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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about the history of the Union, which started in 1918, and more urgent issues such as low funding, lack of staff and outdated equipment.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.

Materials for the April 9 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the April 9 EGNC Meeting

Join the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council when they meet tonight (Wednesday, April 9) at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland). It’s a lighter agenda than the past two meetings, but there are some important items.

The top item will be voting on the North Hill Neighborhood’s proposed developer agreement for the city-owned property on Cora at the base of the N. Monroe Hill. You can find that agreement as an appendix in this month’s agenda. We ask that you please familiarize yourself with that document beforehand to avoid prolonging the meeting.

The second important item is elections. Our secretary is dead set on stepping down after four years in the role, and though his shoes will be tough ones to fill, we’re hoping the right candidate will do so.

Don Waller, President of the Spokane Firefighters Union IAFF 29C will be one of the two guest speakers. Fulcrum Institute canceled because they wanted to develop their project more fully before addressing neighborhoods, but Alicia Powell of the Office of Neighborhood Services will be taking their place to finalize the scheduled tree-planting on N. Maple on April 19.

In addition to addressing some recent resident concerns, there will also be updates on the annual Spring Cleanup event, scheduled for May 10.

Download the April 9 meeting materials here:

We look forward to seeing you there!

Materials for the March 12 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the March 12 EGNC Meeting

As another Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting nears, the snow has given way to rain. At least it’s some sort of seasonal progress. And it’s reason enough to join the EGNC on Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland) as we begin preparing in earnest for the exciting year ahead.

And that’s not just feel-good inspirational fluff. There really is some exciting stuff going on.

This EGNC meeting brings five guest speakers — all of whom have been limited in advance to ten minutes or less. That means you’ll get your informational fix but it won’t eat up your entire evening. Most of the speakers have agreed to hang around after the meeting so you can pose your questions on an informal, one-on-one basis.

Dom Felix will be talking about the Spokane Police Accountability and Reform Coalition (SPARC). Kim Ferraro will be giving a preview of what’s happening at the West Central Community Center. Buzz Bellessa of North Hill Neighborhood Council will be proposing a developer agreement for the city-owned property on the corner of Cora and N. Monroe. Angel Spell of Spokane Urban Forestry will address everything to do with street trees. And a representative of the Spokane Human Rights Commission will explain what their organization has been up to.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Karen Cornwell of Avista will not be presenting. We hope she’ll be able to reschedule for April’s meeting.

Also on the agenda is the scheduling of mobile speed signs (for traffic-calming analysis), preparation for next month’s EGNC elections, discussion about the proposed Summer Parkways event in Emerson-Garfield, Neighborhood Planning updates, and lots more.

Download the March 12 meeting materials here:

We look forward to seeing you there!

Neighborhood Council Elections and Call for Reps

Neighborhood Council Elections and Call for Reps

In April the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council (EGNC) will be holding elections for the following officer positions:

  • Chair
  • Vice-chair
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer

These positions are all currently occupied but should not go uncontested. If you are interested in running, please put your name forward at the next neighborhood council meeting on Wednesday, March 12. Keep in mind that you must be a voting member to throw your hat into the ring — which means you will need to have attended three EGNC meetings in the past six months.

Emerson-Garfield is also looking for representatives to become involved in groups that are important to the neighborhood. These include:

All of these volunteer groups generally involve a nominal time commitment of just one meeting per month. Ideally you would also attend the monthly neighborhood council meeting to keep EGNC members apprised of relevant issues and opportunities.

If you’d like to be the neighborhood rep for any of these groups (or co-rep; there’s no reason why two or three people couldn’t share a single responsibility), please speak up at the next neighborhood council meeting or get in touch beforehand. If you’re already involved in one of them and you happen to work or reside in E-G, let us know that too!

These unelected positions are just as essential as the elected officer positions. It’s important for Emerson-Garfield to have a voice as these groups develop citywide plans and policy for the future, and it’s equally important for E-G residents to be kept informed of how those plans and policies are taking shape over time.

Spokane Public Montessori Will Unify in Emerson-Garfield

Spokane Public Montessori Will Unify in Emerson-Garfield

The Spokane Public School Board voted last night to unify the Spokane Public Montessori program at the Community School (aka Havermale; 1300 W Knox) here in Emerson-Garfield. It goes into effect for the upcoming 2014-15 school year.

For the past 26 years, Spokane’s public Montessori programs — public, not private, being fairly unique in and of itself — have been housed within Balboa Elementary to the north (just above Francis) and Jefferson Elementary to the south (on 37th). Unification at this single central location will allow those two previously separate programs to pool their staff, resources, and enjoy a dedicated facility that is better equipped for the Montessori educational method.

The Spokesman-Review has a typically bitty story on the vote and some of the responses to unification. An info sheet and FAQ (PDF file) on enrolling in the Montessori program and the logistics of unification was also issued prior to the school board’s vote.

Havermale 2012

From a neighborhood standpoint, the even better news is that the Medicine Wheel Academy will remain in the building and the Community School will move just down the road to Bancroft (1025 W Spofford), so Emerson-Garfield does not end up losing these valuable learning programs altogether. (Although, if you’re being pedantic, the move does put the Community School just within the West Central border.)

Representatives from the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council have already sat down with city traffic engineers to see how this new primary school might be a candidate for Safe Routes to School improvements, and they will be pursuing that goal in the coming months. The larger plan is to create a safe, ideally pedestrian-oriented network that will benefit all the schools that are clustered in or near Emerson-Garfield, including Garfield Elementary, North Central, Trinity Catholic and Audubon. If you’re interested in joining that effort, please get in touch.

The increased space that Havermale offers also means that the public Montessori program, which will continue to admit new students by a lottery system, will likely have more spots available for new students.

If you would like to enroll your child in the Montessori program for the 2014-15 school year, you must attend the orientation and registration meeting on either Thursday, February 20 (5:30-7:30pm) or Saturday, February 22 (10am-12pm). Both will be held at Havermale.

So: Welcome to Emerson-Garfield, current and future Montessori parents and students! We look forward to collaborating with you in cool and creative ways to build stronger neighborhood and school communities.