Emerson Garfield

Job Opportunities with the Inland Northwest Farmers Market Association

April 14, 2021 Emerson Garfield

The Inland Northwest Farmers Market Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit coalition of 10 farmers markets serving the Greater Spokane Area. They work in a united direction to nurture and empower farmers markets as a vital tool for economic development, sustainable agriculture, fresh food access, and community connectedness.

They are seeking to fill two positions with their organization. Job descriptions and contact information are in the documents below.

AmeriCorps Opportunities

April 9, 2021 Emerson Garfield

Gabby Ryan, our neighborhood staff liaison, wanted to share this opportunity for community members to serve in the Spokane County United Way’s AmeriCorps VISTA Program.

She stated in her email:

It’s often described as the domestic Peace Corps, and allows for folks to do intentional and impactful community-based work. Being an AmeriCorps VISTA was what allowed for me to begin my work in the Spokane community, as I served as the AmeriCorps VISTA in Eastern Washington University’s Office of Community Engagement for two years. This is an excellent opportunity to share with folks more interested in community-based work (whether it’s government or nonprofit focused).

If any community members have questions about AmeriCorps, there’s contact info at the bottom, but they’re also welcome to reach out to me if they’re interested in an AmeriCorps Alumna’s local experience. There is a robust and strong AmeriCorps Alumni network here in Spokane, that includes many folks y’all work with on a daily basis. Myself, Councilmember Burke and Gretchen Chomas are just a few AmeriCorps Alumni who served in Spokane and stayed in the public sector in Spokane following our service terms.

509.625.6858 | gryan@spokanecity.org

What is AmeriCorps?
AmeriCorps is a federal agency connecting individuals and organizations through service and volunteering to tackle the nation’s most pressing challenges. VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is an AmeriCorps program designed to fight poverty through indirect, capacity-building service.

Why serve?
Enrich your life by helping others. When you serve with Spokane County United Way’s VISTA Program, you join a network of people and organizations dedicated to strengthening Spokane.

Current opportunities:

Summer Associates: Help prevent summer learning loss in Spokane’s youth! Serve full-time for 9 weeks at Spokane County Library District, West Central Community Center, The ZoNE, or Spokane Parks & Recreation. Apply here!
Affordable Housing Specialist VISTA: Build neighborhood capacity for affordable housing as an AmeriCorps VISTA Member in West Central, Spokane! Note: This is a full-time, yearlong volunteer opportunity in partnership with Whitworth University’s Dornsife Center for Community Engagement. Apply here!
Community Outreach VISTA: Build the capacity of community engagement programs in NE Spokane through AmeriCorps VISTA service! Note: This is a full-time, yearlong volunteer opportunity in partnership with Gonzaga University’s Center for Community Engagement. Apply here!

See all opportunities through the VISTA Program. For questions about the VISTA Program, please contact Kaela Loriz at kaelal@unitedwayspokane.org.

Public Meeting – Avista Integrated Resource Planning – February 24, 2021

February 15, 2021 Emerson Garfield

Avista in the process of developing both their electric and natural gas integrated resource plans and customers are invited to give feedback on electric and natural gas plans.

Avista is hosting a special meeting on Wednesday, February 24, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. to hear from you.

Register

Each plan looks 20 years into the future. It’s an extensive process, and public input plays an important role. They want to know what is most important to customers as they balance reliability, cost and environmental sustainability.

They will present a bit about each plan, answer your questions and hear your feedback. Each participant will be asked to choose two breakout rooms after the presentation. Focus areas include reliability, affordability, natural gas resources and environmental issues.

Feedback Requested – Downtown Plan Update

February 9, 2021 Emerson Garfield

The Downtown Spokane Partnership and the City of Spokane have begun the process to create a new plan for Downtown. The last plan was adopted in 2008 and the new plan will address the next 10 years.

View the Plan’s public workshop and survey summaries. The City would like to know whether you and your neighbors believe the Plan draft accurately reflects that process. Send initial comments to the project email info@spokanedowntownplan.org by March 16, 2021.

Overview presentation given to the City Plan Commission last month. The presentation shows the key features and functions of the Plan, such as a focus on a connected and walkable Downtown with sidewalks more activated through uses in adjacent buildings and activities along the street.

The Downtown Plan was last updated in 2008. Highlights in this update to support a more connected and walkable Downtown strategy include:

Transforming low-traffic streets by converting travel lanes for bike/scooter and pedestrian facilities, and additional on-street parking, rearranging how space is used within the existing right-of-way on some streets.
There is also a renewed focus on redeveloping several surface parking lots for a mix of residential and commercial office development, as well as parking garages.

Free Training Workshops – League of Women Voters’ Speak Up School – February 15 and 20, 2021

February 8, 2021 Emerson Garfield

The League of Women Voters of the Spokane Area (LWVSA) will be hosting a 2-afternoon free training workshop called Speak Up School to encourage a wide range of people to testify at open meetings held by the Washington State Commission on Redistricting later in 2021. Speak Up School will share tools to help participants find their own voice and build effective, personal testimony.

Register

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Redistricting – redrawing district lines for legislative and congressional districts – occurs every ten years following the Census. This critical process impacts all voters by determining who they can vote for to represent them in their state and national governments. The 2021 Washington State Redistricting Commission will be hosting public input meetings during the spring and fall of 2021 in every congressional district.

In the past, public testimony at these hearings has not been effective at compelling commissioners to take action. The League of Women Voters would like to change this in 2021 to ensure ALL voices are heard regarding this critical state action.

Importantly, LWVSA envisions another benefit of Speak-up School. As part of their mission to “Empower Voters. Defend Democracy,” they strongly support active civic engagement and believe the skills gained in this training will provide long-term benefit to the public when they testify to different municipal and state government committees and commissions.