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Upcoming Events and Sales at Petunia’s Marketplace

Upcoming Events and Sales at Petunia’s Marketplace

petunias_marketplace_spokane_waPetunia’s Marketplace (2010 N Madison) — a favorite neighborhood business and cornerstone vendor at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market — announced at the February meeting of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council that the shop would be starting a seed lending library.

A seed lending library operates on the same basic principle as a book library. That is, you check out the types of available seed that you would like to plant, and you return some of that same type of seed in the autumn. And, like a book library, you can check out those seeds at no cost. It’s a great way to experiment with new plants and enhance your garden without spending a lot of money on new seeds. Plus, as the library resources grow, you can find the right kind of seeds that will work best for your particular garden plot.

But the seed library isn’t all that Petunia’s is doing. In the coming months, the shop will be holding several special sales and gardening events.

This Saturday (March 21), Petunia’s will host a class called, “What to plant to feed the bees from spring to frost,” taught by an experienced apiarist. Given that bees are so crucial to pollination, the right type of sustaining, attractive plants can make the difference between a garden that flourishes and one that withers. It runs from 9–11am. Cost is $10.

On Saturday, April 11, you can learn how to successfully transplant your delicate starts from their pots to your garden soil. Again, that class will run from 9–11am and cost $10.

Local master gardener Steve Nokes will teach a basic course titled “Vegetables 101” on Wednesday, April 22 from 6:30–7:30pm. That also costs $10. It’s great for beginners as well as longtime gardeners looking for tips.

There will be a (free) Master Gardener Plant Sale & Garden Fair on Saturday, April 25. That runs from 9am–2pm and will see participation from the Master Gardener Program at the WSU Extension.

And on Saturday, May 2, it’s the opening day of Petunia’s greenhouse. That will coincide with the shop’s Chocolate & Flower Festival, which runs from 9am–4pm.

These classes could fill up fast! To request more info or to reserve a spot, contact Stacy or Bev on (509) 328-4257 or reach out via Petunia’s Facebook page.

Emerson Community Garden Dinner (Apr 11)

Emerson Community Garden Dinner (Apr 11)

EmersonLogoSmallThe Emerson Community Garden is holding a  dinner meeting tomorrow (Friday, April 11) at 1304 W Fairview starting at 6pm.

This barbecue and planning event is open to all returning and new members of the Emerson Community Garden.

The garden’s directors will take this opportunity to share their vision for the ECG as it enters its third year and offer you the chance to participate. They’ll explain how the ECG is different from other community gardens, and you’ll also learn how you can become a member.

To RSVP and confirm your attendance, please call Tim or Lois Musser at 327-0385.

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.

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.

Corn Feed Potluck, Sept 15

Corn Feed Potluck, Sept 15

CornThe members of Emerson Community Garden will be hosting their annual Corn Feed Potluck tomorrow (Sunday, September 15) at Emerson Park [map] starting at 1:30pm.

The idea behind the event is to give everyone in the neighborhood a chance to share in this season’s bounty of the Emerson Community Garden.

All participants are asked to bring a dish, drink or dessert to share. There was a great turnout last year, and everyone involved is looking forward to mingling with neighbors and enjoying the garden’s delicious corn crop on what might be the last warm day of summer.

If you have questions, please contact Dave Musser or Paul Kimball. They are picking the corn right now (10am on Saturday), so if you’d like to lend a hand, head over to the community garden posthaste.