Moose Lake Co. closing up shop

A shop that sold a hint of the great outdoors in the heart of downtown Spokane is closing.

The Moose Lake Co. will close on May 1, after more than a decade of selling carved fish coffee tables, Timberland apparel and other décor and merchandise with a Northwest flair.

Stephen Barbieri, of Red Lion Hotels Corp., the owner of Moose Lake, said the company decided to close the shop after selling the Crescent building last December. The upscale outdoor store was located on the main floor of the historic building, at 707 W. Main St.

“We’ve never operated a retail store in a building we didn’t own,” he said.

Although Barbieri said having the store was a great experience, the company has no plans to re-locate Moose Lake.

Coeur d’Alene

Builder, architect to refit Creekside

A Coeur d’Alene builder and architect have agreed to pay $115,000 to retrofit Creekside Meadows Apartments so the units comply with federal disability access requirements.

The 28-unit complex on 15th Street was built by Hallmark Homes Inc. and designed by Architects West.

The ground-floor units failed to meet Fair Housing Act standards, according to a 2001 lawsuit filed against the two companies by the federal government. The suit said the doorways weren’t wide enough for wheelchair access; thermostats were mounted too high on the walls; bathrooms weren’t laid out for easy access by persons with physical disabilities; and the visitor parking failed to designate handicapped accessible spaces.

In a consent decree signed last week, Hallmark Homes and Architects West agreed to pay for changes to the units.

Spokane

Electricity users conserving more

The Northwest’s 15 largest utilities reported that their customers conserved enough electricity last year to power about 63,000 homes.

Homeowners and businesses screwed in 7 million more fluorescent light bulbs last year. Other changes included more efficient appliances such as refrigerators.

Conservation is a key component of the Northwest’s energy planning, according to the Northwest Power Planning Council, a four-state collaboration on energy issues.

Yet there’s plenty of room for improvement, said council chairman Tom Karrier, of Spokane.

He noted there was no progress in developing heat pump water heaters, and less-than-expected conservation savings in new commercial buildings.

Washington

Fed’s Ferguson will leave post

Federal Reserve Governor Roger Ferguson, who played a key role in shepherding the nation’s financial system through the 2001 terror attacks, is leaving the central bank near the end of April.

Currently vice chairman, Ferguson, 54, has been with the Fed since 1997. He was first appointed to his Fed post by President Bill Clinton and then re-appointed by President Bush.

Ferguson’s resignation will take effect on April 28.