The University District

Advance agendas will be posted approximately 3-4 days before the meeting. Please contact ajones@spokaneudistrict.org if you need a Zoom link for the UDPDA meetings.

In 2024, the University District Development Association (UDDA) board of directors will meet on February 7, March 6, April 3, May 1, June 5 (retreat), September 4 (annual meeting), and October 2.

In 2024, the University District Public Development Authority (UDPDA) board of directors will meet on February 7, March 6, April 3, May 1, September 4 (annual meeting), and October 2.

Sept 22 Boulevard Race unveils new route through the UD

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Exciting news from race officials for the second running of The Boulevard Race on Sunday, September 22nd.

The Boulevard Race will blaze new ground this fall on an entirely new course in downtown Spokane. A heavy load of downtown road construction projects necessitated a new course design from their original 4-mile course in 2023. With the help of city officials and local universities, the race course will be run entirely on city streets in Spokane’s University District with the Gateway Bridge serving as one of the impressive and iconic landmarks along the scenic 4-mile run/walk.

Registration for the race is open at www.boulevardrace.com Race entry is $30 and includes a race shirt from The Great PNW; $30 Rosauer’s Grocery coupon; free Dutch Bros. beverage; and free Metro Express Car Wash.

Race Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024
Start Time: 10:00am
Course description: New 2024 Course Map
Distance: 4 Miles

University District 2024 Impact Award Nominations Open, Deadline Aug 1

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0700

BACKGROUND

The University District’s Impact Award recognizes individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated excellence in the District through deep local engagement and exceptional initiative. The award is designed to acknowledge those who provide/have provided thoughtful, community-driven, innovative service and leadership within the District.

Past University District Impact Award recipients include:

2017 – Dave and Mari Clack received the inaugural award in October 2017 at a UD community celebration at Gonzaga University for their early and long-lasting contributions to the University District.
2018 – no award
2019 – Kim Pearman-Gillman was celebrated during the University District Gateway Bridge opening in May 2019 for her leadership in bringing that game-changing project to fruition and for her longstanding service to the UD Board.
2020 – Dean Allen, McKinstry CEO, received the 2020 award for his transformative role in developing the south landing of the Gateway Bridge and the “Health Peninsula” the new home of the UW-GU Health Partnership Building.
2021 – Jim Sheehan was honored for his decades of service to Spokane as a public defender, community leader, philanthropist, and environmental activist. His investment in and transformation of East Main Ave into a vibrant commercial and community hub was catalytic for the UD.

2022 – Kim Zentz received the 2022 award for her years of community service on several Spokane boards and non-profits (including the University District) as well as her leadership roles during her distinguished career in the utility, economic development, higher education, and energy sectors.

2023 – Rich Hadley received the 2023 award posthumously as a major driver in the establishment of the University District. Rich worked tirelessly to build and sustain economic growth in our area and was a force in bringing the Washington State University Elson S Floyd College of Medicine into existence.

ELIGIBILITY
Individuals or organizations may receive this award. Previous award winners and current University District board members or staff are not eligible. The nominee’s work must serve populations in the University District.

AWARD TO INDIVIDUAL
This award is given to someone who has made a significant contribution to the University District and whose collaborative work and selfless leadership have inspired community action and measurable impact.

AWARD TO ORGANIZATION
This award is given to an organization that demonstrates an exemplary commitment to improving the University District, supporting its stakeholders, and creating greater community health, wealth, equity, and opportunity in the District. The nominated organization will have undertaken collaborative and pioneering efforts to benefit University District development, revitalization, economic prosperity, innovation, public health and safety, and community engagement.

Members of the public who wish to nominate a person or organization for the annual University District Impact Award are required to submit Word document (maximum two pages) that includes responses to the following:

TELL US ABOUT WHO THE NOMINEE SERVES IN THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT (UD)

Please describe the community, organizations, and/or individuals served in the University District by this candidate.

WHAT DOES THE NOMINEE DO FOR THE UD AND WHY IS THAT WORK IMPORTANT?

Please tell us about the nature of the nominee’s work and why it matters. Examples include:

Thoughtful Leader: Has a record of demonstrated leadership in their field and community; friends, colleagues, other thought leaders, and peers look to the nominee as a source of inspiration, knowledge, and empowerment.
Community Catalyst: Has a history of stepping up, spearheading catalytic projects, and employing solutions that demonstrate a deep local understanding of the University District community and its diverse stakeholders and that advance the overall health, well-being, and prosperity of the UD community.
Selfless Collaborator: Works with and is informed by other University District or Spokane community leaders, organizations, agencies, faith groups, and/or sectors to break down silos and build collaborative solutions.
Trail Blazer: Has vision and the ability to build momentum around novel, placemaking, or game-changing ideas; willing to take risks to achieve results for future generations.

WHAT SETS THE NOMINEE APART?

Describe how the nominee works to lead, collaborate, and transform outcomes in the University District in truly unique ways. Provide 2-3 concrete examples of the nominee’s singular impact in the UD and/or challenges the nominee(s) has addressed/overcome in the District.

DEADLINE AND EVALUATION

Please submit the nomination to info@spokaneudistrict.org by August 1, 2024. Please provide your contact information for follow-up questions, if any. Final recommendation(s) will be presented to the University District Development Association board of directors for selection in October and the Impact Award presentation will take place on December 4, 2024.

NEED MORE INFO?

If you have any questions, please contact info@spokaneudistrict.org or call 509 255 8038.

Saranac Art Projects July Exhibitions

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700

We are excited to announce our June exhibitions. Mark your calendars for our opening reception on July 5th, between 4:00 - 8:00 PM. Gallery hours after the opening reception are Fridays, and Saturdays from 12:00 - 8:00PM.

BECKY BUSI “Memory Metanoia: a profound, transformation”

My current work is based on artifacts left behind – artifacts of precious objects, photos, birth certificates, heirlooms. My materials include some of the artifacts embedded in plaster and bubble wrap. Medical plaster harkens to healing/solidity and bubble wrap is the opaque cushion that has protected an internal and external space.

Memory is much more than an archive of the past; it is the prism through which we see the world. What happens when memories are based on mistruths found through genetic research? What are the reasons for falsely cushioning the receivers of these physical gifts? How does this alter the sense of identity that we’ve based our lives on? My work addresses a poetic tension questioning the altered facts of my memories.

Mary Farrell, "Look + Listen" (see image at right)

I’ve exhibited my work in shows regionally, nationally and internationally. I am currently a Professor Emeritus from Gonzaga University where I ran the printmaking program for 25 years.

These pieces are a response to the often quiet power of nature if we take the time to look and to listen.

Saranac Art Projects
- a contemporary, co-op art gallery -
25 W. Main St. • Spokane, Washington

Pacific Avenue Greenway Alignment Survey and Open Houses - deadline June 30

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Pacific Avenue Greenway Alignment Survey, Open Houses Available

An online survey is available through June 30 for the City Planning Department’s Pacific Avenue Greenway Alignment Study. The study has identified three alignment options for the greenway, from which a preferred alternative will be chosen. Take the survey to help the City choose the best option.

Come to pop-up open houses on Thursday, May 16, at 6 p.m. at the South Landing of the University District Gateway Bridge and on Friday, May 17, 7-9 a.m. at the North Entrance to Riverfront Park, Howard Street at Mallon Avenue by the purple butterfly.

This phase of the project is in the East Central neighborhood, specifically within the South University District, but the entire project including Phase I, which is planned and funded, is meant to connect cyclists and pedestrians moving between downtown and the University District up to Perry Street.

For more information, visit the project website, signup to receive updates, or send an email to the project team.

Survey: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/3e49251cf6f3435e98660d7f0a893d73

Project website: https://my.spokanecity.org/projects/pacific-avenue-greenway-alignment-study/.

WSU eyes new building near Jensen-Byrd site

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

(As reported in The Spokesman Review by Thomas Clouse)

Plans are progressing on what could become a new $60 million to $80 million medical training facility on Washington State University’s Spokane campus.

The project, called the Team Health Education Building, could be built at one of two different locations as part of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. One potential site is the southeast corner of Spokane Falls Boulevard and Sherman Avenue.

WSU Spokane spokesperson Chantell Cosner said the planners could be leaning toward constructing the new building on the northeast corner of North Pine Street and East Main Avenue, near the historic Jensen-Byrd warehouse building at 131 E. Main.

“We are evaluating both,” Cosner said. “We are looking at the economic impact and how the development of both sites would fit in with campus, and where that fits in with the bridge and urban amenities. At this present moment, that southwest side of campus is looking like an opportunity we are looking to move forward with.”

No decision has yet been made for the future of the 200,000 -square-foot Jensen-Byrd building, a six-story brick structure that has survived several previous demolition efforts.

However, none of the plans thus far call for refurbishing the Jensen-Byrd warehouse, which is different from the similarly named and related Jensen-Byrd Hardware Building at 320 W. Riverside Ave.

In 2015, the estimated cost of refurbishing the warehouse building on Main Avenue was $55.5 million to $61.3 million.

Eric Smith, director of facilities and capital projects for WSU Spokane, said he does not believe school officials have updated the estimated costs to refurbish the building since those last figures were published.

Cosner said the next building is going to complement the future, without specifying what may happen to the Jensen-Byrd building.

“It’s not just how we are situating the new building, but how we build out around that,” she said. “As a result, we are hoping to provide a more detailed vision for the development on the south side of our campus, which is the side we have more room to grow.”

WSU owns and maintains the Jensen-Byrd warehouse that was developed by O.C. Jensen and Henry Brooke, which founded a hardware store in 1883 in Sprague.

The store was moved to Spokane in 1895. The business, which became Jensen-Byrd Co. in 1925, ran out of the two buildings on Riverside and then later shifted in 1958 to the warehouse on Main for its wholesale business.

Jensen-Byrd later built a distribution center on the West Plains. The company has been known as Emery Jensen Distribution since Ace Hardware Corp. acquired it in 2015.

The closest the university previously came to demolishing the Jensen-Byrd warehouse was in 2011, when WSU had tentatively agreed to sell it to a Texas company that wanted to build a new mixed-use facility featuring apartments and retail space.

Spokane Preservation Advocates challenged the legality of the demolition permit, and the company pulled out of the deal in 2012.

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation includes the building in its lists of “most endangered places.”

As for the new building, WSU Spokane has already obtained about $7 million in state funds, and that initial money is being used to both plan the building and to study how it fits into the overall vision leaders have for the campus, Cosner said.

The Team Health Education Building would house up to 1,200 students and a state-of-the-art health care simulation facility, according to WSU.

School officials have selected Bouten Construction and NAC Architecture as its design partners, and Cosner said construction could begin in 2025.

“We are committed to developing a facility that is responsive to the local community and regional health provider needs as well as modeled after the most innovative health education spaces in the country,” Eric Smith, director of facilities and capital projects for WSU Spokane, said in a news release. “These ongoing discussions are absolutely key to the process.”

As the design and planning continues, school officials are also trying to raise the funds needed to build the structure.

“We plan to go to the state for additional funding as well as engage with our philanthropic partners,” Cosner said. “Those things take time and impact the scope and size and feasibility” of the building.

It’s not yet clear when the decision will be made with how WSU will incorporate or demolish the Jensen-Byrd building, Cosner said.

“Obviously, whenever you have a major vision for development you have to think about the existing structures and how best to utilize them for the entire future of the property,” she said.

Hoopfest 2024 -June 29-30

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

There is still time to get your team together for the Best Basketball Weekend on EARTH!!
Final Registration closes June 5th. Make sure to secure your spot and register your teams today! Hit the button below to register or head to our website and learn more about what division is right for you. We can't wait to have you all in the downtown streets of Hooptown USA this June!

Photo courtesy Visit Spokane

Announcing June Saranac Art Projects Exhibitions through June 27

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

We are excited to announce our June exhibitions. Mark your calendars for our opening reception on June 7th, between 4:00 - 8:00 PM. Gallery hours after the opening reception are Fridays, and Saturdays from 12:00 - 8:00PM, until June 27th, 2024.

East Gallery - Madeline McGuinn

Madeine McGinn is a Spokane based multidisciplinary artist. She received her BFA in printmaking and drawing from Eastern Washington University and her MFA in Print Media from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Through her work, she continues to push identity through public vs private, layering memory and understanding fraught relationships with the body. It’s a field guide to getting lost and finding the way back through the organized chaos.

My work has taken on an intimate public sphere for the viewer. What does it mean to have a residue of people passing through? More recently, I have been scaling up in drawings to implicate the viewer within these fixed, bodily memories. I want the viewer to be able to imagine their bodies within these large-scale pieces - to place themselves with these lost moments. I grew up in a large family that thrived off of an archive of shared memory and that archive spills into the communities that surround me. Within these communities, there is a nature of metaphysical connection and the intertwining of people as we grow together. We carry love, connection and trauma in our bodies and my work continues to grow on these ideas.

Image at left: myheartbeatslikeadrum, 2024. Oil pastel and charcoal on paper, 40 x 41 inches

West Gallery - The Hive® Artists at the SAP

Noelle Bowden, Lesley Crane, Amalia Fisch, Erica Schisler, Julie Smetana; curated by Eva Silverstone

Curator’s Statement, Eva Silverstone

The artists selected for this show have completed residencies at The Hive®. They all share a love of form and gesture that is reflected in their work presented in this show. All of the artists combine large physicality with refinement for precise details in seeking their final works. Noelle’s large oil and pastel work is influenced by poetry and the flow of full body mark making. Julie’s ceramics involve full-body mark making but in 3D. She slams slabs of clay against a work surface to stretch them out and then carves them to

refine their forms. Amalia, Erica and Lesley all use printmaking as part of their process. Amalia’s are Gelli-printed using many layers to create depth and luminous color. She then has sewn the pieces together to create an artistic quilt. Erica started her residency making handmade paper from discarded textiles and then silk-screened forms onto the paper. Lesley used a monoprint process to create delicate details within larger shapes. She is influenced by her grandmother’s doll collection and broken parts that can bemade whole again through placement and printing.

The Hive® is a non-traditional library that is part of Spokane Public Library. It doesn’t have any books or computers but is filled with spaces. Meeting room spaces that the public can borrow with their library card and art studios that are awarded to artists through a competitive application process. The Hive opened in August 2021 and has hosted over 30 visual artists and a handful of writers for residencies.

Saranac Art Projects
- a contemporary, co-op art gallery -
25 W. Main St. • Spokane, Washington

Attend AHANA's free OMWBE Certification Workshop June 25

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

AHANA is hosting this workshop that will provide info on:

The benefits of certification for minority and women-owned businesses.
Step-by-step guidance on the certification process
Resources and support available to certified businesses.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your business’s potential and connect with a network of supportive professionals.

You may bring a laptop or device to begin your application (optional).

To register, see this link.