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June Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

June Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

Here’s a brief recap of last week’s monthly Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting.

SPD Ombudsman Tim Burns presented an overview of his annual report (available in full from this page). Some broad stats: 218 complaints against the police department were filed last year; the City Council authorized the hiring of 26 additional officers, 220 body cameras, and a $1.3 million expenditure ($400,000 of which involves a state-of-the-art addition to the training academy). The body cameras can be expected to be put in action by September.

For the SPD crime report, Capt. Tracy Ponto-Douglas read statistics for the area between Garland and the Spokane River, and between Division and the Spokane River to the west; these were compared against this time last year. There was much discussion regarding squatters and transients camping on abandoned properties. She noted that this year a practice has been established to offer relocation services and counseling.

Ben Covino from the Lands Council spoke about the river toxins found in fish and sediments. A map of the Spokane River was provided, highlighting the areas where caught fish should not be eaten: mercury, arsenic and lead have made their way from mines in Idaho to the river in Spokane. The homeless, who often catch and eat river fish, are the most at risk, and are a target group for this education.

Thom Caraway and James Kashork from Project Hope, the organization that has partnered with the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council to operate the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market, shared some history about their organization. This year, 38 young people from the West Central and E-G neighborhoods are working each weekday morning until noon for 10 weeks and participating in job training. Project Hope has operated the West Central Marketplace for the past seven years, and has continually been finding ways to improve their scope and efficiency. Technicalities were discussed about how to make the operation of the EGFM fit within the nonprofit mission of Project Hope, and ways to involve the youth. There were no objections to proceeding with this action item.

The annual Summer Potluck will be held at Emerson Park on Wednesday, August 13. The potluck will start at 6pm, and the EGNC meeting at 7pm.

Voting members held a discussion regarding whether to hold the EGNC meeting on July 9 or to skip it as per recent tradition. The motion to skip the July meeting carried.

District 3 City Councilman Steve Salvatori is resigning and moving to Dallas for business purposes. The City Council will appoint a replacement according to protocol.

Eline Helm spoke about the second annual Concert in the Park, which will join forces with this year’s return of Summer Parkways on Friday, July 18. We do need our own insurance, but not a permit. A total of $550 is needed, and we have $370 available — in other words, we need donors!

John Vlahovich spoke about tax increment financing money and Kendall Yards. The committee expects to have approximately $117,000 available for the year; $150,000 was set aside to go towards the Monroe Street improvements as matching money that the City will need to put up in order to use $3 million. The grant will still require the approval of the Transportation Department. One proposal is to make the traffic light on Montgomery and Monroe remain green to north/south traffic, except when a pedestrian pushes the crossing button.

Amy McLean reported on an issue with Avista and the use of smart meters. She mentioned that there have been reports on their health and safety risks.

Laura Schlangen read the June report of the Corbin Senior Activity Center. The WalkAlong and the Golf Scramble events were successful. There is not yet a date for the van delivery. A car theft took place mid-day in the parking lot, and the car was later found abandoned. The center’s biggest fundraiser, the Munch & Mingle Auction, is scheduled for Saturday, September 27. Please attend and donate if you can. The Henderson floor will be redone this month, and there is a new “This & That” discussion group.

Jay Cousins reported on the Community Assembly, which, in a nutshell, is the neighborhood’s representative at City Hall. Support for the Safe Streets initiative, spearheaded by Councilwoman Candice Mumm, was passed unanimously by the CA.

Materials for the June 11 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the June 11 EGNC Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets this Wednesday, June 11 at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland).

If you’ve been meaning to come to a neighborhood council meeting, make it this one. There’s not a ton on the agenda, so it’ll be short, but what is on the agenda consists of things like concerts, parties, and potlucks, so it’ll certainly be sweet. Anyone with an interest in Emerson-Garfield is welcome to attend.

SPD Ombudsman Tim Burns will be giving his annual report on police complaints (including, we suppose, the shooting at Maple/Grace), and Ben Covino of the Lands Council will be giving some advance warning to summertime fishermen and -women regarding river toxins in fish.

We’ll also be discussing a potentially larger role for Project Hope in the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market, the presentation of the Neighborhood Plan on June 12, the status of the Concert in the Park/Summer Parkways collaboration, and the neighborhood-wide August potluck in Emerson Park. Whether or not the EGNC will take a break from meeting in July will also be determined.

Save a tree and download the June 11 meeting materials as PDFs here:

May Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

May Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

This is a quick recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting that took place on May 14, 2014. The full minutes will be posted following their approval.

Parks and Recreation Director Leroy Eadie discussed the process of development for the Riverfront Park Master Plan. The proposed improvements include:

  • A straighter walkway between the rotary fountain and Canada Island
  • Replacing the Howard Street south pedestrian bridge
  • Enclosing the Looff Carrousel in more of a “showcase” building
  • A better playground by the large Red Wagon
  • A “learn-to-play” playground on the north bank, themed around the Missoula Flood story
  • Demolition of the IMAX theater and enhancement of the pavilion as an outdoor amphitheater with light art and projections
  • An ice skating rink in the meadow near the gondola
  • A climbing wall on the north bank near the Arena
  • Improved safety through (among other things) improved lighting

He noted that only 60 events per year are currently held at Riverfront Park, but an ideal number would be 120. Much of the remodeling would be to attract more of these private events to the park. By about the third year of development, the park would ideally be financially self-sustainable.

Garret Jones of the Parks Dept. might be on hand to speak specifically about improvements to Emerson Park at the June meeting.

One of the scheduled guest speakers, Alicia Powell of the Office of Neighborhood Services, rescheduled for June so as to have time to gather more information on potential storm water projects.

Dave Braun then spoke about the Summer Parkways event on Friday, July 18 from 6 to 9pm at Corbin Park. This will have a slight overlap with the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market. The street party and cyclists would have some impact on traffic flow and the activities might extend to a couple blocks north of the park.

Help is requested for the outreach and promotion of the July 18 event, including spreading the word to businesses and organizations who might like to host a booth at the event. Dave invited a liaison from the EGNC to be in attendance at the Summer Parkways meetings, which happen once per month. Their next meeting is on Tuesday, May 20.

Eline Helm led a discussion regarding Concerts in the Park. She noted that only $320 is in the fund from last year and no money has been donated yet. A duet who is interested in performing may be hired for $250.

Given the preceding talk, it was suggested and decided to combine with the event and hold the Concert in the Park on the same evening. Additional funds collected during Spring Cleanup could help offset printing and promotional needs for the concerts.

Lisa Fuchs discussed the outcome of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) task force. It was decided that the EGNC should hold off on creating a subcommittee to deal with changes to CDBG allocation until more information is available.

Laura Schlangen reported on the Corbin Senior Center. She said they were delighted to find a former member had left them nearly $75,000 in a will.

The Spring Cleanup was reported by Karl Boldt in absentia. The EGNC made use of $6,443.19 of the $6,500 budget the city allocated to our neighborhood for this cleanup event. Eleven dumpsters were filled, 34.77 tons of trash was collected (10 more than last year), and 59 community members were added to the EGNC’s e-mail distribution list. Next year, Faith Bible Church will be hosting a pancake feed during that event.

Two final announcements: Neighborhood Planning meets on Thursday, May 15 at 6:30pm in the Corbin Senior Center to prepare for the final presentation of the plan on Thursday, June 12, 6:30 pm at Knox Presbyterian. The EGNC will also be tabling at the Garfield Elementary Culture & Community Night this Friday (May 16) from 6-8pm. A few members volunteered to staff the outreach booth.

Materials for the May 14 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the May 14 EGNC Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets this Wednesday, May 14 at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland). We met hundreds of new folks at the Spring Cleanup this past weekend, and we hope to see many of you there!

On the subject of Spring Cleanup, we’ll be hearing a quick recap of the event, including participation, hiccups (like broken dumpster hinges and dumpsters that came back full), and just how much trash was collected. The numbers are pretty impressive.

There will be a trio of guest speakers, including representatives of the Riverfront Park Master Plan, who’ll be explaining what’s in store downtown and who’s going to pay for it, plus Alicia Powell of the Office of Neighborhood Services (on potential stormwater improvements here in E-G) and Dave Braun on behalf of Summer Parkways — which is returning to our neighborhood this year!

And, of course, we’ll hear our final Neighborhood Planning update, how the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market is shaping up, what’s in the works for this season’s Concerts in the Park, as well as some fun (no, really!) volunteer opportunities.

Save a tree and download the May 14 meeting materials as PDFs here:

April Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

April Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

This is a quick recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting that took place on April 9, 2014. For the full minutes (PDF), please click here.

Deacon Dan of Knox Presbyterian Church (site of the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market) gave a short talk about Knox Pres. He said that Knox is a small church with dwindling numbers and they want to make everyone aware of the church and the facilities they offer. Anyone in the neighborhood is welcome to take a tour. You can contact him at (509) 869-0339.

The next presentation was from Don Walker of the Spokane Firefighters Union. He talked about the history of the Union, which started in 1918, and more urgent issues such as low funding, lack of staff and outdated equipment. The purpose of the presentation was to begin a conversation about what the citizens want in their fire department.

Alicia Powell from the city’s Office of Neighborhood Services was the next speaker. She talked about stormwater mitigation and planting 10,000 trees in the next two years. In addition to the street-tree planting event scheduled for April 19, she has plans for more tree planting, such as on vacant public lands as well as residential tree planting.

The election of new officers resulted in Bryce Morrison becoming the new secretary, replacing the inimitable Stan Burke.

The EGNC voted to support the North Hill developers’ agreement to address the city-owned property on Cora.

City Councilwoman Candace Mumm discussed the Market Garden Ordinance and its potential effects as well as urban growth and a new crosswalk ordinance. A brief question and answer period followed.

Corbin Senior Center reported that it has two new heaters thanks in part to the support from the EGNC. Corbin has also ordered a new van after years of fundraising but no delivery date is available. The Pancake ‘n’ More event is was April 19, and the Corbin Golf Scramble is on June 6 at Indian Canyon. Also, volunteer drivers are needed.

Garbage Czar Karl Boldt gave the report for the upcoming Spring Cleanup on Saturday, May 10. More volunteers are needed. That event will take place before the next neighborhood meeting so it is hoped everyone who can help out will be there. To volunteer or request more info, call Karl at (509) 325-3031.

Neighborhood Planning announced a Business Outreach Event on April 17 at CSL Plasma to solicit feedback from neighborhood business owners.

Jay Cousins reported on the Community Assembly. They are concerned with how the CDBG funds are being distributed. All neighborhoods are now eligible for the funds, which increases the competition. Furthermore, neighborhoods are now re-evaluated every year for eligibility. A pot of $700,000 is left in the CDBG funding this year but it is for “shovel-ready” projects and the 30-day clock to apply is ticking.

Lois Musser reported on the Emerson Community Garden. Anyone who would like to join is welcome and everyone who joins equally reaps the benefits of the harvest.

Before the meeting closed, Rusty Vlahovich presented a sympathy card for everyone to sign for Ed Reid in memory of his wife Sally, who passed away last month. Sally was the EGNC’s Community Development Coordinator and served on the council for many years. Sally is a light that was extinguished too soon and she will be missed and fondly remembered.