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Materials for the November 13 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the November 13 EGNC Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets tomorrow (Wednesday, November 13) at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center. If you live, work or own property in Emerson-Garfield, please attend and take an active role in improving the neighborhood.

This meeting is a biggie. There will be one guest speaker, Jamie Borgan of Transitions, who will describe what their organization did with the Community Development Block Grant funding our neighborhood allocated to them last year.

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After Jamie’s presentation, we’ll get right down to the nitty gritty of allocating our 2014 Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). This funding totals $57,274 and can be used to fund sidewalks, home rehabilitation, capital development (i.e., brick-and-mortar) projects, and some nonprofits’ operations needs. Spokane is unique to the whole country in that the city relies on direct input from the individual neighborhoods on how this federal funding should be allocated. Let’s not take that opportunity for granted.

This year the EGNC has an additional $10,756.04 due to returned or redirected allocations from 2013. This is above and beyond the $57k mentioned above and can be used to fund a capital project of our choosing. Combined with some other money, it could result in a neighborhood gateway, a pedestrian crosswalk, or something else altogether.

Download the November 13 agenda and minutes for approval here:

And here’s the last reminder on this subject: In September 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.

October Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

October Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

Mere days before the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council convenes for its meeting on Wednesday, November 13 at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center, we thought it a good time to bring everyone up to speed on what the EGNC did last month.

After the meeting kicked off in the usual manner shortly after 7pm, Matt West of the Lands Council gave a presentation about Spokane River toxins and eating fish caught there. One of the two more common toxins is PCBs/PBDEs (flame retardants). Exposure to these chemicals comes from eating fish caught in the river. The other toxin is heavy metals, which are remnants of a century of mining upstream. Exposure to heavy metals comes from ingesting dirt or contact with broken skin. More information is available through the Lands Council.

Garbage Czar Karl Boldt noted that dump passes would be available after the meeting and on October 26 at the Corbin Senior Center.

Information concerning Photo Red funds was discussed next. Up until a recent decision by the City Council, all profits derived from red light fines — for context, $437,000 was raised in 2012 — were used to fund traffic-calming improvements like traffic circles and curb bump-outs. The recent vote by the City Council changed this allocation so that in the future, $100,000 of the total funds will go to the Spokane Police, $50,000 will go to the COPS program, and $20,000 will go to graffiti abatement. The rest will go for traffic calming. It should be noted that the EGNC, along with the Community Assembly and many other neighborhood councils voted (in an advisory capacity) to keep all funds collected through the Photo Red program strictly for traffic calming projects.

It was announced that Christ Clinic had successfully applied for a permit to allow them to use a house adjacent to their property for commercial use. It was previously zoned residential and a minor zone change was allowed.

Corbin Senior Center reported a successful Walk-Along at Corbin Park, which brought out more people than last year and raised $1,000. Harvard Park sponsored a Spaghetti Fundraiser, which brought in another $1,000. The Munch and Mingle Auction sold out the day before the event. Unfortunately, the Parks Department did not increase the contract funding amount for Corbin, even though a number of people (including representatives of the EGNC) wrote letters. Senator Andy Billig has offered to guide Corbin towards the possibility of maybe getting a grant for a new elevator. Corbin’s name will appear next month as we dole out Community Development Block Grant funds with a request for funds for a variety of needs.

The Emerson Community Garden is wrapping up its season, and there is a cleanup day scheduled for Sunday, October 20. Membership is just $20 a season and everyone shares in the harvest.

As of this meeting, there were two remaining Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Markets for the season. Four raffles are set for the final gathering on Friday, October 18, and you must be present to win.

Megan Kennedy, who heads the Neighborhood Planning Committee, announced there is a big planning workshop meeting scheduled for the next evening (Thursday, October 10) from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Another meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 14 at the same place and time. The more people who attend, the better and more inclusive the planning effort will be.

Lt. Dean Sprague gave the monthly crime report. Statistics show that neighborhood crime rates are down. Starting on the first of the year, the Spokane Police Department will be surveying itself regarding racial profiling. Currently, 88% of those arrested are white males. Officers will be filling out information detailing demographics after every arrest that will then a collated, synthesized and processed to see how they are doing.

The Community Assembly has a retreat scheduled for Saturday, October 12 where the focus will be reinventing Community Assembly and Neighborhood Councils. Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich will be the keynote speaker.

New playground equipment for Emerson Park was installed in July. Sidewalks are also complete for this year and many of the projects are just now being wrapped up.

Training seminars for Building Stronger Neighborhoods have been going on, and the next one will be on October 21 at Corbin Senior Center. It will address the pros, cons and how-tos of neighborhood councils forming nonprofit organizations

The meeting was adjourned at 8:12pm.

Leaf Pickup Starts Today

Leaf Pickup Starts Today

Just a reminder that leaf pickup starts today for portions of Emerson-Garfield. It is scheduled to continue in our neighborhood (check out the map) until next Sunday.

According to the city’s leaf pickup schedule (PDF link), leaves in the streets on the west side of Emerson-Garfield will be picked up between today and Tuesday (November 12). Leaves on the east side of Emerson-Garfield will be picked up between next Saturday and Sunday (November 16 to 17). There are three crews: a hand-pickup crew for light leaf fall, a loadall crew for small areas with heavy leaf fall, and a packer crew with a parade of heavy equipment for larger areas with heavier leaf fall. They’ll operate from dawn until dusk — or in some cases, the early hours of the morning.

Here’s what’s expected of residents:

  • Don’t rake the leaves from your yard into the road. (Yes, we’re looking at you, house on Montgomery with the suddenly pristine lawn and the giant berm of leaves in front of your curb.) It’s lazy and it’s inconsiderate. And it’s illegal. Use your green bin — or borrow your neighbor’s — for yard leaves, or be prepared to pay a fee to the Road Department.
  • Find somewhere to park that isn’t the street. When the pickup vehicles have to weave around parked cars, they leave piles of sodden, mucky leaves behind that will likely sit there all winter. Use your garage, your neighbor’s driveway (with their permission, of course), or park to one side of the back alley. It’s only for two days.

Click here to see real-time progress of the leaf pickup crews. If you want to hear the reassuring sound of a recorded message, call the Leaf Hotline at (509) 456-2666.

Spokesman-Review Profiles E-G Neighborhood Planning

Spokesman-Review Profiles E-G Neighborhood Planning

The Spokesman-Review Voices supplement just published a story on Emerson-Garfield’s Neighborhood Planning effort. Read about it here — and be sure to become a part of the story by taking part in the neighborhood-wide workshop on Thursday, November 14.

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.