Piling plucking begins; penny pouring to follow

Let the removal begin.

North Idaho Maritime will start removing hazardous pilings from the Spokane River this week for Kootenai County.

The $15,500 project is only the first planned phase of piling plucking, limited to hundreds of pilings between Cedars Restaurant and the Post Falls Dam.

If enough funding remains, the county will move on to phase two, removing pilings from Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Nick Snyder with county Parks and Waterways said there is now $45,000 set aside for the two projects, comprised of $20,000 from county funds and the rest from donations.

Snyder acknowledged the donations haven't been handed over yet.

"I can tell you we've received phone calls from private businesses and citizens that have pledged some money," Snyder said. "We expect seeing revenue in the next week or so."