LILACS to the Spokane park board for approving a $1 million renovation of the Rotary Fountain. At the main entrance to the park, the fountain sets the tone and is a rare feature that is both an aesthetic delight and functionally fun. It needs to spray perfectly in all directions for kids of all ages to be able to run through and take a chance on how wet they’ll get. Our only reservation: don’t spend a dollar if they’re going to keep using those unsightly street barriers that cheapen the entire experience.

LILACS to the Browne’s Addition neighborhood for adding ANOTHER six months to their moratorium on new building in the neighborhood. And when it finally ends, they need to make absolutely certain that any new construction keeps with the historic architectural feel of the neighborhood. No one wants to see a jarring concrete apartment built next to beautifully restored craftsman homes. Neighborhoods should have a right to take control of the appearance of their locale and to preserve their way of life.

LEMONS to all the entities involved in cutting a one-mile road through High Drive Bluff without going through proper channels. It looks like a classic “seek forgiveness, not permission” scenario. LILACS, though, to Avista for vowing to restore the road as much as possible to the state it was in and for NOT simply using the road for another project they have in the works down the road.

LEMONS to the City of Spokane for attempting to ramrod a climbing gym onto park land for a private developer before putting it up for a public vote. Although a fun new amenity near Riverfront Park sounds great, should the city be competing with tax-paying businesses like the two other climbing gyms in town, one of which, Wild Walls, says would certainly put them out of business? Rather than lose those taxes, why not find a way to cooperate with existing businesses instead of finding ways to hurt those who have contributed to our fabric for decades?

LEMONS to local politicians Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Mike Crapo for voting to allow Internet and telecom companies to share our personal information, including web browsing history. For five-figure donations from the Internet industry they have now allowed the already-too-powerful telecom firms to sell our web histories to the highest bidder. Shouldn’t we be making it LESS easy for others to see our personal information?

LILACS to Spokane City officials for working to move forward on a branch of the Centennial Trail that would take hikers and bicyclists along the SOUTH side of the Spokane River, through Peaceful Valley. What a great hiking loop it would make, to be able to walk in safety from Sandifur Bridge, through Kendall Yards, to Riverfront Park, and back past the Spokane Club and all along the river. Currently the trail is so far above the river that you barely know the river is there, but hiking back along the shoreline will be a great added branch to the trail.

LILACS to ZBA Architecture for seeking to turn the Otis Hotel into micro-apartments. When an old beauty can be restored and repurposed it’s so much better than tearing it down and switching it to parking. Downtown is getting more populous with each passing month, and that can only bode well for safety and economic success. There is safety in numbers, and the more people living downtown, the more safe the once-empty streets will be, even at nighttime.