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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.

Materials for the Sept 11 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the Sept 11 EGNC Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets tonight (Wednesday, September 11) for its first regular meeting since June. (There was no meeting in July, and August was an informal potluck.)

This meeting departs from the usual format in that it’s a city-wide town hall with Mayor Condon (or his emissary) on the 2014 budget, so the EGNC agenda is relatively brief on account of the shortened meeting. A few items we will be considering:

  • The city has proposed changes in neighborhood council mailings due to — surprise! — funding shifts and cutbacks. As things stand the EGNC will have to decide between a monthly print mailing of meeting materials to all voting members (which is our status quo) or a bi-annual postcard mailing to the entire neighborhood.
  • The EGNC needs additional volunteers to sustain its current momentum in terms of neighborhood events (like the Concerts in the Park and the farmers’ market), outreach (like social media and flyers), and Neighborhood Planning. If your involvement is minimal, infrequent, or nonexistent, it’s time to help lighten the load on those who’re doing more than their fair share to make Emerson-Garfield better for everyone. A list of suggested volunteer niches will be posted online soon.
  • Fall dump passes will be available in October. We’ll divulge when and where at tonight’s meeting.
  • Emerson-Garfield Steering Committee (i.e., the voting members of the neighborhood council) has just over $57k in Community Development Block Grant funds to allocate for 2014. The application and allocation process is similar to last year’s heavily altered process, but there have been some changes based on community feedback. Those will be addressed briefly.

Save a tree — or prepare for the forthcoming mailing cutbacks — by downloading tonight’s agenda and minutes for approval here:

We look forward to seeing you tonight!

Neighborhood-wide Picnic & Potluck Tomorrow, Aug 14

Neighborhood-wide Picnic & Potluck Tomorrow, Aug 14

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council is holding its annual Summer Picnic & Potluck in Corbin Park tomorrow (Wednesday, August 14) starting at 6pm.

Just to be clear: You don’t have to be involved in any way with the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council to attend. This is open to everyone who lives, works, and plays in Emerson-Garfield. It’s a chance for everyone who’s even loosely associated with the neighborhood to come together and get to know one another.

August 2013 EGNC potluck flyer

There will be free hot dogs and soda as well as plates, napkins and utensils (all out-of-pocket donations from EGNC volunteers, by the way), but it is a potluck, so please remember to bring a chair and your favorite dish to share.

An informal, open-air neighborhood council meeting will take place at 7pm. If it’s your first encounter with the EGNC, feel free to eavesdrop and see what goes on.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Photos from the Concert in the Park

Photos from the Concert in the Park

Island Soul singer
Island Soul guitarist and drummer
Island Soul singer
Island Soul bassist
Island Soul singer, guitarist and bassist
Island Soul bassist and singer
Island Soul guitarist
Concert in the Park audience
Island Soul drummer
Island Soul bassist
Concert in the Park audience
Island Soul singer, guitarist and bassist
Free Concert in the Park, July 28

Free Concert in the Park, July 28

This marks the year that the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council launches its Concerts in the Park series. The first of those concerts — and the only one for 2013 — will take place on Sunday, July 28 in Emerson Park (1116 W Alice) [map] from 4-6pm.

Admission to the concert is free. The R&B/soul band Island Soul will be performing, and Smokin’ Rome’s food truck will be on hand serving up his delicious BBQ and soul food. So it’ll be a feast for at least two of the five senses.

Concertgoers are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and picnic items as well as friends and family — but please leave any alcohol at home. And that goes for trying to consume it discreetly, too. Otherwise it jeopardizes the possibility that these concerts will continue in the future.

Emerson Park Concert flyer 7-28

Eline Helm has been instrumental (no pun intended) in getting these concerts off the ground. She arranged the venue, took out the necessary permits and insurance, sought out the band, and handled all the funding. Mallory Battista pitched in by designing the eye-catching poster you see above, and Jackie Wheler designed the promotional brochure that will be available at the concert.

We also had a very generous donor on the neighborhood council who ensured that we had the initial money to do all this. Neighborhood businesses who chipped in are Zip’s on N. Monroe, Caffe Delicio, the West Central Association of Businesses and the Corbin Park Homeowners Association. Hamilton Studio is kindly loaning their PA for use at the concert.

If things go smoothly and there’s an encouraging turnout, this year’s concert will serve as a stepping stone to more ambitious series in coming years, which will be held in both Corbin and Emerson Parks.