Emerson-Garfield Community

In previous months, we’ve attempted to condense and convey the exciting events of each neighborhood council meeting by writing a dedicated blog post about it. This didn’t always happen due to time constraints, and it also meant duplicating work: both the author of the recap post and the EGNC secretary ended up putting the same event into different words.

So we’re trying something new to kick off 2013. The EGNC secretary will aim to get the meeting minutes drawn up in a timely manner, and those will then form the basis of the recap blog post. If it we can manage to stick to that routine, it will be great news for everyone (except maybe the secretary during ski season).

Here are some excerpted highlights. (For the full minutes, replete with banter and comic asides, please check the Downloads page):

Garbage Czar Karl Boldt started the agenda off with a report on our annual Clean Up Day, which is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 27. It will take place again at Faith Bible Church and will go from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm.

City Council Member Nancy McLaughlin reported on the antics of the City Council. Nancy spoke about Prop 1 (coming to a special election ballot near you!) that would place the Police Ombudsman position into the City Charter, hopefully leading to a more influential position for that office.

She also talked about Prop 2. This asks the citizens to change the city charter to require a 5/7 majority to raise all taxes in the future.

[Ed. Note: Apologies for the nature of the proposition links, which often direct to pages advocating for or against the respective proposition. Unfortunately, these were the only sources I could find that offered any additional information about the special election ballot measures.]

Nancy also talked about a tax levy for the library (aka Prop 3) on an upcoming ballot. She allowed Pat Partovi, Director of Library Services to talk more about the issue. They are asking for a levy that would dedicate funds to the library, 7¢ per $1,000.00 of assessed value. So, if your house is assessed at $100,000.00, you would pay an additional $7.00 a year. If your house is assessed at $200,000.00, you would pay $14.00 a year.

The special election will take place on February 12.

Nancy was about to relinquish the floor when she suddenly remembered to report on the animal control issue coming up before the City Council. The contract for animal control is going to change from Spokanimal to SCRAPS. That will probably take place in the coming week.

We are having a competition to design a logo for the neighborhood council. Anyone interested in trying to design a logo can submit a design to Chairwoman Liorah Wichser. At the next meeting, there will be a discussion about what the branding details a logo should include.

Liorah is starting a discussion about making the neighborhood council into a non-profit organization. Four neighborhoods are already non-profits so it is allowed by the city. There is a lot to consider and nobody really knows the pros and cons of taking on such an undertaking. It does entail a lot of paper work and we have not had a lot of volunteer participation in the past, and this would require a fair amount of commitment from a lot of people. A committee was formed to work on bylaws proposals.

Summer movie nights: Dave Musser was volunteered into heading the Summer Movie Committee. He will figure out the details of the committee and what it is they plan to do but he is planning for a movie in the park in July and August. Stay tuned for details.

Concerts in the park: Nothing is yet planned for concerts in Corbin or Emerson Parks. However, this is something that is high on our wish list.

Summer potluck: Liorah wants to put someone in charge of Summer Potluck in order to have a grander event. It is always a great event to bring new people out and a well planned event will hopefully bring even more people. Anyone interested in taking this on should talk to Liorah.

Corbin Senior Center: Laura Schlangen reported that 40 diners showed up for the Christmas Eve Luncheon. The new sign is up and can be seen and read at the corner of Grace and Lincoln. Corbin is sponsoring a Luau on February 15th. There are prizes for best costume. It’s $15 in advance or $18 at the door. Corbin’s largest fundraiser is the Movin’ and Groovin’ Fair on March 9th from 8am to 2pm.

Cop report: New Year’s Eve was a nightmare for the Spokane Police. There were shootings and stabbings and fireworks and parties. Thanks to all who didn’t participate in all that. Graffitti continues to be a problem and the police are looking into it. With regard to new laws, keep in mind that marijuana is still an illegal substance as far as the Federal Government is concerned. Paraphernalia is no longer illegal and if you get caught with a joint, the police are treating it as if you got caught with a beer. The police are not aggressively enforcing marijuana laws.

Residential households and businesses all over Emerson-Garfield have begun receiving neighborhood mailers over the past few days. They look like this:

Many of us found out about the neighborhood council and its activities through print mailings (like the sadly defunct West Central Community Newspaper), and it was important to make sure that we continued to spread the word about how to get involved. The more people who take a stake in this neighborhood, the better it will be for all of us.

Normally, the EGNC doesn’t have the money to cover the costs of a neighborhood-wide mailing like this one, which is why they aren’t sent out more regularly. Steps are being taken to increase the frequency of mailings in the future, but there are still limitations to what can be done with the available funding.