City will try to save six Bernard Street trees

Spokane Mayor Dennis Hession on Friday said the city will try to save six of 24 trees threatened by planned reconstruction work on Bernard Street south of 14th Avenue.

Residents living in the neighborhood have been campaigning to save the trees and the overarching canopy they provide. City officials previously said all 24 would have to be removed because the street work would damage their roots and in some cases, their trunks as well, making them unstable and unsafe.

Excavation around the six trees to be saved probably will be done by hand to preserve their stabilizing root structures, city officials said. Work on the street is expected later this year.

In a news release, the mayor said that 12 of the trees are damaged by disease or improper pruning and are not worth saving. Another six trees were found to be severely overgrown for their narrow planting strips and have displaced existing concrete curb and sidewalk sections.

– Mike Prager

EWU professor joining SCAPCA

An Eastern Washington University chemistry professor who’s studied air pollution from agricultural field burning will represent Spokane on the Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority board.

Jeff Corkill, who has taught chemistry at EWU for 24 years, was recently elected by a majority of the county’s small-city mayors to fill the SCAPCA seat previously occupied by former Spokane City Councilman Mike Brewer. He was nominated by Spokane Mayor Dennis Hession for the four-year term.

Corkill is no stranger to SCAPCA, having served on its advisory committee for 15 years.

He is critical of the SCAPCA board for its hostility to former agency director Eric Skelton, who resigned in September to work for a regional air quality agency in Boston.

“Eric did a fantastic job at SCAPCA and it’s too bad he got forced out,” Corkill said. He will serve on the board’s search committee for Skelton’s successor.

Corkill is one of four authors of a recently published paper in the science journal Atmospheric Environment which analyzes the pollutants in smoke emitted from wheat and bluegrass stubble burning.

– Karen Dorn Steele

City withdraws offer to help save Rookery

Spokane city officials have formally withdrawn an offer to participate in the purchase of the threatened Rookery and Mohawk buildings after a potential purchaser failed to submit earnest money to close the deal.

John Pilcher, the city’s director of economic development, said on Friday that despite the failure of the city to negotiate a deal, discussions are continuing among the owner and potential developers.

Steve Gill, property manager for Rookery and Mohawk owner Wendell Reugh, said, “We want to exhaust every single option.”

The city intervened last fall to stop demolition of the two buildings on Riverside Avenue downtown, but failed last month to find a qualified buyer.

Ron Wells, of Wells & Co. of Spokane, submitted a purchase proposal to the city on Feb. 20, but was unable to match it with a $100,000 deposit after having difficulty getting commitments from investors for the $4.8 million purchase.

– Mike Prager