Sara Jones, 7, didn’t know that county taxpayers helped pay for the $5.5 million Southside Family Aquatics Facility. It was grand opening day, and all Sara cared about was jumping into the lazy river.

Kristi Jones, Sara’s mother, listened to the short talks by Spokane County commissioners and watched as the elected leaders quickly moved out of the way. Eager children then rushed into the new facility. Jones believes government, and her tax money, should build aquatic facilities. “It provides a good outlet for our kids and gives us some time together,” she said.

Last Friday’s opening provided a natural opportunity for government to showcase what it provides for residents, using taxpayer money. Hundreds of children, parents and dignitaries showed up, and the media were there in full force.

But would residents show up at the groundbreaking of a regional storm water facility? Or attend open houses to learn more about paving projects, the north Spokane corridor, shoreline management, a regional bike plan and why a new bridge is needed to replace the old Interstate 90 bridge near Stateline?

They would and did. Attendance was respectable at all those recent events.

If the televised Monday Spokane City Council meetings constitute your only exposure to the public process, you might be surprised at the innovative ways Inland Northwest cities and counties now draw people in. It’s a modern necessity. People are busy. Some are apathetic. Some get interested only after the fact – after the street is torn up in front of their home, for instance.

Susanne Croft is Spokane’s sustainability coordinator. She’s overseeing a public process to “identify and address the ways that climate change and rising energy prices will impact the city government’s operations, services, programs and policies.”

Three sustainability workshops have been held so far. Turnout was good, in part because of the city’s partnership with the Lands Council, which organized the workshops and used its channels to spread the word. Rather than being trapped in chairs, participants moved around and wrote ideas on Post-it notes. A blog is being created to garner even more ideas.

“Everyone is busy,” Croft said. “So you really appreciate it when people do turn out. You know they had a lot of other choices.”

The more innovative the outreach, the more likely residents of all outlooks will participate. Otherwise, specific stakeholders may generate a large but nonrepresentative turnout.

In the summer, public meetings, workshops and government gatherings compete for attention with barbecues, lake time, outdoor concerts and backyard sitting. But public life continues throughout the summer; meeting times are listed on the Web sites of Inland Northwest cities and towns.

A summer night out at town hall brainstorming with other citizens? In this innovative public meeting era, it might be more fun than you think.