SPOKANE, Wash. — WSDOT is on notice.
The Spokane City Fire Marshall says the cooling tent set up on WSDOT's property near I-90 and Freya is illegal.
So, he sent a letter to WSDOT requesting they take it down.
The cooling tent went up on Wednesday and since WSDOT is the property owner, it's responsible for removing it, or getting the proper permits.
Jewels Helping Hands set up the tent. It has fans, misters, and just last night, they added air conditioners. WSDOT is aware of the cooling tent, and while the agency does not allow camping on its land, officials say they don't want someone to have a medical emergency on their property.
Spokane Fire Marshal Lance Dahl told me temporary structures, such as tents with sides that measure at least 400 square feet, require a permit.
The cooling tent is almost 2,000 square feet, and Jewels Helping Hands does not have a permit for it.
City Council President Breean Beggs said he notified council members that the cooling tent was going up at the request of the fire chief. Now, he says he's just trying to untangle the bureaucratic issues that have popped up, as a result.
"My goal is to solve the bureaucratic issues so that we can get to the substance of it," Beggs said. "In the meantime, the tent will still provide cooling services to the people who need it, which is great because we don't want to have people with health issues due to the heat if possible. So, glad that's happening."
WSDOT and the Department of Commerce released a joint statement this afternoon responding to the fire marshal's letter--saying they will not take action to remove the cooling center during this extreme weather.
In the meantime, WSDOT and the Department of Commerce will continue to review other local proposals submitted last week and allow non-profit organizations to continue helping individuals in need.
Still, the letter from the fire marshal says WSDOT has to remove the tent by 9 a.m. Monday. If not, WSDOT could get a civil infraction of $536 for every day the cooling tent is left up.
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