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Author: Emerson Garfield

Trinity Cow Plop Tomorrow (June 2)

Trinity Cow Plop Tomorrow (June 2)

The moo-vers and shakers of the Trinity Cow Plop.

Trinity Catholic School [map] is holding its 22nd annual Cow Plop fundraiser tomorrow (June 2) from 11am to 4pm — or after the third “plop,” whichever comes sooner.

Should the idea of a cow plop should be somewhat foreign, think of it as large-scale bovine bingo. You pick a spot on a grid of grass, and hope that the cow eventually feels the need to do a number two there.

Trinity is calling this family-friendly event “The Greatest Plop on Earth.” It takes place directly in front of the school on Montgomery Ave. and will include a street carnival, pony rides, games, face painting, music, and food. Plus, of course, two cows for plopping. (Pictured above: the stars of a previous Trinity cow plop.)

All proceeds will benefit the school, although participants have the chance to walk away with up to $3,100 in first-place prize money. There will be 50 other cash prizes.

Tickets and T-shirts are available by calling the school on (509) 327-9369 or by e-mailing trinity [at] dioceseofspokane [dot] org.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Opportunities

One of the most daunting things about volunteering to help among a large and disparate group like Emerson-Garfield neighborhood is knowing where you’ll fit in.

What opportunities are available to you? Where can you make the biggest contribution? Where will your support have the most impact?

As a resident, you can:

  • Join the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council. The EGNC meets just once a month, and simply being there and offering input is all that’s asked of you. You’re able to voice your concerns, help decide how neighborhood money is spent, and get to know the folks who live a few streets away. It doesn’t matter if you own or rent your home.
  • Become a stakeholder in the E-G planning process. That “stakeholder” part isn’t quite as weighty as it sounds. All it means is that you’ll participate and help represent the residents of Emerson-Garfield as we work to outline the future of the neighborhood. What we plan now will affect the neighborhood for years to come.
  • Lead or support a sub-committee. Concerts in Corbin Park. Summer movie nights at Emerson Park. Annual neighborhood cleanup. Helping the local schools and businesses align themselves more closely with the residents. Maintaining this blog, our Facebook page, and e-newsletters. Working with the city to improving our parks and traffic. All these things don’t come about by themselves — they need people like you to make them happen.
  • Shop at neighborhood businesses. We lost two great businesses — The Chill Spot and Sparky’s Firehouse Subs — because they didn’t see enough patronage. So instead of going to Starbucks, try Caffe Delicio or Chairs Coffee. Make a point to visit Tossed and Found’s annual Barn Sale or drop by Eye Candy Antiques. Pick up some delicious, locally made organic salsa at Petunia’s.

As a business or property owner, you can:

  • Be a member of the North Monroe Business Association. The NMBA is the best forum for you to network with other business/property owners in the neighborhood. By working together, you can combat problems like graffiti and break-ins, and you can create a more vibrant business climate through street fairs, art walks, block sales, and more.
  • Attend Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meetings. You might not live here, but your contribution to the neighborhood is something we recognize and value. Your participation and input is just as important as residents’.
  • Become a stakeholder in the E-G planning process. No, stakeholders don’t have to be residents — participation in the planning process can come from anyone who has a vested interest in the neighborhood. And keep in mind that this planning has the potential to affect your bottom line far into the future.
  • Support neighborhood events. By sponsoring or lending your business’s resources to E-G events, you can do good for the community, bring potential customers to our neighborhood, and increase your profile. For example: Step up to support concerts in Corbin Park, help cover the licensing fee for our summer movie nights, or pitch in with the annual neighborhood cleanup.

No matter what your background or where your interests lie, remember: You’re not anonymous. You can make a difference, even by volunteering for just an hour or two a month. But if you don’t become involved, you can’t help to guide and improve things.

And if you think you’re too busy to volunteer, think again. Some of our most active volunteers include parents of newborn babies and young children, “graveyard shift” policemen, owners of multiple businesses and properties, unemployed professionals who are searching for work, members of three or more volunteer organizations, and many other folks who are juggling work, family, friends, and hobbies. They make time because they know Emerson-Garfield has the potential to be the best neighborhood in Spokane.

For more info about what’s on offer and where you might be needed, get in touch with us using the short contact form on this page. Select “Volunteer Opportunities” as the subject.

Tossed & Found Barn Sale Today

Tossed & Found Barn Sale Today

Tossed and Found is holding its second annual Barn Sale today (sorry for the short notice) from 9am to 5pm. They’ve even repainted the barn in honor of the event!

In addition to their inventory of antiques, they’ll be hosting guest vendors such as Fringe & Fray (Facebook) who will have their own antiques, second-hand items, and handmade crafts.

Tossed and Found is located at 2607 N. Monroe Street, and there should be plenty of parking along Monroe as well as the neighboring residential streets like York and Chelan. Questions? Call Tossed and Found on (509) 325-2607.

What’s a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District?

What’s a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District?

Emerson-Garfield is part of Spokane’s West Quadrant Tax Increment Financing – or TIF – District. What exactly is a TIF district? And what does it have to do with our neighborhood?

Simply put, a TIF district is a pledge from Spokane city government that it will pay for projects that will upgrade neighborhoods using future property taxes. The idea is that such improvements will increase overall property values, especially properties located within the district, and thus increase Spokane’s overall property tax revenue.

Please note that simply being located within a TIF district does not automatically increase someone’s property taxes. Each property located within a TIF district continues to be assessed individually.

Spokane created the West Quadrant TIF District in 2007. It is one of three TIF districts created by city officials. The West Quadrant TIF District includes all of the Kendall Yards development being built on the bluff overlooking the Spokane River, part of the Riverside Neighborhood next to the river, much of the West Central Neighborhood, and Monroe St. within the West Central and Emerson-Garfield Neighborhoods.

In 2007, the West Quadrant TIF district had an assessed value of $198 million, which became the district’s base valuation.

The amount of property tax that has been collected within the district each year above the 2007 property tax collected is called a tax increment. Three-quarters of each year’s West Quadrant tax increment that isn’t specifically for schools and state government will be used as seed money for approved projects within the District.

One of those approved projects is the planned revitalization of the North Monroe business district from the bridge north to Cora St., which is the north boundary of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood.

Other approved TIF projects are the installation of streets, sewer lines and other infrastructure within the Kendall Yards development, the extension of the Centennial Trail west from Monroe St., continuing streetscape improvements along West Broadway Ave., and improvements to the Spokane County courthouse campus.

No one expects that there will be enough tax increment collected to be able to fully pay for any of these projects. Think of the increment rather as being seed money that will attract additional money from private and public funding sources for continuing improvements within TIF neighborhoods, including Emerson-Garfield.

The West Quadrant TIF district tax increment will be collected for 25 years, after which the district will be dissolved. The hope and expectation is that by the time the district goes away somewhere in the neighborhood of $4.5 million will have been collected and that will have gone a long way toward revitalizing our part of Spokane.

(This article was written by Emerson-Garfield resident John Vlahovich, who is chair of the West Quadrant TIF District Neighborhood Project Advisory Committee.)

Public Planning Event Wrap-Up

Public Planning Event Wrap-Up

Graduating EWU urban planning students present neighborhood maps and statistics.

The public planning open house that took place last night saw participation from Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council members, students from Eastern Washington University, the North Monroe Business Association, the City of Spokane — and perhaps most importantly, the residents and business/property owners of Emerson-Garfield neighborhood.

Attendees were able to hear EWU students present data they had compiled from census information as well as feet-on-the-ground observation. They talked about sidewalk coverage, walkability, preferred modes of transportation, vacant lots, and more. (This website will be presenting their findings in a forthcoming series of short posts.)

The students then fielded questions from the audience. And when they lacked an answer, city officials were on hand to offer information.

Attendees were also able to take two new online surveys that are designed to collect feedback about Emerson-Garfield’s present challenges and future direction.

This was the first public event of the neighborhood’s latest planning efforts. If you have feedback about the event, or if you didn’t make it but would like to know more, please contact us. We’re also looking for stakeholders to take part in the planning process — the only thing you need is a bit of free time and a desire to improve your neighborhood!