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ISSUE 129
Spokane’s Senior Centers FOUNDATIONAL TO COMMUNITY LIFE BY JULIA CHRISTMAN
S
ome members of the Spokane Valley Senior Center are worried. The Spokane Valley City Council is
sort of game: bridge, pinochle, bingo, mahjongg, and chess, to name only a few. There is a book club and a free lending library. Groups of hobbyists
Senior Center daily. To keep them going, ‘Meals on Wheels’ serves a lunch Monday-Friday (11am12:30pm) so that members can easily spend the
considering a proposal to outsource management of CenterPlace Event Center, where
gather there to chat and support one another in quilting, knitting, crocheting, and wood carving, as
day in the building participating in several events and be able to grab a bite to eat. There is a rumor
the Senior Center is located. Members are concerned that outside management might
well. Activities such as Wii bowling, billiards, table tennis, line dancing, Pilates, and aerobics are
that those getting ready to live in the new 55+ apartments nearby are looking forward to visiting
decide to move the Senior Center to a different location, resulting in greater cost to the
popular among seniors seeking something that affords more exercise.
the Senior Center for Meals on Wheels as well. There is talk about resuming the quarterly
membership and, perhaps, a less desirable facility. So why should non-seniors care about this
The Walking Group, which I just started a few months ago, uses the extensive Centennial
fund-raising that was recently discontinued after years of successful operation. When visiting the
issue? In part, because they have relatives who are seniors, but also because, with luck, everyone will
Trail, old zoo, and Mirabeau Park as their walking paths. It is a beautiful sight to see the waterfall and
Senior Center at its current location, you will see lots of activities, smiles, and laughter in a place where
be a senior someday and will appreciate having a safe place to socialize and have fun with their peers,
wildlife on these walks. It is convenient for walkers of all levels as we can stop mid-walk, walk others
people can gather and enjoy themselves any time of the year, and, if you like what you see, get involved!
since nearly 100% of participants at the Senior Center are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. For a $25/year membership fee (50+ years old), the Spokane Valley Senior Center is open Monday-Friday (9am-3:30pm) in a building right next to Mirabeau Point Park. A brand new senior apartment building is being built just down the block off the Centennial trail. Folks go to the Senior Center to play every
back to the building and keep walking a different direction. Participants are delighted to have a group of people to walk with because it provides exercise, safety, and socialization at the same time. If you think this is a lot of activities, there are also classes offered by Spokane Community College at a minimal cost. Currently, they are offering Acrylic and Watercolor Painting. Some people attend different events at the
Spokane Valley Senior Center spokanevalleyseniorcenter.org
Patio Upgrades To Consider This Summer COURTESY OF DELTA MEDIA GROUP
M
aybe you've been pondering all those cool ideas seen on TV and the web about redoing your drab slab of a concrete patio so that it's a standout feature of your indoor/outdoor entertainment area. Here's the deal. We are all in love with the idea of extending our living and entertainment area into the outdoors. And why
Paint a Pattern Using a circular saw, score a concrete slab with a diamond pattern, then paint it with two shades of gray concrete paint. You can also use a stencil to create interesting patterns like a carpet design. Create a Stamped Concrete Patio
Resurface with Pavers Another redo that involves pouring new concrete is to fake the look of brick or stone with a patterned rubber roller. You'll need a concrete roller to create indentations that look like brick or stone, and those rollers can be costly. Concrete stamping mats are a more affordable option. These flexible pieces of rubber have embossed
not? There are dozens of relatively inexpensive and yet innovative hacks that will make your
Stamped concrete is wildly popular these days. A bit cheaper than pavers, it comes in a
patterns. Stamp them on wet concrete and apply pressure. Lift the mat and repeat the process.
outdoors as inviting as the indoors, so let's start working from the ground up by renovating that
variety of patterns and colors. Installers will try to delay cracking (be advised, it will crack someday)
Although all these projects are relatively inexpensive, you can obviously spend more on
boring, cracked, or scuffed-up concrete patio and see how dazzling it can be.
by installing control joints. Obviously, you will have to pour concrete and stamp the new
some than others. So if cost is a factor, then you may want to go with simple painting or staining.
Paint It
concrete before it hardens. So if you've already got a concrete slab there, you'll have to figure out
Once you're done with your new floor, it's time to think about decorating. You might start with a
For basic painting, you will need concrete binding primer; concrete paint; painter's tape, a
how to get rid of it.
weather-resistant outdoor rug, perhaps in the dining area. Decorate with flower boxes or containers of
roller tray with liners (for fast cleanup), a paint roller, nap roller covers, and paintbrushes.
Fake a Stone Look Another redo that involves pouring new
flowers that can change with the season and move indoors when it's cold. Hang up strands of lights.
Pressure wash the patio and let it dry. Cover up with painter's tape everything you don't want to be painted. Apply concrete binding primer, allowing it to dry one to four hours prior to painting. Apply two coats of paint, allowing the first coat to dry overnight. Wait 72 hours before you move furniture back onto the patio. Stain It Apply a stain over the patio, then seal it.
concrete is to fake the look of brick or stone with a patterned rubber roller. You'll need a concrete roller to create indentations that look like brick or stone, and those rollers can be costly. Concrete stamping mats are a more affordable option. These flexible pieces of rubber have embossed patterns. Stamp them on wet concrete and apply pressure. Lift the mat and repeat the process.
Add a water feature, which could be a fountain with plumbing or a self-contained model that runs on electricity and recirculates the water. Let your creativity and inner interior decorator run wild as you think up ways to jazz up that formerly dull space and make it shine.
Home Recipes with Coldwell Banker Tomlinson
Courtesy of Larry Lapidus
Low-Carb Potato Salad Serves 8 INGREDIENTS • • • • •
1 medium cauliflower head broken into florets 1 carrot, peeled and grated 2-3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped 4 chopped green onions ½ cup pitted green olives, sliced
• • • • •
½ cup thinly sliced radishes 1/3 cup chopped dill pickle ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 tbsp Dijon mustard Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS 1. 2. 3.
Microwave the cauliflower until flexible, but still firm. Add carrots, eggs, onions, celery, olives, radishes and pickles In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Add to your mixed vegetables and stir until they are well coated
NOTES How do you cut the carbohydrates in potato salad to practically zero? Just substitute cauliflower for the potatoes! The result is a summer salad hearty enough to serve as a main course.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Shakespeare In The Park Grand Coulee Dam Laser Light Show Now - Sept. 30 • Grand Coulee Dam usbr.gov • 509-633-9265 • FREE The “One River, Many Voices” laser light show began May 28, 2022. It runs nightly at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time through July 31. Beginning Aug. 1, the laser light show will start at 9:30 p.m., and beginning Sept. 1 through Sept. 30, it will start at 8:30 p.m. Start times are subject to change. Tickets are not required to watch the light show.
July 21 - July 30, • 6:30pm • Riverfront Park spokaneshakespearesociety.org/events • FREE The Spokane Shakespeare Society (S3) presents a timeless classic of young love, feuding families, and meddling friends. This imagining of Romeo and Juliet will take the audience on a wild ride, led by the point of view of our two lovers. What can possibly go wrong when two teens decide they know better than everyone else in the world? Join S3, and Riverfront Park for an evening that has something for everyone: love, murder, and plenty of stunning visuals.
The Festival At Sandpoint July 28 - Aug 7 • War Memorial Field festivalatsandpoint.com• $45-$349 Sandpoint's annual summer concert series. Featured artists include The Beach Boys, Lindsey Stirling Mt. Joy, and Pink Martini. See website for full lineup. Seating is general admission on the lawn and in the grandstands. Seating is available on a first-come, firstserved basis. There are reserved first-come, first served sections for sponsors.
Coldwell Banker Tomlinson 4102 S Regal St, Suite 201 Spokane, WA 99223
@HOME WITH
cbspokane.com
ISSUE 129 | JULY 2022
©2022 Coldwell Banker Tomlinson. All rights reserved. Each office is independently owned and operated. If you currently have an Agent assisting you with the purchase or sale of property, this is not a solicitation for business.
Spokane & Kootenai County Market Snapshots - June 2022 SPOKANE COUNTY Average Sales Price
Current Listing Inventory
Median Days On Market
$479,748
793
6
Up 15.1%
Up 132.6%
Up 50.0%
Median Sales Price
Residential Closed Sales
Annual Residential Sales
$440,000
668
3,325
Up 15.8%
Down 17.0%
Down 9.7%
Average Sales Price
Current Listing Inventory
Average Days On Market
756,305
936
57
Up 28.4%
Up 45.3%
Down 6.6%
Median Sales Price
Residential Closed Sales
Annual Residential Sales
$580,000
298
1,797
Up 17.1%
Down 37.9%
Down 19.3%
KOOTENAI COUNTY
June 2022, as compared to June 2021. The information in these reports are compiled from reports given by the Spokane Association of REALTORS® and the Coeur d'Alene Association of REALTORS® and to the best of our knowledge is accurate and current.
Market Insights Perhaps the most important function our monthly review of statistics can serve is to alert us to a significant change in the market. The numbers we see here perform that function with textbook clarity. After years of steady appreciation, the median sales price has declined. After years of a nationwide shortage of available housing, buyers in Spokane had 48% more homes to choose from in June than they had in May. Since 2020, we have grown accustomed to measuring the months of inventory in days and weeks. Last month, it jumped over 35% to over one month. A change in only one of these measurements could indicate a temporary blip or a statistical anomaly, but they have ganged up on us, leaving us only one conclusion: the long-awaited relaxation of the Seller's market has begun. Why? You can probably rattle off the reasons as easily as we: first and foremost, the sudden jolt of increase in mortgage interest rates, supply-chain breakdowns, a long-lasting pandemic, Russia's barbaric behavior, inflation, the US Supreme Court; all of these have unsettled the local and nationwide financial and psychological landscape, leaving both buyers and sellers hesitant, uncertain and looking for answers. Not for years has the need for objective, well-informed advice and expertise been greater. We at Tomlinson are prepared to provide you with both.