the existing branch in Shadle Shopping Center.

Hillyard murals fund-raiser

The committee trying to raise money for public murals around the Hillyard business district is hosting a fund-raising dinner theater at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Hillyard Masonic Temple, Market and Diamond.

Prime rib is on the dinner menu and Hi Jinx, Spokane’s improvisational comedy group, will entertain. The cost is $25 per couple and $15 per person. Advance tickets are necessary and available through today at Hillyard Florist, 4915 N. Market.

Emerson-Garfield meeting

You know summer is officially over when neighborhood steering committees get back in gear.

The Emerson-Garfield neighborhood committee will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the West Central Community Center, 1603 N. Belt.

NC’s golden oldies

Folks from North Central High School’s class of 1947 are already at work organizing a 50-year reunion. No date has been set, but the reunion is being planned for 1997. If you’re a member of NC’s class of ‘47 or know someone who is, call Doris at 325-0374 or Pat at 926-1476.

, DataTimes