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Status on Traffic-Calming Applications

Status on Traffic-Calming Applications

First post of 2014, and we’ve got both good and bad news on previous traffic-calming applications made by the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council.

Let’s start with the good, taken straight from the e-mail we just received from the city:

The Emerson Garfield Traffic Calming Application from 2012 for infill sidewalks on the East Side of Adams from Mansfield to Alleyway and on Madison between Mansfield and Alleyway have been chosen by the City Council to be implemented.

The project is being moved to the final design phase and then into implementation. The build year for the project will depend on the complexity of the project and the design needed; some projects fall into a two year cycle for design and build.

Just to reiterate, that’s a request from 2012. The images below give a rough idea where the sidewalks are to be installed.

And the bad:

The applications from 2013 were not chosen for implementation, the crosswalk at Jackson and Maple St. and the Signage at Cora and Euclid. The crosswalk at Jackson was not chosen due to its close proximity to a school crossing one block north of this location. The Signage at Cora and Euclid did not meet the signatures that were needed to move the project forward.

That crosswalk on Maple was requested on account of the busy intersection there, which sees a lot of foot traffic (in addition to automobile traffic) from Safeway. While it’s true that there are two pedestrian crossings a few blocks to the north and south, traffic of any kind naturally tends to follow the shortest and most direct route. There’s a case to be made either way. The signage was a good idea but, as the e-mail indicates, saw no follow-through.

If you have traffic-calming or sidewalk suggestions for application in 2014, please submit them to the EGNC for consideration. But in the case of traffic-calming, also be prepared to gather the necessary signatures.

Materials for the November 13 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the November 13 EGNC Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets tomorrow (Wednesday, November 13) at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center. If you live, work or own property in Emerson-Garfield, please attend and take an active role in improving the neighborhood.

This meeting is a biggie. There will be one guest speaker, Jamie Borgan of Transitions, who will describe what their organization did with the Community Development Block Grant funding our neighborhood allocated to them last year.

CDBGLogo2

After Jamie’s presentation, we’ll get right down to the nitty gritty of allocating our 2014 Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). This funding totals $57,274 and can be used to fund sidewalks, home rehabilitation, capital development (i.e., brick-and-mortar) projects, and some nonprofits’ operations needs. Spokane is unique to the whole country in that the city relies on direct input from the individual neighborhoods on how this federal funding should be allocated. Let’s not take that opportunity for granted.

This year the EGNC has an additional $10,756.04 due to returned or redirected allocations from 2013. This is above and beyond the $57k mentioned above and can be used to fund a capital project of our choosing. Combined with some other money, it could result in a neighborhood gateway, a pedestrian crosswalk, or something else altogether.

Download the November 13 agenda and minutes for approval here:

And here’s the last reminder on this subject: In September the EGNC voted to end future monthly mailings to voting members. This means that you will no longer receive print copies of the materials in the post as has been customary in the past. Instead, you will have to download the agenda and minutes here on this blog or pick up one of the limited print copies that will be available at the meeting.

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.

Neighborhood Training: 501(c)3 Status, Oct 21

Neighborhood Training: 501(c)3 Status, Oct 21

In conjunction with the Building Stronger Neighborhoods committee, Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council is hosting a Neighborhood “Hot Topic” Training session on Nonprofit Formation on Monday, October 21. It will take place at the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland) [map] and run from 6 to 7:30pm.

This session will be of interest to neighborhood councils — including our own — who are currently pursuing or thinking about pursuing nonprofit status. Participants will hear some of the benefits and potential pitfalls of 501(c)3 status from two tax and business lawyers skilled in nonprofit formation.

BSN 501c3 training

Due to the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council’s historic debates over nonprofit status and the feeling that an unbiased expert opinion was necessary to make an informed decision, we specifically requested that the Corbin Senior Center serve as the site of this training session. Anyone who has or has had a stake in the EGNC becoming a nonprofit (or avoiding such a move) is therefore encouraged to attend.

Please RSVP to Jackie Caro at (509) 625-6733 or jcaro@spokanecity.org.

Materials for the October 9 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the October 9 EGNC Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets this Wednesday, October 9 at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center. If you live, work, or own property in Emerson-Garfield, you’re encouraged to attend and take an active role in improving the neighborhood.

This meeting will feature two guest speakers: Fran Papenleur, who will discuss proposed changes to Photo Red fund allocation, and a representative from the Lands Council.

A few other items on the agenda:

  • Dump passes. Huzzah!
  • Preparation for the allocation of around $57k in Community Development Block Grants. There have been some (more) changes to the process this year, and they should be discussed prior to the November 9 meeting when the EGNC Steering Committee will vote on funding priorities and recipients.
  • Updates on crime, the farmers’ market, Neighborhood Planning, the Corbin Senior Center and more.

Download the October 9 agenda and minutes for approval here:

Oh, and as you might or might not know, last month the EGNC voted to end future monthly mailings to voting members. This means that you will no longer receive print copies of the materials in the post as has been customary in the past. Instead, you will have to download the agenda and minutes here on this blog or pick up one of the limited print copies that will be available at the meeting.