Greetings!
What is the most visited State Park in eastern Washington? Yes, you guessed it! The Spokane River Centennial Trail welcomes over 1.9 million users per year! Ours is the 4th highest ranking of all Washington State Parks, behind Deception Pass (4M/year), Long Beach (3.7M/year), and Lk. Sammamish (2.2M/year). Locally, Riverside State Park welcomes 1M/year and Mt. Spokane sees 500,000 visitors per year.
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Miracle Mile Medallion Update |
Citizens of Spokane and eastern Washington came forward over 30 years ago with great enthusiasm for Spokane River Centennial Trail construction by purchasing Miracle Mile Medallions. For a $100 donation, a promise was made to donors: they could own one square foot of the Centennial Trail for life. With these donations, over $300,000 was raised for trail construction and brass circles were engraved with Centennial Trail logo, special message, unique number, and donor name. In all, 3,693 medallions were placed adjacent to the downtown Spokane Centennial Trail from First Interstate Center for the Arts to the north side of Don Kardong Bridge at Gonzaga University. Over 200 medallions were placed at the Mirabeau Trailhead in Spokane Valley.
This living “donor wall” represents the heart of our community. Honoring lives, celebrating events, and given as gifts, each medallion represents unique and important people and moments in time.
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Our FCT Board recently learned more from Washington State Department of Transportation about how Children of the Sun Trail will intersect the Spokane River Centennial Trail as part of the North Spokane Corridor project. This project scope includes everything from Carlisle Street on the north to Mission Avenue on the south. Greene Street Trailhead will not change. A crosswalk to the trailhead will be added on Upriver Drive. Two ways to depart Children of the Sun Trail on the north bank will include stairs with a gutter for bike wheels and a pathway to Ralph Street.
On the south side of the river at Spokane Community College, a trailhead with informational kiosk and benches will be built. Children of the Sun Trail will meet the Millwood Trail to the east, Tuffy’s Trail to the west, and continue through neighborhoods until it reaches I-90. It will not parallel the elevated highway.
The contract has been awarded for design build of the Children of the Sun Bridge. Once designed, construction will commence and last for three years. WSDOT estimates the highway span will be completed before the trail bridge.
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With talent for numbers that balance and fiduciary oversight, we welcome Matt Shuster to the FCT Board of Directors! Matt is Director – Internal Audit, AgWest Farm Credit Services and big fan of the Centennial Trail. He commuted by bike on the Centennial Trail for years and enjoys all types of outdoor recreation with his family. We are pleased to add Matt's expertise to the FCT Board! |
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Thank you, Friends of the Centennial Trail Members and Adopt-a-Mile Partners! |
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Individual and Family Membership
Gary & Marlene Lock, Craig & Diane Smith, Sharon McEvoy, Peter & Diane Joss, Doug & Theresa Tesarik, Roger & Mary Ann Bosky, John & Cathy Sage, Keith & Mary Kopischke, Jeffrey & Colleen Nolting, Michael Rocks, Steven Roffler, Elizabeth Mills, John Yoo, Janet Curtis, Tim Hansen, Ronald Harris.
Welcome New Members!
Kimberly Meyer, David Adams, Ernest Ellsworth
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Century & Millennium Club Members
Shelley Clough Dan & Ashley Maguire, Naomi Franklin, Anonymous Fund at Innovia Foundation, Jean Greene, Ronald Collins, Anne Laflamme, Sally Jane McLaughlin, The Hobnailers, Inc., Joan Corkey-O’Hare and Jim O’Hare, Jacqueline Post, Carlos Delgadillo, Swartley Donor Fund at Innovia Foundation, Paul Grubb, Jay & Kay Walter, Robert Iller.
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Community Resource Needs a Community Effort |
Hearty thanks to the 300+ volunteers who Unveiled the Trail last Earth Day weekend, cleaning Centennial Trail miles by hand to make it better for all! This effort is a huge blessing to managing jurisdiction park departments and all who enjoy the trail!
Happy Spring!
Loreen McFaul, CFRE
Executive Director
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