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February Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

February Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

[What follows is a recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council Meeting that took place on Wednesday, February 13. You can either read slimmed and streamlined version of the minutes below, or download the full version of the meeting’s minutes here.]

The meeting began with a presentation from Judge Tracy Staab of the Spokane Municipal Court. The judge gave a Powerpoint slideshow that detailed the many facets of the Court, such as crime statistics, budgets, and punishment or rehabilitation methods. The slideshow was supposed to be made available online at the Spokane Municipal Court’s website, but has not appeared as of this post.

The popular Spring Clean Up event is still tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 27 between 9am and 1pm at Faith Bible Church.

The call for logo designs for the neighborhood council is still out. Several entries have been submitted so far. If you have a design idea, please submit it to Chairwoman Liorah Wichser ahead of the vote in March. The general consensus was that our logo should reflect the historic nature of our neighborhood, the residential feel that we exude, the small local businesses that we have — and maybe that it should have a marmot on it.

Members were asked to provide input on the pending mission statement as the neighborhood council works to become an official nonprofit organization.

Jackie Caro from Neighborhood Services talked briefly about the traffic-calming project that had been approved on Montgomery Street between Monroe and Northwest Blvd (see here for more info). The engineers need more time to evaluate the project, which means the project has been delayed. Anyone with follow-up questions can contact Jackie at (509) 625-6733. To apply for a traffic-calming project on your street, please download the Toolbox (PDF link) from the ONS. Applications are due very, very soon.

Laura Schlangen gave the report for Corbin Senior Center. The Movin’ and Groovin’ Fair is scheduled for Saturday, March 9 from 8am to 2pm. The Corbin Golf Tournament is set for June 21 at Indian Canyon. They are in search of donors and players. Corbin will also be holding a yard sale on May 11 from 9am to 2pm. If you provide your own table, the cost is $10. It will cost $20 if Corbin provides you a table. Food will be available for purchase as well.

Jay Cousins reported that the neighborhood planning committee has a new meeting time. It is the first Thursday of every month at 6pm in the upper north room of the Corbin Senior Center. The group is small and would love more attendees.

There will be was a meeting for the review of the city’s Comprehensive Plan at the Shadle Library from 5:30 to 7:30pm on Tuesday, February 19. The purpose is to update all aspects of the plan, with a particular eye on transportation. A more general meeting for the public has been scheduled for mid-March.

Community Development rep Sara Kimball reported that the new swing set at Corbin Park has been installed. New horseshoe pits are proposed to go in the area of the old swing set. There is going to be some tree pruning in Corbin Park and as many as five trees will be removed due to disease.

Sara is also accepting applications for repairing damaged sidewalks: see this post for more information on how to repair existing sidewalk or install new sidewalks near your home.

Finally, Kelly Cruz from West Central Neighborhood Council requested a neighborhood representative from our group to be on the Community Assembly’s Land Use Committee. Tom Powell agreed to be that representative. They meet on the third Thursday of every month.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, March 13 from 7 to (roughly) 9pm at Corbin Senior Center.

Submit Your Sidewalk Repair/Install Requests

Submit Your Sidewalk Repair/Install Requests

Do you have broken, uneven, or missing sidewalks in your area?

Emerson-Garfield neighborhood is compiling a list of sidewalk repairs and installations for the 2013 sidewalk project.

If you have a request to repair a stretch of sidewalk or install new sidewalk, please submit your request to Sara Kimball via e-mail at kimballs09@gmail.com no later than March 1.

All requests will be examined and included in a priority list provided to the City of Spokane. Engineers from the city will then use the list to determine this year’s projects to be completed late summer or early fall.

For questions or more information, e-mail Sara using the address above or call her at (509) 863-3376.

If you would like more information on the process behind sidewalk and street repair, please see this post.

Materials for the Feb. 13 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the Feb. 13 EGNC Meeting

Planning on attending the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting tomorrow? The agenda for the February 13 meeting and the minutes from last month’s meeting on January 9 are now available.

Access them on the “Downloads” page or just grab them here:

Among other things, we’ll be discussing the Spring Cleanup, the logo contest, and a neighborhood database idea.

Judge Tracy Staab from the Spokane Municipal Court will be on hand to deliver a presentation on local crime statistics, criminal trends, sentencing alternatives, budget matters, and innovations being used by the Municipal Court to dispense smarter justice. Jackie Caro from the Office of Neighborhood Services also plans to attend and discuss the state of traffic-calming proposals.

The EGNC meeting starts at 7pm and, as always, is at the Corbin Senior Center. The Neighborhood Planning committee meets one hour prior in the adjacent room.

Public Meetings for the Comprehensive Plan Update

Public Meetings for the Comprehensive Plan Update

The City of Spokane Planning and Development Services Department is going to host three public meetings to gather input from citizens on the 2012-2014 Comprehensive Plan Review and Update.

Why is this important?

The city’s Comprehensive Plan (PDF link) is just that — a plan that covers every aspect of how Spokane aims to grow and develop in the coming years. Put simply, it’s our city’s vision for the future, and it determines what kind of decisions are made in the here and now. If the Comprehensive Plan mandates that the future of housing is in floating islands suspended by airships, you can (almost) bet that the city will direct current home-building practices toward this end.

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But the vision of the future is not writ in stone, and it has to adapt to the ever-changing present. That’s why the Comprehensive Plan is updated every few years, and those updates are usually carried out with input from the public.

If the public doesn’t get involved in these processes, then the city naturally assumes everything is hunky dory and goes ahead with whatever it was going to do in the first place — which is precisely what has led to questionable planning decisions in the past. Not that the city is entirely at fault in these cases. How can they serve your neighborhood if the needs of your neighborhood aren’t made known to them?

Hence the importance of these public input meetings.

The public meeting for Council District 3, which encompasses Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood, will take place on Tuesday, February 19 from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Shadle Public Library (2111 W. Wellesley Ave, STA Route 20/33).

Don’t feel as though you have to be an expert on planning to attend. Each meeting will begin with a presentation on the background of the Comprehensive Plan and the update process. That will be followed by an interactive survey and activity stations.

For more info, contact Jo Anne Wright or Nikole Coleman-Porter in the Planning Department at (509) 625-6300.

Oh, and five points to whoever can name the town depicted in the drawing above.

Online Voters’ Guide for Feb 12 Special Election

Online Voters’ Guide for Feb 12 Special Election

An online voters’ guide (PDF) for Props 1-3 in the upcoming (Feb 12) special election is now available.

Here’s the breakdown:

  • Proposition No. 1 proposes to amend the City Charter to add two new sections regarding the Office of Police Ombudsman and a Police Ombudsman Commission. Proposition No. 1 proposes to amend the City Charter to add two new sections regarding the Office of Police Ombudsman and a Police Ombudsman Commission.
  • Proposition No. 2 proposes to amend the City Charter to provide that a majority plus one vote, i.e. five votes, of the City Council would be required to levy a new councilmanic tax or increase an existing councilmanic tax.
  • Proposition No. 3 proposes an increase in the regular property tax levy in excess of state law beginning in 2014 in which the funding would be allocated one hundred percent to library operations. This proposition authorizes an increase in the regular property tax levy for 2014 by $0.07 per $1,000 of assessed property value for a levy rate not to exceed $3.08. The increase would remain in effect for a period of four years.