Emerson Garfield

Materials for the March 12 EGNC Meeting

March 10, 2014 Emerson Garfield

As another Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting nears, the snow has given way to rain. At least it’s some sort of seasonal progress. And it’s reason enough to join the EGNC on Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland) as we begin preparing in earnest for the exciting year ahead.

And that’s not just feel-good inspirational fluff. There really is some exciting stuff going on.

This EGNC meeting brings five guest speakers — all of whom have been limited in advance to ten minutes or less. That means you’ll get your informational fix but it won’t eat up your entire evening. Most of the speakers have agreed to hang around after the meeting so you can pose your questions on an informal, one-on-one basis.

Dom Felix will be talking about the Spokane Police Accountability and Reform Coalition (SPARC). Kim Ferraro will be giving a preview of what’s happening at the West Central Community Center. Buzz Bellessa of North Hill Neighborhood Council will be proposing a developer agreement for the city-owned property on the corner of Cora and N. Monroe. Angel Spell of Spokane Urban Forestry will address everything to do with street trees. And a representative of the Spokane Human Rights Commission will explain what their organization has been up to.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Karen Cornwell of Avista will not be presenting. We hope she’ll be able to reschedule for April’s meeting.

Also on the agenda is the scheduling of mobile speed signs (for traffic-calming analysis), preparation for next month’s EGNC elections, discussion about the proposed Summer Parkways event in Emerson-Garfield, Neighborhood Planning updates, and lots more.

Download the March 12 meeting materials here:

Agenda for the March 12, 2014 meeting
Minutes from the February 12, 2014 meeting (pending approval)

We look forward to seeing you there!

Help Us Find a Rocking Chair for K

March 5, 2014 Emerson Garfield

[UPDATE: K got the furniture she was after. Thanks to all those who considered donating.]

A longtime resident of Emerson-Garfield is leaving the neighborhood after nearly half a century.

Kizuyo — who acquired the nickname “K” many years ago because her name was too difficult for her employer to pronounce — first made her home in this neighborhood in 1968. She’s a former librarian, a cancer survivor, and a woman who’s proud of the independence she’s maintained into her ninth decade.

If you live near the southwest corner of the neighborhood, you will probably have seen her walking to and from Safeway on a regular basis. If you ever visited the Corbin Senior Center, there’s a good chance she was there doing puzzles.

As she prepares to move into a smaller apartment across town, she mentioned that she’s looking for a sofa or a rocking chair “with big arms” to replace the furniture she can’t take with her.

If anyone from Emerson-Garfield has any items along these lines to offer K, please leave a comment below or get in touch. It would be nice to see her leave with something from Emerson-Garfield beyond her forty-six years of memories.

Corbin Senior Center Movin’ & Groovin’ Fair (Mar 8)

March 4, 2014 Emerson Garfield

The Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland) will be holding its tenth annual Movin’ and Groovin’ Fair on Saturday, March 8 from 8am to 2pm.

Admission is free to this all-ages event, which offers free health screenings, seminars and giveaways in addition to a raffle and an affordable ($6) lunch.

This fair isn’t a small-scale event. The vendor booths generally wind through the whole first floor and lower level of the Corbin Senior Center, and they represent services and businesses from all fields: healthcare, real-estate, utilities, legal and financial planning, and lots more.

Though some of the offerings are naturally geared toward the Corbin Senior Center’s clientele, there’s useful information, fun activities and swag for the whole family.

N. Monroe Traffic Presentation

March 1, 2014 Emerson Garfield

Below is a YouTube movie of the presentation on N. Monroe given by Bob Turner, Senior Traffic Engineer for the City of Spokane, at February’s Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting.

It contains statistics such as average daily vehicle counts and vehicle speed as well as a ten-year retrospective of collisions and pedestrian fatalities. Some of the figures might be surprising, even if they do seem to be at odds with our day-to-day experience on N. Monroe.

Toward the end there’s a list of conclusions that can be drawn (or not) from the available data. Some of the recommendations and concerns tie in to Emerson-Garfield’s current Neighborhood Planning effort.

The individual slides should be fairly self-explanatory. If they aren’t, we can try to address your specific questions in the comments below.

Urban Farming Hearing (Feb 26)

February 24, 2014 Emerson Garfield

The Spokane City Plan Commission is holding public hearings on Wednesday, February 26 at 4pm in City Hall (808 W Spokane Falls Blvd, City Council Chambers, Lower Level) to receive public testimony on an ordinance related to the topic of urban farming.

The ordinance is for the proposed adoption to the Spokane Municipal Code of section 17C.380, which is related to the regulation of market gardens.

Any person may submit written comments to the Plan Commission and appear at the public hearing to submit oral comments on the proposal. Copies of the draft ordinances before the Plan Commission are available at spokaneplanning.org.

A State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Non-significance (DNS) was issued on February 10 pursuant to WAC 197-11-340 and section 17E.050 of the Spokane Municipal Code. Comments on the DNS must be submitted by 4pm on February 26.

To submit comments or request more information, contact Tirrell Black at tblack@spokanecity.org or (509) 625-6300.