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Neighborhood Council Elections and Call for Reps

Neighborhood Council Elections and Call for Reps

In April the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council (EGNC) will be holding elections for the following officer positions:

  • Chair
  • Vice-chair
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer

These positions are all currently occupied but should not go uncontested. If you are interested in running, please put your name forward at the next neighborhood council meeting on Wednesday, March 12. Keep in mind that you must be a voting member to throw your hat into the ring — which means you will need to have attended three EGNC meetings in the past six months.

Emerson-Garfield is also looking for representatives to become involved in groups that are important to the neighborhood. These include:

All of these volunteer groups generally involve a nominal time commitment of just one meeting per month. Ideally you would also attend the monthly neighborhood council meeting to keep EGNC members apprised of relevant issues and opportunities.

If you’d like to be the neighborhood rep for any of these groups (or co-rep; there’s no reason why two or three people couldn’t share a single responsibility), please speak up at the next neighborhood council meeting or get in touch beforehand. If you’re already involved in one of them and you happen to work or reside in E-G, let us know that too!

These unelected positions are just as essential as the elected officer positions. It’s important for Emerson-Garfield to have a voice as these groups develop citywide plans and policy for the future, and it’s equally important for E-G residents to be kept informed of how those plans and policies are taking shape over time.

STCU Contest: Nominate Your Favorite Nonprofit

STCU Contest: Nominate Your Favorite Nonprofit

You’ve got one day left to nominate your favorite local nonprofit as part of STCU’s Who Do You Love? contest. To do so, just fill out the simple form on this page or visit STCU’s Facebook page by tomorrow (February 20).

For those who are unfamiliar with the Who Do You Love? contest, STCU annually donates a total of $5,000 to be divided among the top three vote-getting nonprofits in our community. First, nonprofit organizations have to be nominated. The ten eligible organizations that receive the most nominations will then move to the voting round, which runs February 22 to 28 in 2014.

STCU - Who do you love? 2014

The winners will be announced by KREM-TV as soon as Monday, March 3. The victors will divvy the spoils as follows:

  • 1st place: $2500
  • 2nd place: $1500
  • 3rd place: $1000

We received word of this great opportunity from Spokane C.O.P.S., which would make an ideal candidate for nomination. Some other nonprofits deserving of nomination for their involvement with the neighborhood would include Project Hope, Catholic Charities, the West Central Community Center, the Women and Children’s Free Restaurant and the Emerson Community Garden.

Vendor Application for 2014 Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market Now Available

Vendor Application for 2014 Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market Now Available

Like the headline reads, the vendor application for the 2014 Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market is now available. Download it here as a PDF.

E-G Farmers' Market logoThis season the market will run from June 6 to October 17. Just like last year, it will be held in the parking lot of Knox Presbyterian Church (806 W Knox) every Friday from 3 to 7pm.

The full-season rates this year are just $100 prior to April 30 and $125 on May 1 and later. That makes a total of 20 dates, and the early rate actually works out to less per market than the 2013 rate. Booth spaces per diem are still $15. And there’s still no application fee.

This year will bring some fun and important changes. Most important among them is that the market will be accepting EBT (aka Quest, SNAP) as a payment method in addition to standard debit/credit cards. The market will be participating in Fresh Bucks incentives, too — so every $5 in tokens purchased with your EBT card gets you an extra $2 for spending. And we’re also getting things in place to take WIC family and senior vouchers.

The collaboration with Project Hope will be stronger as well, so you’ll see kids and teenagers from Emerson-Garfield and West Central who are participating in the program selling their locally grown veggies at the Riverfront Farm booth. We’re also working on holding a market poster contest within the local schools as well as some cool tie-ins with First Friday events and Summer Parkways.

If you aren’t familiar with the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market, please check out this photo gallery as well as this photo gallery. We think they capture the unique spirit of this grassroots market in a concise way.

One more thing: In the coming weeks, once some details are sussed out, the application will become a joint application with Project Hope’s West Central Marketplace. That means you can use a single application to apply for one market or the other — or better yet, both!

Candace Mumm Mobile Office (Feb 19)

Candace Mumm Mobile Office (Feb 19)

Candace Mumm portraitIf you’ve been looking to bend the ear of your District 3 city council member, then be sure to join Candace Mumm when she hosts a joint mobile office with Amber Waldref tomorrow on Wednesday, February 19 from 11:30am-1pm at The Mustard Seed in the Northtown Mall.

At the mobile office you’ll be able to enjoy an optional no-host lunch with these two council members along with other engaged citizens. You’ll be able to discuss your issues and concerns for our city as well as ask about the topics our City Council is deciding. As an added bonus, you’ll have the chance to meet the new Northtown General Manager and learn about new stores and design of the mall.

Reminder: Get there early for priority seating.

Montgomery Ave Traffic-Circle Landscaping & MoU

Montgomery Ave Traffic-Circle Landscaping & MoU

The traffic circles (aka roundabouts) on Montgomery Ave that are slated to be installed this year between the 1100 and 1400 blocks of Montgomery Ave require a memorandum of understanding (MoU) if they are to be landscaped and not drab concrete slabs.

A memorandum of understanding is a non-legal document that lays out the terms of a common course of action. In this case, the parties involved are the City of Spokane and the residents and organizations on Montgomery Ave. The agreement is that the residents and organizations will maintain the landscaping (i.e., occasional weeding, watering, pruning.)

A Landscaped Roundabout
An example of a landscaped roundabout

As part of the MoU, the Montgomery Ave residents will be able to decide which plants, flowers and grasses are installed by the city in the course of landscaping.

Some of the ground cover options include wild ginger, Scotch heather, sunrose and sticky geranium. Native perennials include wildflowers such as common yarrow, aquilegia and coral bells. Ornamental grasses are also an option. See the slideshow below.

Download this PDF for a recap of images and suggestions of landscaping possibilities. The city asks to keep the following in mind when choosing:

  • Any treatment that is installed needs to be kept within 36″ so that it doesn’t obstruct the site
  • A mix of plants would be the best option to make the traffic circles esthetically pleasing all year
  • Plants chosen should be drought resistant to limit the water that is needed

As of this writing, Trinity Catholic School and three families have agreed to sign the MoU. We would like more to join them in this very minimal commitment of time and effort, as many hands make light work. If you live near the site and are interested in adding your name to the MoU, please get in touch.

It’s worth reiterating here that this is one of Spokane’s most forward-thinking residential traffic-calming initiatives, and it’s a compliment that Emerson-Garfield was chosen to be the neighborhood that will benefit.