MINNEHAHA
Shannon Benn, Neighborhood Council ChairBenn has lived in Minnehaha for 24 years and has been a member of the neighborhood council since 2016.
What is your neighborhood’s best hidden gem?
Our hidden gem would be Minnehaha Park. We have such a beautiful neighborhood.
What sets your neighborhood apart from the rest of the city?
Our neighbors look out for each other, and we have a lot of people who pay attention to what’s going on. We have low crime rates, according to the crime statistics, and so we have just a lot of really good people watching out for each other.
If you had $100,000 to fix an issue in your neighborhood, what would you invest it in?
A splash pad in our park for our kids.
What’s your favorite place to eat or drink in your neighborhood?
Well, it would be picnics in the park.
Who is someone that’s working hard to improve your neighborhood and what do you admire about their efforts?
Tyler Kern. Benjamin Moore recently donated a lot of paint to our neighborhood council so that we could paint over graffiti and other things on the old tennis courts in Minnehaha Park. Tyler and his family, his wife and his children, came out and they helped repaint and pick up garbage in the park and up in the wooded areas. It was amazing to see a whole entire family take time out of their weekend, take time out of their evenings, to come down and help us take on a graffiti abatement project.
How would you describe your neighborhood in three words?
Active, beautiful and protective.
Is there anything else that you would like to highlight about your neighborhood?
Our neighborhood is just an amazing place to be. It’s kind of a hidden gem. We don’t have a whole lot of big buildings, and we have more nature. We sometimes have deer that walk through our neighborhoods and come down from Beacon Hill. We have a lot of eagles that nest up in the trees in Minnehaha Park. It is kind of as close to country nature living as you can get in the city. (VCM)
CHIEF GARRY PARK
Luc Jasmin III, Neighborhood Council ChairJasmin has lived in Chief Garry Park off and on for the last 16 years, and has been involved with the neighborhood council for four years.
What’s Chief Garry Park’s best landmark?
I think our best landmark is the river. We also have our park — Chief Garry Park is centralized in our neighborhood and a lot of times there’s folks from all different walks of life and all different types of ethnicities coming together to utilize it, whether it’s the splash pad or the basketball court or baseball or a softball game.
What sets it apart from the rest of the city?
We’ve got a high percentage of youth, we have a decent percentage of elderly, and then we also have a lot of young professionals. Next to East Central, we have the most diverse neighborhood in Spokane. It’s cool.
Young Kwak photo
The Catalyst is one of the new buildings along a revamped Sprague Avenue in the east part of the city.
If you had $100,000 to invest in an issue in the neighborhood, what would you spend it on?
We have some of the biggest service providers: Family Promise, VOA [Volunteers of America], TRAC [the Trent Resource and Assistance Center]. We truly believe in supporting folks, but because of that, there’s a lot of wear and tear in our neighborhood. The first thing I would love to do is get some lights along Tuffy’s Trail. We need significant dollars put into cleanup. And the second thing I would do is Napa, between Trent and Mission, oh my gosh, that street needs an overhaul.
What’s your favorite place to eat?
Burrito House. That’s the spot a lot of folks go to get some good food. And right across from there we have Blissful Blends. It’s a staple for folks to go get coffee or a quick bite to eat.
Who is working to improve the neighborhood and what do you admire about their efforts?
Colleen Gardner. She’s been in the neighborhood council for about 17 years. We also have a nonprofit called Northeast Youth and Family Services. They took an old gas station and totally remodeled it and that’s done a lot for the neighborhood especially because it’s right across the street from Stevens Elementary. They have a community garden now. Between Colleen and Northeast Youth and Family Services, it’s awesome to see.
How would you describe your neighborhood in three words?
Hardworking, vibrant and caring. (SW)
EAST CENTRAL
Doug Trudeau, Neighborhood Council ChairTrudeau doesn’t actually live in East Central, but his business there, Trudeau’s Marina, is where he spends the majority of his time. He’s been the neighborhood council chair for about two years.
What are the hidden gems of the East Central Neighborhood?
Disc golf, the Ben Burr trail, and the cricket pitch at Underhill Park.
If you had $100,000 to fix an issue in your neighborhood, what would you invest it in?
Electric vehicle charging stations — $100,000 doesn’t really go far any more.
What’s your favorite place to go out to eat or drink in your neighborhood?
Fresh Soul restaurant and Wisconsinburger.
Who is someone that’s working hard to improve your neighborhood and what do you admire about their efforts?
Michael Brown puts on the SERA (Spokane Eastside Reunion Association) community celebration every August and helps young people every day with life skills at his restaurant [Fresh Soul]. LaVerne Biel manages the Sprague Union [Business Improvement District], and she makes sure the area stays clean and vibrant for the community.
How would you describe your neighborhood in three words?
Diverse, vibrant and resilient. (CR)
