Recreational Vehicle Park Being Constructed On Prime Waterfront Site
A century ago, Blackwell Island didn’t exist.
Then a lumber company decided a canal was needed for an alternate passage around the boggy area where the Spokane River drains Lake Coeur d’Alene. The area had been a horse pasture for Fort Sherman, located at the current site of North Idaho College.
After Highway 95 and its new bridge across the river were built, the “new” island was expanded by becoming a city-run landfill, which was closed about 30 years ago. Later Yacht Club Sales & Service and The Cedars Restaurant were put on the south side of the highway, and the boat launch was put on the north end.
Now, after three years of discussion, The Blackwell R.V. Park is under construction to fill 30 acres of the island, which is a flood plain and therefore cannot house permanent structures.
Amenities offered by the location of this RV park are immense. Primarily, it’s on the lake. And it’s just a stone’s throw from the BLM boat launch, the town, NIC, and Highway 95. Interstate 90 is about a mile away.
With annexation and sewer service by the city, the RV park will open in June with 122 70-foot RV pads. The site includes 50-amp hookups, a laundry, showers, a convenience store and dock. Landscaping includes planting of 377 trees. Phase II, with 220 pads, is a few years away.
Owners are Spokane brothers Mark and Robert Hall, who took over the property from their parents, Emory and Florence Hall. The elder Halls bought the parcel in the late 1950s. Mark, 47, will manage the RV park and will move from Spokane, and Robert, 40, operates the yacht club and marina.
“We envision this as a vacation destination,” Mark said. “It’s not an RV stop along the highway. It’s got the lake and location where people want to spend their vacations. It adds to the tourism dollars without impacting the schools.”
The city annexation process included 2.5 acres of dedicated parkland to the city, with the possibility of a footbridge someday connecting the island to NIC and the Centennial Trail.
What a great idea - to combine high quality home design products offered by several regional businesses into one shopping location!
This is the purpose of Designer’s Playground, which opened last week at 518 E. Fifth St., in Post Falls. The 6,000-square-foot building, which formerly housed Atlas Lighting & Appliance, faces I-90 with access from the Spokane Street off-ramp.
Offering co-op dealers a 3,000-square-foot showroom, owners Kirk and Twila Heiner display products that customize houses by focusing on skilled and artistic trades.
The co-ops’ member list includes stone work by Elite Stone Creations of Post Falls; faux and decorative painting by Design Details and nature imitations by Lakeland Co., both of Rathdrum; concrete coatings and restoration by Northwest Concrete of LeClede and log furniture by Misty Mountain Furniture of Sandpoint.
Spokane-based specialty shops offer post and beam work, etched glass, slate roofing, old-world frescos, Southwest doors, home sound and image automation, hardwood floors, original pillows, cedar shingle siding, distinctive appliances and custom kitchens, painting, kitchens and ironwork.
Originally from Huntington Beach, Calif., and Mesa, Ariz., Kirk and Twila came to North Idaho from Spokane, where they met and married. The store’s grand opening is planned in April. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 to 3 Saturdays. Phone 777-7224.
With the addition of many delicatessen-style foods, Mrs. Powell’s Cinnamon Rolls in Silver Lake Mall is changing to Cinna-Deli. Linda and John Miller recently purchased the business from Bill and Muriel Stamps.
In addition to the original recipe cinnamon rolls, the store now offers sandwiches, soups, home-made salads and “killer-brownies,” Linda Miller said. Originally from Orange County, Calif., the Millers came to North Idaho five years ago with a combined 37 years retail experience. They plan to expand to other locations.
Their 550-square-foot store employs seven people. Phone 762-7655.
With growth on the agenda, Idaho Independent Bank in May will come out with a $5 million stock offering at $24 a share. Price of the stock has increased 82 percent in the past year.
President Jack Gustavel hinted that the four-year-old North Idaho-based bank is looking to expand with additional branches in the Boise Valley.
The company occupies a new building on Northwest Boulevard in Coeur d’Alene and is rapidly growing to occupy most of Lochhaven Square in Hayden. The bank employs about 70 people in its three branches.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Nils Rosdahl The Spokesman-Review