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Recap of the May E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the May E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

This is a recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting that took place on Wednesday, May 13, 2015.

The guest speakers for the month were Julie Oliver and Lisa Woodard of the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency. The agency has been around since 1967. It is responsible for issuing permits, performing on-site inspections, responding to citizen complaints regarding issues such as outdoor burning, and regulating asbestos safety.

Julie and Lisa reported that the main air pollutants in Spokane are particulate matter (PM) and ozone. Inhalable coarse particles are found near roadways and in dust storms, whereas fine particles are a result of outdoor burning. To reduce PM, they incentivize the removal of old woodstoves. Ground-level ozone is commonly referred to as smog, and can give your lungs the equivalent of a sunburn. One method to reduce ozone is vapor recovery at gas stations that have a high throughput and are close to residential areas, such as Safeway on NW Blvd. Ozone can be at its highest on hot days (over 90°), so it’s best to switch to an electric or battery-powered mover or cut your grass on cooler days.

You can check whether outdoor burning is permitted on the agency’s website (linked above).

Jonathan Martinez volunteered to represent the neighborhood on the Public Safety Committee as part of their initiative to address landlord and tenant issues. Almost 50% of the population of Emerson-Garfield rents, which makes it all the more important to have a neighborhood voice on this committee.

Al Steuart highlighted the events that will be featured at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market throughout the summer, starting on Friday, June 5. If you have any clean compost, including leaves, Al would like to use it. You can reach him on (760) 223-0161. Any extra compost will be used for the Emerson Community Garden.

At the market, the KERNAL program proposed by Catholic Charities is looking for sponsors to help them cover the cost of materials. Kids will be taught fun skills such as how to compost, how to make their own jump-ropes, and will receive tokens to exchange for vegetables. The South Perry Farmers Market found this program to be very successful last year. If you’d like to help Steve Anderson campaign for business sponsors, which will receive recognition and advertising, please contact him.

The Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market also recently announced the winners of its annual poster competition. This year’s participating neighborhood schools were Trinity Catholic School and Spokane Public Montessori.

Timothy Diko and Melissa Parker reported on this year’s Concert in the Park. It will be on Sunday, August 2 in Emerson Park, starting at 6pm. Broken Whistle will be performing.

If you are interested in forming a group to advocate for events and improvements on behalf of Emerson Park, contact Steve Anderson (e-mail linked above).

Amy Dutton reported that the Greening Grant Committee will meet on Friday, May 29 at 6pm at Emerson Park. Anyone interested in selecting locations for future tree plantings and beautification efforts is encouraged to attend.

Steve Anderson has arranged a 10% discount at Gibson’s Nursery & Landscape (1401 S Pines) for all Emerson-Garfield residents. Proof of ID is required to receive the discount. Bulk purchases could receive as high as a 15% discount. He is working on coordinating similar discounts for E-G residents at other area nurseries.

Candace Mumm offered a report from the Spokane City Council. The revitalization of N Monroe Street has seen some additional progress as well as challenges. In addition to the surface-level improvements, there are 106-year-old utility pipes under the street that need to be replaced. However, certain businesses appear to be more concerned about the through-traffic count than the benefits to safety, infrastructure and storefronts.

As a resident and patron of those businesses, you can inform them why it is important to have a walkable environment, and why cars that obey the speed limit can be a boon to business. Residents who are in favor of N Monroe revitalization can counter vocal naysayers by contacting the City Council as well as writing letters to the editor and to the mayor in support of the road diet (more info on that is here).

Councilwoman Mumm also noted that complaints have arisen over 60-foot cell towers being placed in two back yards, and a six-month moratorium was placed on installing them. Regulations are being proposed that could limit those towers to commercial zones.

Laura Schlangen reported on the Corbin Senior Activity Center. Their Madhatter’s Tea Party is on Friday, May 22 at 1:30pm. The annual Golf Scramble will be held on Friday, June 5. The Munch and Mingle Auction is on Saturday, September 19.

Karl Boldt reported on the recent Spring Cleanup. This year there were over 60 volunteers, 140 participating residents, 21.2 tons of refuse and 1.92 tons of recyclable material. The event is already scheduled for next year: Saturday, May 21, 2016. Since we only used $3,957.50 of the allotted $6,500 budget, additional dump passes will be given to residents throughout the year.

Jay Cousins reported on the Community Assembly. As part of its renewal, the CA will try to be an equal partner to neighborhoods and the local government, balancing the two groups.

The CA is also currently working on ordinances regarding outdoor storage and vehicles. One issue was whether to allow 1 to 4 cars per residence in addition to the four (4) cars that each residence is allowed to have legally. The final decision was to allow two (2) additional cars that are not visible from the street. There is already an ordinance against parking on the front lawn, so Code Enforcement should be contacted at (509) 625-6083 for relevant violations.

After final announcements about upcoming neighborhood events, the meeting adjourned just after 7:30pm.

 

Materials for the Feb 11 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Materials for the Feb 11 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Following a relaxing January hiatus, the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets tomorrow (February 11) for the first time in 2015. The meeting starts at 6pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland).

There are no guest speakers on this month’s agenda, which leaves us ample time to review and vote on the traffic-calming applications that schools, churches and residents have submitted this year for the neighborhood council’s approval. There are two arterial and three residential applications — with the possibility of more arriving between now and the meeting.

We’ll also be voting on a revised sidewalk repair/installation plan after this year’s CDBG eligibility areas shifted.

Beyond the yays and nays, the neighborhood council will be planning events for this year’s Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market, hearing about the new seed library at Petunia’s Marketplace, addressing volunteer opportunities, looking at upcoming neighborhood elections and Greening Grants (i.e., tree plantings), and briefly discussing N. Monroe revitalization.

Save a tree, put your tablet to good use, and download the materials as PDFs here:

Caveat downloader: The agenda is hefty (roughly 9MB) because it contains the traffic-calming applications.

We hope to see you there!

Recap of the December E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the December E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

The December 10, 2014 meeting of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council began after its Holiday Potluck. Three new voting members and 14 guests were in attendance, as were three firefighters from Spokane Station No. 2.

Despite scheduling a spot on the agenda, no one from Spokane Public Schools was present to speak about the proposed bond and levy that will be on the 2015 ballot.

Two representatives from a new charter school, PRIDE Prep, spoke about their mission and enrollment process. They are located in the old Social Security Administration building at 811 E Sprague and will be opening in the fall of 2015. Their curriculum is hands-on and makes ample use of technology. There will be a maximum of 120 students for the upcoming school year; the enrollment deadline is Wednesday, February 25, and they are already 80% enrolled.

The vote was 14-2 (with several abstentions) in favor of foregoing the January meeting. This means the next E-G Neighborhood Council meeting will be on Wednesday, February 11.

Alicia Powell informed the council that the City would like to plant edible fruit and nut trees on the neighborhood’s newly annexed land near the TJ Meenach Bridge. The Water Dept. will install irrigation and the public will be allowed to glean. The EGNC will work with the City over the next few months to arrange a spring planting.

Following the EGNC’s funding allocations in November, the status of Community Development Block Grant applications was discussed. Timothy Diko and Sara Kimball were applauded for their involvement with filling out the CDBG applications. Monroe, on Dalton, will receive a new bus shelter. Fulcrum Institute and the West Central Community Center have both verbally thanked the EGNC for its support in the upcoming year.

The two new traffic circles on Montgomery were discussed briefly. They are having their intended effect of slowing speeding cars; however, some careless or uninformed drivers have been seen simply riding over them or not making the proper left turn and instead cutting the “round” out of the roundabout. The roundabouts themselves will be more noticeable by next spring once vegetation has been planted.

Laura Schlangen reported on the Corbin Senior Activity Center. Corbin’s membership has increased to 1188 members Deeper Walk Ministries is offering church services at the Center on Sundays at 10am.

Karl Bolt reported that seven tons of garbage was collected in 2014 because of the dump passes we distribute at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market. This past year record total of $6,964.95 was spent on cleanup efforts of more than 41 tons of waste. The next roll-off event — aka Spring Cleanup — will be on Saturday, April 18.

This past season saw $41,458.28 in total sales at the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market.  About one-third of the vendors have direct ties to Emerson-Garfield, so the sales generate some neighborhood return. A total of $1,951 was spent using SNAP (EBT) funds. Every $5 spent at the market using an EBT card exchanges for $7 in market tokens (the supplement is called Fresh Bucks), with the $2 difference being reimbursed by Catholic Charities; more than $700 in Fresh Bucks was issued this season to eligible patrons.

In addition to the support from Catholic Charities, the market also arranged collaborations with Project Hope; Knox Presbyterian, which supplied the location; Spokane Hope Christian Reformed Church, which shares the building with Knox and sells Korean food from inside the church; and Audubon and Garfield Elementary Schools. The farmers’ market also recently won a marketing award from Community Assembly.

Candace Mumm reported on issues that Spokane City Council has been debating. Among other things, the Salvation Army warming shelter is the only shelter funded this year, and therefore they have requested that bus passes to the shelter be included in the budget.

Paul Kimball gave credit to the firefighters who attended for part of the meeting, and discussed some of the developments at the Fire Department.

Materials for the Dec 10 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Materials for the Dec 10 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Just a reminder that there’s an Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council Holiday Potluck and meeting tomorrow (December 10) starting at 6pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland).

As always, everyone who lives, works or socializes in Emerson-Garfield is welcome to attend both the potluck and the neighborhood council meeting. This isn’t an exclusive group, and we welcome participation and input from anyone with a stake in the neighborhood. Come one, come all!

The potluck portion will last about 45 minutes to an hour. It’s a great chance to meet your neighbors and find out what’s going on in E-G. Please bring something for sharing, whether it’s homemade cookies, a supermarket salad or a soft drink.

Guest speakers this month are both school-related: Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Shelley Redinger and Marcia Via. Shelley will address the 2015 bond and levy that will be on an upcoming ballot, and Marcia will talk about the mission and enrollment process for PRIDE Prep, a new Spokane charter school.

In addition to that, the EGNC will be discussing planting some edible fruit and nut trees in the neighborhood’s newly annexed land as well as looking ahead to see what 2015 holds.

You can download the December 10 meeting materials as PDFs here:

On Facebook? Please RSVP to the potluck and neighborhood council meeting on the dedicated event page.

Recap of the October E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the October E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

The October 8 meeting of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council began at its new time of 6pm.

Christa Richardson of the Corbin Senior Activity Center started off the meeting by sharing the good news about their Munch and Mingle auction on September 27, which raised $20,000. Of that, $4,000 was directed towards the elevator. The center’s new van arrived as well.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) applications were explained, and attendees were invited to participate in determining how the funding for 2015 will be allocated among the neighborhood. Six volunteers formed a committee that will meet prior to the November 24 deadline to do so. Their proposal will be discussed, refined and put to vote at the November 12 meeting of the E-G Neighborhood Council.

Timothy Diko and Melissa Parker have been scouting out locations for sheltered bus stops, bike racks and trash cans to be placed along Monroe Street. Those kinds of projects were chosen because they would not require follow-up costs and would be long-lasting. The consensus of the meeting attendees was that the stop on the west corner of Montgomery and Monroe could use a shelter and nearby bike rack, and the stops on either side of the street at Grace and Monroe could also benefit from the same.

Northwest Neighborhood identified a block of land adjacent to Emerson-Garfield where the residents tend to identify more with Emerson-Garfield than Northwest. Their organization voted to cede the land to E-G. The boundaries to the north are Fairview and Ash to Cochran, south across the T.J. Meenach bridge, along the Pettit Drive Ridge, to Indiana; Indiana east to Belt, and Belt north to Fairview.  A concern was raised regarding the average income of that section of land, and what effect that might have on Emerson-Garfield’s qualification for CDBG funding. The vote to approve the boundary extension was tabled until November.

The Greening Neighborhoods Grant was approved for both applications. The Maple traffic island vegetation can be acquired soon, but the other area may need to wait until November.Spokane Urban Forestry will determine the dates. Over a dozen attendees volunteered to help with planting when the time comes.

On Washington near North Central High School is an organization, Community Frameworks, that would like to contribute to the redevelopment of that area, to include practical beautification and increased walkability. They hope to develop a 33-unit apartment building for lower-income residents. Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council wrote letters of support for their funding applications.

Because there are three elementary schools (i.e., Garfield, Audubon, Spokane Public Montessori) in a roughly one-mile area within E-G, there is a justification for putting together a Safe Routes to School task force with the goal of working with the Spokane Regional Health District to develop an entire pedestrian- and bike-friendly network of paths to these schools. Several volunteers, including councilwoman Candace Mumm, expressed an interest in participating.

A motion was made to provide meeting notes for review and approval by e-mail, rather than waiting until the following monthly meeting. It was decided to e-mail the minutes shortly following each meeting, and voting members can then respond to the e-mail.

Tim Burns, the Police Ombudsman, reported that the five-member citizen oversight commission over Spokane Police Officers is in effect as of September 15. The sheriff’s office has expressed an interest in a similar committee. Adrian Dominguez, an epidemiologist with the Health Department, represents our district (District 3) on the oversight commission. Each of the other two city council districts selected one representative, and the mayor selected two.

City Council member Candace Mumm reported on the approval of a $67,000 traffic calming grant. A pilot program near Gonzaga will experiment with a permeable pavement solution, which could work with N. Monroe as well. The Women and Children’s Free Restaurant has purchased Center Pointe near the Community Frameworks building for their new location. The new city budget proposal was released, and a priority was given to fire safety.

Sara Kimball reported on sidewalk repair near Emerson Park, in response to some large tree roots. There were four curb cuts near Jefferson and Alice for ADA accessibility. A sidewalk on the west side of Madison all the way from Indiana to Emerson Park may be in development in the near to long term.

The Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market is on track to have over $40,000 in sales this year. A long line of residents interested in claiming dump passes came to the market for their first time on October 3 and commented positively on the market. The market’s season finale will be on October 17 and will feature a cider press (apples can be brought or bought).

Tim Schwering, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Spokane Police Department, arrived after the meeting had ended due to a long Q&A session at a talk earlier in the evening. He has rescheduled to present on the police body cameras at the November 12 meeting.