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E-G Neighborhood Planning Workshop TONIGHT (Oct 10)

E-G Neighborhood Planning Workshop TONIGHT (Oct 10)

This is an earnest, eleventh-hour reminder that the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Planning Workshop takes place tonight (Thursday, October 10) at the Corbin Senior Center starting at 6:30pm.

If you already intend to go, great! We can’t wait to see you there.

If you’re not doing everything you can to attend, you should be. And here’s why:

  • It’s a considerate, neighborly gesture. For months the all-volunteer Neighborhood Planning group has been devoting countless hours to unifying the planning effort and developing this workshop — all with the ultimate goal of making Emerson-Garfield a better place to live, work and play for everyone. Ultimately, however, the success of their efforts relies solely on your participation.
  • There’s strength — and fairness — in numbers. The more people who attend the workshop, the more feedback we have. The more feedback we have, the more broadly representative of the neighborhood the identified issues will be. The more representative those issues are, the better Emerson-Garfield can become for all its residents and businesses in the future.
  • This is a chance to turn words into action. Complaining about crime on the Spokane News Facebook page or grumbling about the state of North Monroe on NextDoor does absolutely nothing to improve either situation. Complaining about crime or the state of North Monroe at this event actually stands a chance of seeing something done about them.
  • It’s about the future. The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council operates by looking about a year ahead — or sometimes just a few months. Planning takes a long-term view and creates a template that is good for the next ten, fifteen or even twenty years. Some of us might not be around to see the results of these efforts, but our children and future generations in Emerson-Garfield will be grateful for workshops like this.
  • Above all: There’s real efficacy to this event. It’s not a bunch of head-nodding and empty, feel-good chatter. These volunteers — who have already demonstrated a proven commitment to the neighborhood because they live and work here too — will take your feedback to heart, and that will directly impact how the Neighborhood Planning group and the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council prioritize certain areas and certain issues.

Planning Workshop 1 Flyer

With that in mind, we hope we can count on seeing you this evening. It’ll be a fun, positive, relaxed event with light refreshments provided by neighborhood businesses — thanks, Yoke’s, Gluten Busters and Chairs!

Materials for the October 9 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the October 9 EGNC Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets this Wednesday, October 9 at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center. If you live, work, or own property in Emerson-Garfield, you’re encouraged to attend and take an active role in improving the neighborhood.

This meeting will feature two guest speakers: Fran Papenleur, who will discuss proposed changes to Photo Red fund allocation, and a representative from the Lands Council.

A few other items on the agenda:

  • Dump passes. Huzzah!
  • Preparation for the allocation of around $57k in Community Development Block Grants. There have been some (more) changes to the process this year, and they should be discussed prior to the November 9 meeting when the EGNC Steering Committee will vote on funding priorities and recipients.
  • Updates on crime, the farmers’ market, Neighborhood Planning, the Corbin Senior Center and more.

Download the October 9 agenda and minutes for approval here:

Oh, and as you might or might not know, last month the EGNC voted to end future monthly mailings to voting members. This means that you will no longer receive print copies of the materials in the post as has been customary in the past. Instead, you will have to download the agenda and minutes here on this blog or pick up one of the limited print copies that will be available at the meeting.

September Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

September Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

This is a quick recap of what took place at the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting on September 11, 2013. As always, the full (and much more amusing) minutes for recent meetings are available on our Downloads page.

The meeting started at 7:01pm with introductions. The meeting minutes from June and August were approved.

The issue of neighborhood mailings was dealt with next. Emerson-Garfield is among the few remaining neighborhoods that has monthly minutes and agendas mailed to voting members. The option was presented to continue the monthly mailings or go to a mailing four times a year. This would save the Office of Neighborhood Services some money and allow for more focused mailings.

After a discussion, a motion was made to move to postcard mailings to the entire neighborhood four times a year instead of the current process of mailing the meeting materials to EGNC voting members each month. The vote was 11 for and three against, so the motion was approved. Monthly minutes and agendas will continue to be available online and there will be some print copies available at each meeting.

A call was made for more participation from everyone concerning volunteer positions — whether it’s helping out with the Farmers’ Market, Neighborhood Planning, assisting Karl the Garbage Czar, or even bringing a treat to monthly neighborhood council meetings.

Jay Cousins announced that there will be a Community Assembly Retreat on Saturday, October 12 from 8am to 2pm at Youth for Christ (1309 N Ash) [map]. The theme will be “Reinventing Community Assembly and Neighborhood Councils.” They will be looking at different ways to do what we’ve been doing and hopefully doing it better. RSVP to communityassembly@gmail.com.

Laura Schlangen gave a report concerning the activities at Corbin Senior Center. They conducted lots of tours this summer, the most popular being Moon Pass and Coulee Dam. Lots of classes are starting soon, and as usual, the Balance Class is looking like it will fill up. There will be was a Walk-Along at Corbin Park on September 19 from 8am to noon. The Munch and Mingle is coming took place on September 21.

The Emerson Community Garden continues to flourish and an autumn work day is planned but no date is set yet.

The Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market has turned out to be a very successful outreach tool for our council. Lots of people are learning about the Neighborhood Council by showing up at the market. Sales are steady but could be better. Lots of people still don’t even know about it.

Neighborhood Planning is enjoying some stronger participation but more bodies are always welcome. There are two public planning workshops coming at Corbin Senior Center. On October 10, people are welcome to come and discuss the issues they think are important for planning in our neighborhood. On November 14, the discussion will center on solutions to the issues brought up at the previous meeting. Have I mentioned what you, yes you should do? I think I have!

Lt. Dean Sprague talked about crime. Car prowling and property crimes are the big issues in our area. The Spokane Police Dept is issuing E-lerts through the COPS Shops about crime trends and hot spots. You can sign up for E-lert e-mails through the COPS Shops or on the Spokane Police website.

The Hillyard Meet & Eat will start took place at 6pm, Monday, September 24 at Gateway Church (5201 N. Market).

Fall dump passes will be available at the end of the October EGNC meeting and again at Corbin Senior Center on October 26. Saturday, May 10, 2014 is the tentative date set for the Spring Clean Up day. Volunteers are needed for that.

City Administrator Theresa Sanders then took the floor to present the City of Spokane Budget Report. You can find out all about it online at www.myspokanebudget.org.

The four priorities set forth in the 2014 budget report are:

  • Drive down crime
  • Improve streets
  • Make the river cleaner, faster
  • Create multiple impacts: getting the most out of each dollar

The presentation took about 25 minutes, and the meeting was closed at 8:20pm.

Date Corrections to the October Neighborhood E-mail

Date Corrections to the October Neighborhood E-mail

The neighborhood e-mail that just went out had some inconsistencies and typos in the dates for Neighborhood Planning events.

So to clarify:

  • The regular Neighborhood Planning preparation meeting for the regular stakeholder group is this coming Monday (October 7), 7pm at the Corbin Senior Center.
  • The neighborhood-wide planning workshop, which hopes to see participation from everyone in Emerson-Garfield, is on Thursday, October 10 starting at 6:30pm at the Corbin Senior Center.

In other news, we’re looking for a reliable newsletter writer with a strong attention to detail who can ease the burden of the currently overtaxed one.

Gang Awareness Presentation, Oct 8 & 15

Gang Awareness Presentation, Oct 8 & 15

Spokane COPS and the Spokane Violent Crime Task Force will be holding a gang awareness workshop called “Gang Awareness and Strategies for the Community” on two separate occasions: Tuesday, October 8 and 15. The first will be held at the Southside Senior Center (3151 E 27th) [map]; the second will be held at the Messiah Lutheran Church (4202 N Belt) [map]. Both start at 6pm and run until 8pm.

The event invites participants to come and learn about smart, realistic and positive ways to address gang problems and the allure they might have with teens and young adults.

Gang awareness flyer

The Spokane Police Department recommends the presentation to anyone who working with children under 20 years of age or their families. Gangs are a community problem and therefore require a community solution — that is, a collaborative approach of intervention, prevention and suppression.

For more information, please contact Maurece Vulcano at mvulcano@spokanepolice.org.