U.S. District Court Judge Lodge granted summary judgment Monday in favor of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, its officers, and the city of Coeur d'Alene in a lawsuit filed by Shannon Kanda in August of 2009. The lawsuit arose after Kanda was injured during her arrest following an evening of heavy drinking.

On May 7, 2009, Kanda had asked a neighbor to call the Coeur d'Alene police after she had an altercation with another neighbor’s visitor. When the police arrived, Kanda was intoxicated, uncooperative, and struck an officer. While police attempted to handcuff the inebriated woman, she was injured. She was hospitalized that night and had a blood alcohol level of .28, over three (3) times the legal limit for driving. She later pled guilty to a charge of Battery for striking one of the officers.

In dismissing the lawsuit in its entirety, Judge Lodge determined that, although a jury could conclude that excessive force was used to detain Ms. Kanda, it was undisputed that the use of excessive force was unintentional. Therefore, the officers acted in a lawful manner and were entitled to immunity from suit.

“I am pleased but not surprised by this outcome. Every day our officers do their best to respond in a professional manner in very difficult situations like this,” said Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Wayne Longo. “It is unfortunate that as a result they become the targets of meritless lawsuits.”

“We are grateful for this summary judgment so that the taxpayers don’t have to bear the added expense of going to trial to defend this case,” said Coeur d'Alene City Attorney Mike Gridley. “We will definitely ask the court to order the Plaintiff to pay the city’s legal costs.”

The defendants were represented by outside counsel Randy Adams and Robert Smith of the Carey Perkins LLP law firm in Coeur d'Alene (208.664.9281). The plaintiff was represented by Larry Purviance of Hayden.

Click here to review the court's Memorandum Decision and Order. For additional information contact Wayne Longo 208.769.2259 or Mike Gridley 208.769.2348.

This weekend hosts the exciting annual Downtown Street Fair, Taste of the Coeur d’Alenes, and Art on the Green. The Street Fair has expanded and streets will be blocked on Sherman and Northwest Boulevard at Lakeside rather than at Second Street, to add additional vendor space.

Traffic headed into the downtown area will be routed to the east on Lakeside and then can go south on Third Street, or north on Fourth Street. Traffic leaving the city’s Third Street parking lot will be directed eastbound only and northbound on Fourth or Seventh streets. Resort traffic only will be directed southbound on Second Street and leaving the resort eastbound only on Front.

For more information, please contact 769-2233.

Closure to Through Traffic for Three Days

The Coeur d’Alene Water Department will be temporarily closing Neider Avenue from US 95 to Fruitland Lane to through traffic for three days beginning Monday, July 26th, to replace a 12” water main. Neider Avenue should be reopened by Thursday, July 29th, to through traffic.

The southern lane of Neider Avenue will have daily closures for approximately 1½ weeks to complete the water main installation. The businesses affected will have continuous customer access from the Fruitland Lane side of Neider Avenue.

For more information, please contact the Water Department at 769-2210.

15th Street Closures Start July 22nd, May Last Two Weeks

The 15th Street & Harrison Avenue Signalization Project will begin Thursday, July 22nd. After traffic control and signage is in place, the removal of the existing asphalt, curb, and sidewalk will follow.

There will be no, through traffic during the demolition and underground improvement portion of the project, but there will be detours to side streets: Maple to 14th (south); and Spokane to 14th (north).

Improvements include the new signal at 15th Street and Harrison Avenue, stormwater mains, new sidewalks and curbing, and the reconstruction of the road surface.

For more information, please call Chris Bates at 769-2228 or Dennis Grant at 769-2398.

Watch for Trail Closures, Detours

A fuel reduction project will begin on the north and east sides of Tubbs Hill beginning sometime during the week of July 19th. The purpose of the project is to protect Tubbs Hill from catastrophic wildfire. This project will also make Tubbs Hill safer for recreation use and mimics nature (which reduces fuels periodically with fire).

Trails will be posted with closures and detours, as the work is too hazardous to allow the public to travel in the work areas while workers are active. Detours will be used whenever possible, but there may be times when hikers will have to backtrack. Please comply with trail closures and detours and do not remove or tamper with flagging or signage.

Alpha Services, coordinating with Parks Department personnel, will reduce the amount of ladder fuels on 43 acres of Tubbs Hill. Ladder fuels are small trees and shrubs that are volatile and can carry fire up and into the tops of trees. The project will go through the end of July into early August. Studies have shown that it is most effective to remove shrubbery when it is actively growing – despite the fact that it is often during highest recreation use. These acres have never had any fuel reduction work except for some debris clearance along the trails directly after the 1996 ice storm.

No large trees will be removed (all trees removed will be under 5” in diameter). The number of shrubs will be reduced by approximately 50% and clearing will be more intense within 30 feet of roads and trails which will help to establish fuel breaks. Simultaneously, non-native tree species will be removed and treated to restore native habitats on the wetter areas of Tubbs Hill. Furthermore, there will be a visual difference: the forest floor will be more open. Shrubbery will re-grow over time and planting of native tree seedlings for the future forest will occur.

For more information on this project, please go to the city’s website at www.cdaidparks.org or contact the City Urban Forester at 769-2266.

This past June, Building Inspector Raymond Kendall earned the Legacy Certification – a distinction that makes him a better building inspector, which makes Coeur d’Alene a safer place to live. Since he was hired by the city in September 2006, Kendall has spent most of his free time earning the Legacy Certification.

What does it mean to earn the Legacy Certification? The International Code Council (ICC) Legacy Certification Program recognizes individuals who have demonstrated their knowledge about a broad spectrum of building codes, across many jurisdictions. Legacy Certifications grew out of a need to recognize individuals who were not only ICC Certified, but also certified in uniform codes, standards and practices, and certified under the jurisdiction of additional codes and agencies.

“The achievement of the Legacy Certification goes above and beyond the normal requirements of Raymond’s position,” said Building Services Director Ed Wagner. “He spent a great deal of his personal time – it’s a reflection of his professional commitment as an inspector.”

Standardization and enforcement of building codes ensure that sound building practices are followed when structures are built. By doing the work required to earn the Legacy Certification, Kendall is better equipped to examine structures and require compliance with numerous building codes – mechanical, electrical, plumbing, etc. – codes that make the places citizens visit and dwell, habitable and secure.

There are only 300 individuals in the entire U.S. holding Legacy Combination Inspector certifications.

For more information, please contact 769-2204.

City Launches Sustainability Website

On Wednesday, June 23rd, the City of Coeur d’Alene will launch the sustainability portion of its official website, www.cdaid.org/green, to provide a resource for people who want to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Still a work in progress, the website will let users know what they can and cannot put in their blue recycling bins, as well as provide relevant links and important updates. In the future, contributors to www.cdaid.org/green look forward to providing new and innovative information.

As a member of the newly-formed city committee, Green CdA Team, Planner Sean Holm developed and will monitor the new site. “Every new website needs feedback and ideas to stay fresh,” he said, adding, “We are open to constructive criticism and would love your input.” Each committee member plays an important role and seeks information across all areas of sustainability. Other Green CdA Team members include Monte McCully (Parks), Renata McLeod (Administration), James Washko (Fire), Christopher Brannon (Library), Julia Aho (Finance), Amy Ferguson (Municipal Services), Sheri Carroll (Finance), Steve Childers (Police), Melissa Crooks (Library), Howard Gould (Building Maintenance), Bill McLeod (Police), and Steve Wolf (Street Maintenance).

Background: In April 2009, one of the City Council’s cost-savings goals involved asking staff to study green/sustainability plans. Dovetailing with this request, Coeur d’Alene was a recipient of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, which required the city to conduct an energy audit. The energy audit was the first step in the city’s movement forward toward sustainability goals. In its first year, it created a volunteer employee committee, the “Green CdA Team.” An advisory team, the Green CdA Team’s role is to assist the city with the goal of promoting energy reduction and conservation opportunities to reduce costs and enhance the environment, and to seek sustainability and educational opportunities for the organization. The new website is a Green CdA Team effort.

The city has also completed an energy audit and a performance-based contract for energy savings programs with Johnson Controls. Furthermore, City Council approved a community-wide, single-stream recycling program which will be launched this fall. The Green CdA Team is very excited to receive ideas from the public and bring innovation to the city.

For more information, please contact Sean Holm at 676-7401.

On Monday, June 21st, at 2:00 p.m., in the Third Street Parking Lot (by the boat launch), the City of Coeur d’Alene will launch its Storm Drain Marking Program, “For The Sake of Our Lake.” The Storm Drain Marking Program will remind citizens to not dump anything down storm water drains.

Stormwater is water from rain and melting snow that does not immediately soak into the ground. Stormwater flows across impervious surfaces such as concrete, streets, roofs, parking lots, and sidewalks into catch basins, storm drains, swales, culverts, ditches, and drywells, and eventually empties into the lake and aquifer. Stormwater can carry pollutants like lawn chemicals, motor oil, pet waste, and sediments to lakes and rivers.

The Storm Drain Marking Program offers opportunities for everyone to learn how to help reduce pollutants that can enter lakes and rivers from the storm water system.

How does the program help? Storm water drains in heavy pedestrian traffic zones such as the downtown corridor and mid-town area will be marked with a stainless steel marker reading: “No Dumping Drains to Lake.” Residential area drains will be stenciled with: “Dump No Waste, Flows to Our Lake.” Volunteers in residential areas will also be distributing educational materials.

The City of Coeur d'Alene Stormwater Utility was authorized by the City Council on October 1, 2004 to manage stormwater for the protection of the public's health, safety, and water quality, to meet federally-mandated regulations for discharging stormwater, and to finance the associated stormwater-related infrastructure costs, improvements, and maintenance. The Stormwater Utility focuses on reducing the potential for stormwater pollution and improving the city’s stormwater infrastructure while protecting water quality.

The operation of our stormwater collection system is regulated by the EPA through our Stormwater Discharge Permit. We must meet strict requirements set forth in our permit. The purpose of those requirements is to reduce pollutants being discharged in Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane River through our stormwater collection system.

To volunteer or for more information, please contact Kim Harrington, Assistant Project Manager, at kimh@cdaid.org or 769-2214. You can also find information on the city’s website and the Stormwater Hotline 676-7405.

City Hall is typically open from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. weekdays, but citizens can now access City Hall 24-hours a day, everyday. By dialing 676-7405, citizens will be able to leave a message regarding any city issue, problem, or complaint - any hour of the day. Messages will be monitored every day, and appropriate departments or individuals will be directed to address the issue and get back to the citizen who called. Citizens will be asked to leave their name and number.

Remember, the City 24-Hour Hotline number is 676-7405.

The citizens of Coeur d'Alene have another way of communicating with the Police Department without calling the business number or 911 and having a police officer respond to their house. This phone line allows a person to leave information regarding a particular crime, criminal activity in their neighborhood, drug activity, a hit and run vehicle, recovered stolen property, dogs running loose, illegally parked cars, or other information regarding the quality of life in their neighborhood. The caller is able to leave their name or remain anonymous, if they wish. The phone number for the TIP line is 769-2296. The TIP line is operational twenty-four (24) hours a day, 365 days a year, and will be monitored on a daily basis. The phone number will not take the place of the Department's regular business phone number 769-2320 or the emergency number 911. The TIP line will give citizens another convenient and quick way to inform the police about concerns that they may have in their neighborhood.