Post Falls planner retires

POST FALLS - Collin Coles, who has been the lead planner for the city of Post Falls for the past 18 years, has retired.

His last day on the job was Friday. City staff, associates and friends held a potluck at Q'emiln Park on Friday night, recognizing his efforts.

"My job has always been to serve the City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, and, most importantly, the citizens of Post Falls," he said. "I saw a lot of change over the years and hope that I had a small part in shaping the community.

"We are blessed with a very fine staff and a visionary City Council that always looked for ways to make our community better. It has been a dream job for me."

Coles, often ribbed at City Council meetings for wearing Hawaiian shirts, helped guide efforts to update the comprehensive plan, land-use plan and other planning documents.

He shepherded the city's recently-adopted SmartCode aimed at creating mixed-use villages, preserving greenspace and avoiding sprawl.

Bruce Cyr of Riverbend Commerce Park said Coles had a common sense approach to planning.

Russell Cornell, Post Falls' building official, said Coles tried to keep the best interest of the public in mind.

"It is a shame to lose one of such broad-ranging skills and thoughts in these times, but I have a feeling that he has only begun in life, that now without the constraints of working for a jurisdiction, he will grow and work even more for the public in many ways," Cornell said.

City Administrator Eric Keck called Coles the "bedrock of planning" in Post Falls.

"His calm demeanor and planning wisdom have helped shape the community to what it is today," Keck said.

Another Post Falls planner, Garrett Smith, has left the city after four years to accept a county planning position in Hawaii.

Keck said that neither position will be filled soon.