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Recap of the August 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the August 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Typically the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council holds a very casual meeting with a light agenda after the neighborhood’s Summer Potluck, and this year was no different. However, owing to shifts in the annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) deadlines, the agenda included preliminary decisions on how the neighborhood intended to allocate its $56,299 for 2016.

Here’s a brief recap of some of the discussion and decisions from the August 12, 2015 neighborhood council meeting. (Click here for a photo gallery from the potluck.)

Potluck_201510-crop

Because the proposal due August 31 only needed to be an indication of the neighborhood’s interest in particular projects, the allocations were discussed in broad terms. The CHHS “ground rules” this year are that the minimum amount to be allocated to each project, aside from sidewalk funding, is $10,000. That total can be a combination of multiple neighborhoods. Two of the four projects that appealed to voting members involved such cooperation with another area.

The project with the most interest was a collaboration with the North Hill Neighborhood for the vacant property on North Monroe near Cora Street. Trees and shrubs could be planted in order to beautify the unused land. Funding from other sources could cover irrigation, neighborhood gateway signs, and other planting or beautification initiatives.

The second proposal of interest involved the Fulcrum Institute‘s Ash Street Workforce Training Station. The neighborhood council allocated money to the Lands Council for the training station last year, which would serve to train former inmates for work, potentially reducing recurring crime in our neighborhood. This particular project would be partnering with Chief Garry Park Neighborhood for the third training bay.

The third project voted on was the garage or ADA ramp for the West Central Community Center. As a substantial portion of the center’s clients are residents of Emerson-Garfield, this project was of particular interest to the voting members.

The fourth project voted on was for public safety improvements for Emerson Park. Improvements could involve lighting and a perimeter sidewalk. Transients seem to be a strong problem along the perimeter of the park. Increased traffic, such as walking dogs in a loop, might be a deterrent to those who occasionally sleep in the park.

There were other projects that were discussed, but which received no official votes. One such project was the addition of new sidewalks within the neighborhood. This was not chosen as an official project, because Emerson-Garfield is always in need of new sidewalks. We can use the remainder of the CDBG funding for sidewalk projects, and we may also use traffic calming funds for sidewalks.

Another topic of interest was North Monroe revitalization. This road project has been delayed until 2018, so it would not be ideal to allocate funding that would need to be used within the 2016 calendar year. The neighborhood council still has interest in channeling significant funding this project, but it would be best to use this funding closer to the time of the revitalization.

One last topic was SNAP home repair. Because there is no longer a 2-to-1 matching of funds, members did not rank it as highly.

This was followed by reports from various committees. The first report was regarding Corbin Senior Activity Center. Laura Schlangen reported that the Department of Commerce informed the center that the State Capital Budget includes an appropriation of $300,000 for their elevator project. It will cost more than that, but these funds will need to be used soon.

On Saturday, September 19 the center will be having its annual auction dinner. The cost is $30 in advance. She encouraged donations and attendance.

Barb Biles reported on the Land Use Committee. The cell-tower moratorium was extended to October. Notification must be given in advance to occupants within a wider radius of 600 feet. There is also an effort to make the cell-phone towers aesthetically pleasing.

Carlie Hoffman, the neighborhood’s representative on the Pedestrian Traffic and Transportation (PeTT) Committee, talked about how it is difficult to identify sidewalks needing repairs. They desire more participation from residents in identifying those projects.

Carlie also encouraged everyone to view and make use of the new interactive Spokane transportation maps that have a great deal of visual info on transportation conditions.

Megan Kennedy reported on the West Quadrant Tax Increment Financing (WQTIF) Committee, which she is hopeful to become an official member of in the coming months. The last meeting the committee did not have a quorum, so it involved more casual conversation, but Megan learned that the development of North Monroe was delayed until 2018 primarily because the City wanted to take the time to weigh options as to how best implement the improvements based in part on continued feedback from stakeholders and in part on what they learn from other corridor improvement processes in the meantime.

The last report prior to the conclusion of the meeting concerned the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market. Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers came through on July 31 to see how the market is accepting Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers  to encourage a healthier diet for low- and moderate-income families.

Register Now for Free Trees

Register Now for Free Trees

The Residential Tree Program — also known as “Wow! Free trees!” — proved to be incredibly popular here in Emerson-Garfield this past spring, so we wanted to let everyone know that there’s going to be an autumn distribution too. Registrations to claim free trees opened last week and run until the first week of October.

They’ve done such a good job of explaining the details of the Residential Tree Program over on the City’s website that we’ve re-posted their announcement below (with some changes specific to Emerson-Garfield).

What is the Residential Tree Program?

The Residential Tree Program aims to give away 2,000 free trees to Spokane City residents in 2015. The first 1,000 trees were distributed last April and the last 1,000 trees will be distributed this October.

The Residential Tree Program is operated under the Forest Spokane Initiative. The Forest Spokane Initiative will plant 10,000 new trees within the City of Spokane by spring 2016 as a means of mitigating stormwater runoff from reaching the Spokane River. To learn more about the Initiative and other programs, please visit the Forest Spokane Initiative webpage

Trees provided through the Residential Tree Program are to be planted on private property only. Residents who live within the Spokane municipal boundary and are the property owner where the tree is planted may register for one tree for their property, property owners who own multiple properties are not eligible to register for more than one tree.

By registering for a tree in advance you are able to reserve the tree species of your choice prior to the October giveaway event. Registration to reserve a free tree will close on Wednesday, October 7, and a voucher will be mailed out to the address you’ve provided on Friday, October 9. You must bring your voucher to the participating nursery to pick up your tree. It is your responsibility to pick up your free tree from the nursery and plant and care for the new tree.

Any remaining and un-registered trees will be available on a first come, first served basis on the day of the event. The same rules apply for the remaining trees: you must be a property owner, one tree per property owner, and you must be a resident who lives within the Spokane municipal boundaries. Please check back on the City’s website for updated information about tree availability.

What tree species are available through this program?

Before getting registered for your free tree, you must know what tree species you are requesting and be able to provide this information at the time of registration. To review the tree species available through this program, please read the Residential Tree Program – Tree Species List. This list will be updated at the beginning of each week as tree species become unavailable. If you do not provide the name of the tree species you are registering for you will not be eligible to reserve a free tree prior to the event.

How do I register to get a free tree from the Residential Tree Program?

  • Register online! By registering for a tree your contact information will be provided to your neighborhood council and the neighborhood Friday Update for future notifications. You will have the option to unsubscribe from the mailings after you’ve received the first e-mail.
  • Go to the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting on Wednesday, September 9. It’s at the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland) and starts at 6pm.

Where do I pick up my free tree?

When you receive your voucher in the mail, after October 9, it will indicate the nursery name and address where your tree is being held. Please visit the nursery indicated on the voucher as the two nurseries will be providing different tree species. Bring your voucher with you to receive your free tree.

Please do not call the nurseries to register for a tree or the vouchers. The nurseries are NOT distributing any vouchers or reserving trees for the public for this program. To register for the vouchers, register online through the link above or attend the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting on September 9.

When do I pick up my free tree?

  • Home Fires Nursery: Pick up your tree from Home Fires Nursery any time between October 17 and 24 ONLY.
  • Spokane County Conservation District: Pick up your trees October 24 ONLY. They are not distributing any trees before or after this date.

free-tree-event-important-dates Questions? Comments? Stop by the info booth at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market on any Friday or make a point of attending the September neighborhood council meeting.

Recap of the June E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the June E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

The meeting started with a brief announcement from Julie Banks, Community Development Director at the YMCA of the Inland Northwest, who said that the Y is hosting a Summer Meals Program in Corbin Park. The meal program will serve breakfast and lunch to any child 18 years old or younger from Monday, June 22 to Friday, August 14. Julie asked that the neighborhood help raise awareness about the program so that no child goes hungry.

Councilwoman Candace Mumm reported on issues under discussion by the City Council. A new parking ordinance is being proposed that will require fewer parking spaces for small businesses; a public hearing on the matter will be held at the City Council meeting on Monday, June 22.

Councilwoman Mumm also noted that a decency clause regarding adult entertainment might also spill over into the area of adult coffee shops. North Hill Neighborhood Council is almost finished with their neighborhood plan, and they intend to revitalize Garland Street as well as preserve the bluff. A southern portion of Northwest Neighborhood will become the Audubon/Downriver Neighborhood. Letters to the editor regarding Monroe Street revitalization are still encouraged.

Shanna Cejka, the neighborhood parent liaison to Spokane Public Montessori at Havermale, and Olga Lucia Herrera, a grant applicant and Montessori parent, announced that they were successful in soliciting Spokefest funding for a Bicycle Laboratory. The lab would be housed at the school; older students would learn to repair bikes and teach bike safety. The school would like to hold bike-related events in conjunction with Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council.

Amy Dutton reported on proposed Greening Grant locations for autumn plantings in the neighborhood. The traffic triangles at Northwest Boulevard and Monroe Street are potential locations. For residential areas, planting strips must be at least four feet wide. All locations must either have direct access to water and/or a volunteer neighbor or business to commit to watering duties.

The majority of neighborhood council members voted to forego the July neighborhood council meeting. The next EGNC meeting will therefore be on Wednesday, August 12 as part of the Summer Potluck in Corbin Park. The entire neighborhood is welcome to attend the potluck for food and socializing.

Bri Musser has plants for the traffic circle at the intersection of Montgomery and Madison. Others volunteered to help. Jackie Caro from the Office of Neighborhood Services reported on the other traffic circle, which was recently planted by Trinity Catholic School. The traffic island at N Maple is scheduled to have sidewalks installed this year, and another Ponderosa Pine will be planted there as well.

The Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market opened last week, and sales showed a 50% improvement over last year’s opening event. It is encouraging to see EBT clients making use of the incentive programs like Fresh Bucks. Broken Whistle, the band that will be performing at this year’s Concert in the Park, played the opening market. Future market activities and events include a water conservation demo on June 12, a garden pest information session on June 19, and a hydroponic gardening demo on June 26. Starting Friday, July 10, the Kids Eating Right Nutrition and Education for Life (KERNEL) program will have a different kid-friendly activity each week and will reward participants with tokens to use at the market. Several sponsors have stepped forward, but some are still needed!

Friends of Emerson Park will meet at the park on Saturday, June 13, at 6:30pm.

Laura Schlangen reported on the Corbin Senior Activity Center. Their Madhatter’s Tea Party had 100 attendees. The 6th Annual Golf Scramble had more sponsors and players than ever. Corbin’s Boutique, a secondhand store, is requesting donations, which can be dropped off at the time of the Emerson-Garfield meeting. The Munch and Mingle Auction will take place on Saturday, September 19, and tickets will be sold at the end of June. An upcoming bus trip to Las Vegas, Zion and the Grand Canyon will cost only $838.

A large portion of the meeting involved discussing how Photo Red revenue is allocated. Up to now, Photo Red funding — which comes entirely from fines paid by drivers who run red lights — has been available exclusively for traffic-calming projects such at the traffic circles on W Montgomery. Recently, however, changes have been proposed that would increase the available annual funds for each district to $150,000 (up from $100,000) and use surplus revenue (including anticipated future revenue) as seed money to attract matching grants for more ambitious projects.

The EGNC conducted a vote on the issue; the consensus was to uphold Councilman Jon Snyder’s proposal, summarized as follows by Paul Kropp in a recent PeTT Committee e-mail:

… leveraging unallocated photo-red revenue to make local matching funds available in a significant amount to use for grant applications to secure engineering and construction funding of larger scale community street or trail projects.

Additional details on this issue as well as the vote tally of the neighborhood council will be available in the meeting minutes (once approved) and a forthcoming blog post from Emerson-Garfield’s PeTT representative.

As a final order of business, Barb Biles reported on Land Use Committee topics, including the six-month moratorium on the building of cell-phone towers in residential zones while the zoning issue is analyzed.

Photos from the Trinity Traffic-Circle Planting

Photos from the Trinity Traffic-Circle Planting

Here are some photos from this morning’s traffic-circle planting at Trinity Catholic School. This is the first of two plantings that will beautify these residential traffic-calming projects on W Montgomery.

Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10

With the help of teachers, parents and neighbors, the students planted coneflower (aka echinacea), blue fescue and some tall grasses that are also drought-resistant, so they’re as practical as they are pretty.

Similar flowers and grasses will be planted at the circle at the intersection of Madison and Montgomery — stop by tonight’s neighborhood council meeting to find out how you can volunteer to help plant.

Recap of the May E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the May E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

This is a recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting that took place on Wednesday, May 13, 2015.

The guest speakers for the month were Julie Oliver and Lisa Woodard of the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. The agency has been around since 1967. It is responsible for issuing permits, performing on-site inspections, responding to citizen complaints regarding issues such as outdoor burning, and regulating asbestos safety.

Julie and Lisa reported that the main air pollutants in Spokane are particulate matter (PM) and ozone. Inhalable coarse particles are found near roadways and in dust storms, whereas fine particles are a result of outdoor burning. To reduce PM, they incentivize the removal of old woodstoves. Ground-level ozone is commonly referred to as smog, and can give your lungs the equivalent of a sunburn. One method to reduce ozone is vapor recovery at gas stations that have a high throughput and are close to residential areas, such as Safeway on NW Blvd. Ozone can be at its highest on hot days (over 90°), so it’s best to switch to an electric or battery-powered mover or cut your grass on cooler days.

You can check whether outdoor burning is permitted on the agency’s website (linked above).

Jonathan Martinez volunteered to represent the neighborhood on the Public Safety Committee as part of their initiative to address landlord and tenant issues. Almost 50% of the population of Emerson-Garfield rents, which makes it all the more important to have a neighborhood voice on this committee.

Al Steuart highlighted the events that will be featured at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market throughout the summer, starting on Friday, June 5. If you have any clean compost, including leaves, Al would like to use it. You can reach him on (760) 223-0161. Any extra compost will be used for the Emerson Community Garden.

At the market, the KERNAL program proposed by Catholic Charities is looking for sponsors to help them cover the cost of materials. Kids will be taught fun skills such as how to compost, how to make their own jump-ropes, and will receive tokens to exchange for vegetables. The South Perry Farmers Market found this program to be very successful last year. If you’d like to help Steve Anderson campaign for business sponsors, which will receive recognition and advertising, please contact him.

The Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market also recently announced the winners of its annual poster competition. This year’s participating neighborhood schools were Trinity Catholic School and Spokane Public Montessori.

Timothy Diko and Melissa Parker reported on this year’s Concert in the Park. It will be on Sunday, August 2 in Emerson Park, starting at 6pm. Broken Whistle will be performing.

If you are interested in forming a group to advocate for events and improvements on behalf of Emerson Park, contact Steve Anderson (e-mail linked above).

Amy Dutton reported that the Greening Grant Committee will meet on Friday, May 29 at 6pm at Emerson Park. Anyone interested in selecting locations for future tree plantings and beautification efforts is encouraged to attend.

Steve Anderson has arranged a 10% discount at Gibson’s Nursery & Landscape (1401 S Pines) for all Emerson-Garfield residents. Proof of ID is required to receive the discount. Bulk purchases could receive as high as a 15% discount. He is working on coordinating similar discounts for E-G residents at other area nurseries.

Candace Mumm offered a report from the Spokane City Council. The revitalization of N Monroe Street has seen some additional progress as well as challenges. In addition to the surface-level improvements, there are 106-year-old utility pipes under the street that need to be replaced. However, certain businesses appear to be more concerned about the through-traffic count than the benefits to safety, infrastructure and storefronts.

As a resident and patron of those businesses, you can inform them why it is important to have a walkable environment, and why cars that obey the speed limit can be a boon to business. Residents who are in favor of N Monroe revitalization can counter vocal naysayers by contacting the City Council as well as writing letters to the editor and to the mayor in support of the road diet (more info on that is here).

Councilwoman Mumm also noted that complaints have arisen over 60-foot cell towers being placed in two back yards, and a six-month moratorium was placed on installing them. Regulations are being proposed that could limit those towers to commercial zones.

Laura Schlangen reported on the Corbin Senior Activity Center. Their Madhatter’s Tea Party is on Friday, May 22 at 1:30pm. The annual Golf Scramble will be held on Friday, June 5. The Munch and Mingle Auction is on Saturday, September 19.

Karl Boldt reported on the recent Spring Cleanup. This year there were over 60 volunteers, 140 participating residents, 21.2 tons of refuse and 1.92 tons of recyclable material. The event is already scheduled for next year: Saturday, May 21, 2016. Since we only used $3,957.50 of the allotted $6,500 budget, additional dump passes will be given to residents throughout the year.

Jay Cousins reported on the Community Assembly. As part of its renewal, the CA will try to be an equal partner to neighborhoods and the local government, balancing the two groups.

The CA is also currently working on ordinances regarding outdoor storage and vehicles. One issue was whether to allow 1 to 4 cars per residence in addition to the four (4) cars that each residence is allowed to have legally. The final decision was to allow two (2) additional cars that are not visible from the street. There is already an ordinance against parking on the front lawn, so Code Enforcement should be contacted at (509) 625-6083 for relevant violations.

After final announcements about upcoming neighborhood events, the meeting adjourned just after 7:30pm.