Neighborhoods Have Their Say City Council Hears From South Side Groups During Meeting At Ferris

The Spokane City Council moved its live weekly show to the cafeteria at Ferris High School on Monday to receive status reports from three South Side neighborhoods.

Susan Brudnicki of the Moran Prairie Neighborhood Association kicked off the presentations, telling council members that 425 of her neighbors united a year ago due to worries about increased development.

“We know a lot more about land use than we thought we ever would,” said Brudnicki, adding that the neighborhood association plans to become a neighborhood council later this year.

Greg Sweeney, also of Moran Prairie, gave the council a laundry list of neighbors’ concerns, including a wish that the city and county would work together on projects that effect their neighborhood. The prairie currently is split between the county and the city.

Sweeney also mentioned the neighborhood’s concerns that the hearing examiner process was more of a “rubber stamp” than a deliberation.

“We don’t think that system is serving the neighborhoods at all,” he said.

Gary Schumacher of Lincoln Heights said he and his neighbors are forming a neighborhood council. They also are looking at building a senior center.

Traffic is the neighborhood’s most pressing concern, Shoemaker said.

Diane Jennings of the East Central Community Center told the council the city’s community centers are working on an improved communication system to keep their residents informed about projects and services.

Jennings thanked the council for its support over the years, saying, “We could not possibly do the things that we do without you.”

Also Monday, the council recognized two new neighborhood councils on the South Side: the Manito neighborhood and the Riverside neighborhood.

The council also recognized the North Hill Neighborhood Council, bringing the total to 14 throughout the city.

, DataTimes