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Residents say Friendship Park and other Northeast Spokane sites show neighborhood disinvestment; council points to park-board authority and levy plans
Summary
Speakers at the town hall described health and infrastructure disparities in Shiloh Hills and Northeast Spokane and asked the council to prioritize parks, water fountains and new park space; council members pointed to the park levy and independent park board as levers.
Residents at the town hall urged city leaders to address park deterioration and the larger disparities that follow from a lack of park space and tree canopy in parts of Northeast Spokane.
Angel Trout, a Shiloh Hills neighborhood council member, said the Washington Tracking Network gives Census Tract 112 the highest health‑risk score and described Friendship Park as “overgrown, cracked, and has tree trunks growing through the pavement” with no working water fountain. “Fixing the park isn’t just about the park,” Trout said. “It’s about healthy quality.”
Council members acknowledged long-term underfunding for parks, pointed to a park levy item that includes a planned new park in Shiloh Hills, and urged residents to engage with the Spokane Parks Board. Council member Michael Cathcart said portions of park funding had been moved into the general fund in the past and that a naming-rights proposal for a pavilion could generate $2.5 million for park work.
City staff and councilors also noted the limits of council authority over the park board and encouraged residents to attend park-board meetings and to use neighborhood advocacy to influence park decisions.
The town hall included a city salutation honoring Charles Hansen for neighborhood leadership, and the Northeast Community Center’s executive director Dave Richardson gave program statistics, describing services for families and youth provided by center partners in 2024.
What was not decided: No new parks funding was voted at the town hall; councilors said work is ongoing in levy implementation and in private‑land discussions to acquire new park space.
Ending: Council members asked residents to join board meetings and neighborhood efforts while councilors continued to press for levy-backed improvements and better maintenance.
