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Recap of the November 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the November 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

This is a brief recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting that took place on November 11, 2015.

Officer Tracy Douglas reported on the monthly statistics for area “P2,” which includes Emerson-Garfield as well as West Central and parts of the North Hill Neighborhood. There were no sexual assaults in our area last month, nor any commercial robberies. There were two robberies of a person, one domestic violence incident, and 14 violent crimes in the last month. For residential burglary, there were nine this month, and the same number of garage burglaries. Commercial burglaries are at seven, less than 13 in the previous month. Vehicle theft is at 20, slightly more than last month, but less over the yearly average. There was a decrease in overall property crime compared to the previous year.

Miscellaneous notes: Neighborhood officers are being pulled out of COPS shops to put the officers in precincts instead. A property near 1800 W Montgomery is a drug house that is being shut down on November 12 due to the involvement of the neighbors. If you leave your vehicle running and unattended, parked on a street rather than in your own driveway, you could be fined $124. Officers like to have address numbers shown on alley garages to use as a point of reference. Officer Douglas also warned against having a glass window built into your back door, which is very tempting for thieves to break when entering.

Councilmember Candace Mumm reported on Drumheller Springs Park by Ash and Euclid. A neighboring piece of property, 3121 Ash, came up for approval for sale as a CDBG property and might be used to enhance the park.

North Monroe is going to be completely renovated during its repair, not least because of its 110-year-old sewage infrastructure. The long-dormant North Monroe Business Association really needs to be reenergized and involved.

Councilmember Mumm said in closing that there is an active effort to put Knox Presbyterian Church, where the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market is currently held, on the register of historical buildings.

Gayle Haeger and Rachel Sumagpang spoke about a house at 820 W Spofford that the nearby Spokane Central Seventh-Day Adventist Church bought for an after-school program for kids from third to fifth grade (tentatively) that will be held between 3:30 and 5:30pm four days per week. They are looking for volunteers and encourage interested adults to get in touch.

The meeting shifted to the allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. After the CDBG allocations determined in previous months, the neighborhood was left with $24,145 to allocate. It was proposed that $2,135 be allocated to the West Central Community Center for an even $10,000 along with the already reallocated 2015 funds; $11,010 toward the $78,198 sidewalk project on Cedar from Alice to Euclid; and $11,000 toward a $24,793 dog-walking path in Emerson Park that might also discourage transient camping in that area.

The proposed allocation was approved by a unanimous vote with no abstentions. Jackie Caro, even while absent (which is rare), was applauded for her involvement with our neighborhood’s CDBG projects and her guidance.

Amy Dutton reported on the Northwest Boulevard Greening Grant planting that took place on October 31 and involved 15 volunteers. While the area looks beautiful, the southern triangle was not completed in time, as the other two traffic triangles took much more effort than anticipated.

Karl Boldt reported on the neighborhood cleanup program. Faith Bible Church has stepped up in wanting to be involved with the neighborhood. The church brought two dumpsters for “clean green” on November 7, and their volunteers spent three hours driving around the neighborhood to help people rake and dump leaves. Saturday, May 21 is the proposed date for the 2016 Spring Cleanup.

Transitions had a community meeting on November 10 regarding the development of a 24-unit cottage-style development for low- or moderate-income housing. Transitions was very eager to solicit the feedback of both neighborhoods that adjoin the property. If you have strong feelings about that area or the proposed development, it is recommended that you follow up with Transitions directly.

Laura Schlangen reported on the Corbin Senior Activity Center. There was a full house of 120 people at a recent performance by the Corbin Players, which included eight short plays. On Saturday, December 5 at 5:30pm there will be a performance by the Spokane Magic Club, with a requested donation of $3.50 per person and $7.50 for an entire family. The elevator was estimated to cost around $400,000, and $291,000 of that will be covered by the Department of Commerce.

Jay Cousins reported on the Community Assembly. The Neighborhood Notification process is now in effect. There are going to be two people per neighborhood who are listed with neighborhood services who are going to be notified of any projects happening in the neighborhoods, and then those two people are responsible for disseminating the information to the neighbors.

Beginning in 2016, there will be a pool of $15,000 among the 28 neighborhoods to draw from for neighborhood projects, such as concerts in the park. It is generally agreed that the funding is not quite enough, so there is an effort to increase the pool. Neighborhoods can apply to the Office of Neighborhood Services for the funding of a project.

The Community Assembly’s Community Development Committee is proposing changes to how sidewalk funding is distributed. They suggest a total pot of $150,000 (half of the $300,000 allocated in 2014) for sidewalk improvements anywhere in the city, as long as the area is in a zone that qualifies based on CDBG criteria. There is a concern that the City has not taken responsibility for maintaining the sidewalks or street trees that are considered to be on City property, a model that was reported to be more common in cities west of the Mississippi. The committee felt that it should be up to the landowners, rather than the neighborhoods, to apply for sidewalk repair projects.

Megan Kennedy reported on the West Quadrant Tax Increment Financing (WQTIF) committee, which currently operates with five voting members. The committee and their advisor, Andrew Worlock, are evaluating whether the committee is to be an ear for revitalization projects initiated by others, or if they are to take their own initiative for projects (or a balance of both). Most of the projects are capital-oriented and favor improvements that would increase the economic viability of an area for businesses. Emerson-Garfield is looking for an alternate representative on the WQTIF to assist Megan. Meetings currently take place quarterly but potentially could happen more frequently.

The meeting closed with a reminder to bring a dish to the Winter Potluck on Wednesday, December 9. Everyone in Emerson-Garfield is invited!

Recap of the October 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the October 2015 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

This is a brief recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting that took place on October 14, 2015.

There were several guest speakers. Greg Johnson from Cliff-Cannon Neighborhood spoke first to address the cell tower ordinance. He noted that there has been a clash between those who desire more cellular data coverage and those residents who are concerned with their proximity to a cell phone tower for health or aesthetic reasons. There are substitutes, he said, such as a larger number of smaller, shorter-range antennas that would not be as visible. AT&T has opposed using the smaller antennas, whereas Verizon has been supportive of them.

Greg said there is no protection for a historical property in this ordinance, and there is a very short (20 foot) setback from a residence. The tower can also be as tall as 60 feet with the current ordinance. The City cannot dictate technology, but it does have the power to regulate aesthetic guidelines.

From the October 2015 meeting of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council
From the October 2015 meeting of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council

He added that AT&T has had lawyers working on this issue who have significant financial leverage on their side. There are lawyers available to oppose AT&T, but Cliff-Cannon Neighborhood has exhausted its funding. Donations can be made to fund additional work by the neighborhood’s lawyers. Also, the City Council will be allowing people to speak on record regarding this issue. Councilwoman Candace Mumm confirmed some of that information, and clarified that e-mails can be sent to Plan Commission members in advance of a public meeting.

Officer Doug Strosahl from the Spokane Police Department reported on crime in our neighborhood. As was the case last month, crime is down overall, but there are reasons for concern. Out of other neighborhoods in SPD’s “P2” area, which includes portions of West Central and North Hill, Emerson-Garfield has had the highest reporting of crimes in the past month. You can research crime prevention through environmental design (aka CPTED) to get some ideas regarding how to reduce crime around your property.

A question was raised about cars on the street with expired tags. Officer Strosahl said that you can report the car to 755-CITY. The compliance time between report and towing is as little as 2 to 3 weeks. If you do call the report in, your name will be on the report, but if you mail in a report requesting non-disclosure, your name will not be visible to the vehicle owner. Cars are not supposed to be rebuilt or repaired on public streets, so this can be reported as well. Parking enforcement can ticket a reported car that has half of its tires on the street and half on the sidewalk.

Councilwoman Candace Mumm spoke next and gave a quick City Council update. The City’s expenses and revenue are both going up. A new police chief will need to be hired, although she said the acting chief is doing a good job. The City has been without a planning director for over a year now, and that slows down improvements around the city. There are openings on the Plan Commission for residents to advise the City regarding various matters, and residents with interest and skill are encouraged to fill out the two-page application.

Max Benson from the non-profit Community Frameworks reported that their old office is being torn down to build 32 low-income housing units with one unit for a property manager. This property will be called West 315. Demolition will begin after October 26, and the project should be completed roughly one year from now. Spokane Housing Ventures will be managing the property. There will also be a bus shelter on the corner of Washington and Mission. The sidewalks surrounding the building will be wider than before. Over $100,000 of solar panels will be on the roof. Community Frameworks has also applied for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds for the North Calispel Improvement Project to pave a portion of Calispel between Sinto and Mission.

It was noted that Community Frameworks has been very proactive in its dealings with the EGNC and has requested the neighborhood council’s input during many of the phases of their development to make sure that the result will be in accordance with our neighborhood’s plan.

Director of Neighborhood Services Jonathan Mallahan spoke last regarding Mayor Condon’s 2016 proposed budget. He said there has already been a great deal of collaboration between the City Council and the Mayor prior to publication of the proposed budget, which will total $810 million. He pointed out some of the anomalies, such as the wastewater management initiative that accounts for over 45% of the total budget. It is a one-time investment because of federal requirements. Jonathan encouraged citizens to contact him directly with questions at (509) 625-6734.

Next came voting issues. The neighborhood council members voted unanimously to assign $11,290.96 from the CDBG street tree account toward tree plantings within the neighborhood, as the funds can no longer be held in that account. A portion of the money could be used to fund irrigation on the NW Boulevard traffic islands that are being planted as part of the 2015 Greening Grant cycle. That community planting, incidentally, will be held on Saturday, October 31. Volunteers are encouraged to help. Anyone on Facebook is welcome to RSVP to the event.

The neighborhood gateway project in partnership with North Hill Neighborhood near Cora and Monroe has made significant progress. It will have trees and irrigation, along with signs welcoming travelers to both neighborhoods. A total of $128,000 in CDBG funds—$64,000 from each neighborhood over two years—will be allocated to the project. Construction will take place in 2018 along with North Monroe Street revitalization. The measure was passed unanimously by voting members, each of whom signed a CDBG conflict of interest statement.

On Saturday, November 7, Faith Bible Church (600 W Cora) will be holding a free Fall Cleanup event. They will have two dumpsters onsite for green yard waste (residents are encouraged to bring their leaves), and they will also be going out into Emerson-Garfield to do some roving cleanup. The church is looking for volunteers from the neighborhood to spread the word and assist on the day. Contact Nathan for more info.

Laura Schlangen reported on the Corbin Senior Activity Center. Their Munch and Mingle Auction sold out and netted almost $18,000.

Community Assembly (CA) meetings will be changing to the first Thursday of each month, starting at 5:30, in the new year. The importance of having a representative who can consistently attend both EGNC and CA meetings was stressed. Four neighborhood council members expressed interest in being a CA or co-CA representative.

Before closing, the season finale (October 16) of the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market was announced, as was the fact that Spokane First Assembly Church (828 W Indiana) is hosting a Halloween Trunk or Treat on October 31 starting at 5:30pm.

June PeTT Meeting Summary

June PeTT Meeting Summary

This is a quick summary of the last two meetings of the Community Assembly‘s Pedestrian, Traffic and Transportation (PeTT) Committee from Carlie Hoffman, our neighborhood’s PeTT representative. It provides some context to the discussion about Photo Red funding that took place during the June meeting of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council.

MissionGap

John Snyder spoke at the May 26 PeTT Committee meeting. He noted that there have been unused funds each year since the program began in 2010, about $200,000 per year.  Each district now gets $150,000 per year (up from $100,000) with a $50,000 limit per project (up from $40,000).

Snyder proposed that the neighborhood councils and the Community Assembly discuss the option of using some of the surplus unallocated funds to help fund a larger project through a loan.

  • The loan would be paid back using funds from the unallocated photo-red funds over a set number of years.
  • The loan would be created to enable a grant-matching amount so that the total price of a large project (e.g., Mission Gap) would be supplemented.

This concept presupposes that the Photo Red camera project would continue to have an excess of funds each year to cover the loan repayment.

At the June 23 PeTT Committee meeting, this issue was discussed further, and all agreed that the neighborhood councils had concerns about the following three areas of the proposal:

  • Sustainability of the Photo Red money
  • The larger project’s fit to the purpose and goals of the Photo Red traffic-calming focus
  • Involvement of the neighborhood councils in the choice of the projects that would involve unallocated funds.

Two additional documents offer additional information on the Mission Gap project that prompted Councilman Snyder’s proposal and PeTT Committee chair Paul Kropp’s summary of the situation to the neighborhood councils.

If you have questions about this proposal as it relates to Emerson-Garfield, please contact Carlie via e-mail.

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.

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.