A 100-year gift to the community

COEUR d’ALENE — The Coeur d’Alene Rotary Centennial Park started with an idea eight years ago.

Wednesday evening, it became reality.

“I almost feel like I’m in a dream right now that we’re actually standing in this park,” said Jody Azevedo, project co-chair with Bob Burton.

About 150 people attended the grand opening of the park where Sherman Square Park once stood.

The 100-year celebration included champagne, cake, a ribbon-cutting and plenty of accolades, smiles and hugs.

It was a long time coming, said Rotary Club President Candace Godwin. It took a lot of work, planning and money to get there.

“I don’t want to say blood, sweat and tears, but close to it,” she said.

The new park was described as a “downtown urban space." It includes a water wall, landscaping, boulders, lamp posts, green space, room for concerts, a timeline of Rotary projects and stone benches. It is inviting, welcoming and designed to be a gathering place.

“I’m thrilled that this park will be here for generations, not only for our children, but also for the guests who come and visit Coeur d’Alene,” said Heidi Rogers, former Rotary Club president.

Burton was credited with proposing the idea in 2014 of celebrating the club’s centennial in 2022 with a major project.

The club initially considered more than 10 proposals, narrowed the list to three and settled on renovating the aging Sherman Square Park in the heart of downtown Coeur d'Alene. It was then owned by a private individual who agreed to sell it for $525,000.

The city’s urban renewal agency, ignite cda, paid $500,000 and the Rotary Club added $25,000. The deal closed by the end of 2020.

Ignite cda has since gifted the park to the city, which will handle maintenance.

Earlier this year, ignite cda also provided another $100,000 toward the project as construction costs climbed.

“We wouldn’t be standing here in this park if it wasn’t for ignite,” Azevedo said.

Burton was pleased with the finished product that went through many stages of the approval process.

It has been the focus of the club’s drive and generosity for the past several years, with a contribution of nearly $400,000.

“Beautiful, beautiful,” Burton said. “It’s exactly what we wanted. It honors our club, but it also is a gift to the community.”

John Young of Young Construction was design committee chairman. His company donated its contributions to the project that cost about $500,000. Work started earlier this year and recently wrapped up.

“I was fortunate enough to coordinate a whole team of professionals who put this together,” he said.

The park, which is on the south side of Sherman Avenue between Third and Fourth streets, sits in a place that was once home to the F. W. Woolworth store, which burned down in 1980.

Jon Mueller, a landscape architect on the project, said it is in a special spot close to his heart.

"I grew up in this town. I used to go to Woolworth’s,” he said.

Mueller recalled when Sherman Square Park came to life some 35 years ago.

“Now we're doing version 2.0 and that’s pretty cool,” he said.

Claudia Brennan, a previous Rotary Club president, said the park is a reminder of the club's impact on the community.

“We’ve got the best Rotary Club on the planet,” she said.