Dec. 30 / Condon names city administrator

Spokane Mayor David Condon, who officially took office Jan. 1, named Theresa Sanders as administrator for the city of Spokane, the city's highest appointed position. Sanders worked for the city under a previous administration as economic development division director for 2 1/2 years. Separately, the city announced the retirements of Public Works & Utilities Division Director Dave Mandyke and General Administration Division Director Dorothy Webster. They had worked for the city for 38 and 22 years, respectively.



Dec. 23 / Ridpath can't be inhabited, city says

The city of Spokane determined the former Ridpath Hotel building downtown to be substandard and ordered it could not be occupied because of lack of compliance with fire suppression requirements and continued unauthorized access into the building. The city has been working with the building's owners since last February to try to resolve the compliance issues. The owners have until Jan. 20 to file an appeal with the City.



Dec. 20 / 172 Providence employees depart

In an effort to cut $61 million from its 2012 operating budget, Providence Health Care accepted 172 of the 335 voluntary-separation applications it received from employees after announcing it would be seeking voluntary layoffs. Most of those laid off worked at Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital. Those who took the separation offer left their jobs by Dec. 16 and received severance pay and cash bonuses.



Dec. 20 / Council approves complete-streets mandate

The Spokane City Council adopted an ordinance mandating that all publicly funded arterial street projects will be reviewed for the inclusion of complete streets facilities. "Complete streets" are roads that are designed with all users in mind, including cars, bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities, according to the National Complete Streets Coalition website.



Dec. 19 / Wind farm lands $210 million

First Wind, of Boston, announced it secured $210 million in financing for its subsidiary Palouse Wind LLC, which owns the planned 105-megawatt wind farm about 45 miles south of Spokane. The company started site work on the project last October and expects to have the wind farmup and runningby the end of 2012.



Dec. 16 / Avista rate increase OK'd

The Washington state Utilities and Transportation Commission approved a rate settlement that will allow Avista Corp. to collect an additional $23.7 million in electric and natural gas revenues, a little more than half of the $44.5 million in increasesoriginally requested by the company in May. New rates went into effect Jan. 1. An average residential electric customerusing about 1,000 kilowatt hours a month will see an increase of $3.10ina monthlybill. An average natural-gas customer using about 70 therms a month will pay about $1.83 more a month.



Dec. 13 / Former Jensen-Byrd building to be razed

The Washington State University Board of Regents approved the sale of the 1.48-acre former Jensen-Byrd building complex on the Riverpoint Campus to Austin-based Campus Advantage. The purchase price was $2.85 million. Preserving the building was not financially feasible, said Campus Advantage Vice President Scott Duckett, so the company plans to tear down the building this summer and build a new housing complex. It plans to reuse brick and interior beams from the Jensen-Byrd building in the new complex.