In brief: Carousel foundation holding open house

Hard-carved ponies and hand-painted panels from Coeur d’Alene’s historic carousel will be displayed today at an open house hosted by the Coeur d’Alene Carousel Foundation.

The free event will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Blackwell House, 820 Sherman Ave., in Coeur d’Alene.

The carousel, with its 20 antique wooden horses, was part of the Playland Pier amusement park at Independence Point from 1942 to 1975. Carol and Duane Perron, who own the International Museum of Carousel Art in Hood River, Ore., bought the 1921 Stillman carousel in 1987.

In March, the foundation purchased the carousel for $250,000, thanks to a donation from John and Pat Foote, of Eagle, Idaho. The carousel is being stored until money can be raised for a new building. Foundation members also are meeting with city officials to discuss a new location for the carousel, said Nancy Edinger, a spokeswoman and wife of City Councilman Ron Edinger. The foundation would like to place the carousel in City Park, she said.

Alison Boggs

Verner picked to join building safety panel

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner will be nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the board of a Washington-based nonprofit group dedicated to helping make the nation’s buildings safer and more efficient.

Verner’s appointment to the National Institute of Building Sciences board of directors, announced Thursday, requires U.S. Senate confirmation.

The institute seeks to improve building sciences and technologies by bringing together public- and private-sector representatives. Six of the board’s 21 members are White House appointees.

David Wasson