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Materials for the June 11 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the June 11 EGNC Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets this Wednesday, June 11 at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland).

If you’ve been meaning to come to a neighborhood council meeting, make it this one. There’s not a ton on the agenda, so it’ll be short, but what is on the agenda consists of things like concerts, parties, and potlucks, so it’ll certainly be sweet. Anyone with an interest in Emerson-Garfield is welcome to attend.

SPD Ombudsman Tim Burns will be giving his annual report on police complaints (including, we suppose, the shooting at Maple/Grace), and Ben Covino of the Lands Council will be giving some advance warning to summertime fishermen and -women regarding river toxins in fish.

We’ll also be discussing a potentially larger role for Project Hope in the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market, the presentation of the Neighborhood Plan on June 12, the status of the Concert in the Park/Summer Parkways collaboration, and the neighborhood-wide August potluck in Emerson Park. Whether or not the EGNC will take a break from meeting in July will also be determined.

Save a tree and download the June 11 meeting materials as PDFs here:

May Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

May Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

This is a quick recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meeting that took place on May 14, 2014. The full minutes will be posted following their approval.

Parks and Recreation Director Leroy Eadie discussed the process of development for the Riverfront Park Master Plan. The proposed improvements include:

  • A straighter walkway between the rotary fountain and Canada Island
  • Replacing the Howard Street south pedestrian bridge
  • Enclosing the Looff Carrousel in more of a “showcase” building
  • A better playground by the large Red Wagon
  • A “learn-to-play” playground on the north bank, themed around the Missoula Flood story
  • Demolition of the IMAX theater and enhancement of the pavilion as an outdoor amphitheater with light art and projections
  • An ice skating rink in the meadow near the gondola
  • A climbing wall on the north bank near the Arena
  • Improved safety through (among other things) improved lighting

He noted that only 60 events per year are currently held at Riverfront Park, but an ideal number would be 120. Much of the remodeling would be to attract more of these private events to the park. By about the third year of development, the park would ideally be financially self-sustainable.

Garret Jones of the Parks Dept. might be on hand to speak specifically about improvements to Emerson Park at the June meeting.

One of the scheduled guest speakers, Alicia Powell of the Office of Neighborhood Services, rescheduled for June so as to have time to gather more information on potential storm water projects.

Dave Braun then spoke about the Summer Parkways event on Friday, July 18 from 6 to 9pm at Corbin Park. This will have a slight overlap with the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market. The street party and cyclists would have some impact on traffic flow and the activities might extend to a couple blocks north of the park.

Help is requested for the outreach and promotion of the July 18 event, including spreading the word to businesses and organizations who might like to host a booth at the event. Dave invited a liaison from the EGNC to be in attendance at the Summer Parkways meetings, which happen once per month. Their next meeting is on Tuesday, May 20.

Eline Helm led a discussion regarding Concerts in the Park. She noted that only $320 is in the fund from last year and no money has been donated yet. A duet who is interested in performing may be hired for $250.

Given the preceding talk, it was suggested and decided to combine with the event and hold the Concert in the Park on the same evening. Additional funds collected during Spring Cleanup could help offset printing and promotional needs for the concerts.

Lisa Fuchs discussed the outcome of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) task force. It was decided that the EGNC should hold off on creating a subcommittee to deal with changes to CDBG allocation until more information is available.

Laura Schlangen reported on the Corbin Senior Center. She said they were delighted to find a former member had left them nearly $75,000 in a will.

The Spring Cleanup was reported by Karl Boldt in absentia. The EGNC made use of $6,443.19 of the $6,500 budget the city allocated to our neighborhood for this cleanup event. Eleven dumpsters were filled, 34.77 tons of trash was collected (10 more than last year), and 59 community members were added to the EGNC’s e-mail distribution list. Next year, Faith Bible Church will be hosting a pancake feed during that event.

Two final announcements: Neighborhood Planning meets on Thursday, May 15 at 6:30pm in the Corbin Senior Center to prepare for the final presentation of the plan on Thursday, June 12, 6:30 pm at Knox Presbyterian. The EGNC will also be tabling at the Garfield Elementary Culture & Community Night this Friday (May 16) from 6-8pm. A few members volunteered to staff the outreach booth.

Materials for the May 14 EGNC Meeting

Materials for the May 14 EGNC Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets this Wednesday, May 14 at 7pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland). We met hundreds of new folks at the Spring Cleanup this past weekend, and we hope to see many of you there!

On the subject of Spring Cleanup, we’ll be hearing a quick recap of the event, including participation, hiccups (like broken dumpster hinges and dumpsters that came back full), and just how much trash was collected. The numbers are pretty impressive.

There will be a trio of guest speakers, including representatives of the Riverfront Park Master Plan, who’ll be explaining what’s in store downtown and who’s going to pay for it, plus Alicia Powell of the Office of Neighborhood Services (on potential stormwater improvements here in E-G) and Dave Braun on behalf of Summer Parkways — which is returning to our neighborhood this year!

And, of course, we’ll hear our final Neighborhood Planning update, how the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market is shaping up, what’s in the works for this season’s Concerts in the Park, as well as some fun (no, really!) volunteer opportunities.

Save a tree and download the May 14 meeting materials as PDFs here:

Business Outreach Event Recap

Business Outreach Event Recap

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Planning group hosted a Business Outreach Event on April 17 at CSL Plasma (2126 N Monroe).

This post (and the video below) offers just a brief recap of some of the highlights; to download the full minutes, please click here.

There were 31 attendees in total. Among those speaking at the presentation were Craig Anderson, a Landscape Architect with AHBL; Inga Note, Senior Traffic Planning Engineer within the Streets Department; Jo Anne Wright, the liaison for the City of Spokane Planning Department; Candace Mumm, City Councilwoman for District 3; Jack Strong, with Strong Solutions and the past President of the Spokane Business Association; and Mark Camp, landlord of The Shop (among other businesses and buildings) in the South Perry district.

Some of the neighborhood businesses that were represented included: the Aiki Institute of Spokane, Waffles Plus, Ross’s Memories on Monroe, Azar’s Restaurant, Chairs Coffee, Tossed and Found; Zip’s and Petunia’s Marketplace.

After a brief introduction by Nicole Loncon, Assistant Manager at CSL Plasma, Jo Anne gave an overview of the neighborhood planning process and the relation between the city and the neighborhood committees since 2008.

Megan Kennedy, Vice Chair of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council, continued the overview of the planning process. On the basis of regular stakeholder meetings and two workshops with the residents, six priorities emerged. All of those points had N. Monroe in common, therefore this corridor was given its own section in the Neighborhood Plan. These priorities are:

  1. Pedestrian safety
  2. Neighborhood beautification
  3. Business diversity and occupancy
  4. Community resources
  5. Alternative and public transportation
  6. Connectivity and events

E.J. Iannelli, Chair of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council, introduced the possibility of different funding sources, such as the STA, the West Quadrant Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, and Community Development funds. Ideally, a revitalization effort would be able to draw from those pots, in addition to any funding from projects which the City of Spokane might have.

Candace Mumm explained the Citizen’s Transportation Advisory Board (CTAB) money, which funds street improvements, sidewalk improvements, and pedestrian improvements. The CTAB board is the Spokane City Council; the Transportation Benefit District (TBD) committee advises the City Council board, who then makes the final decision on where to focus those funds. She mentioned that having a revitalized business association would strongly contribute towards qualifying as a targeted-area investment.

Inga Note addressed the possibility of converting N. Monroe from a five-lane street into a three-lane alternative. She had previously been with Spokane Valley for eight years, and has experience with performing a “road diet.” Along with the increased space for each lane, more space would be available for street parking, swales, and sidewalks.

Jack Strong continued the three-lane topic by giving an explanation of a similar change to East Sprague and the clear benefits. Mark Kent then spoke about the process that he has been involved with since 1999, to establish a neighborhood business network and go through the procedures for revitalizing his neighborhood.

Craig Anderson walked through the results of the business survey which represented the opinions of business owners on Monroe north of Indiana and south of the Garland District. In general, pedestrian safety was a top priority. Two-thirds of the businesses surveyed expressed an interest in involvement with a business association or being involved in other neighborhood development processes that may affect their business.

Jack explained the importance of setting up a Business Improvement District (BID), and agreeing on a small tax for having a third party take responsibility for the upkeep of the landscaping, rather than relying on every individual business to maintain their allocated section. He also invited the business owners to observe the activities of their Neighborhood Business Center (NBC), which meets at the Kendall Yards Community Room on the first Thursday of every month at 7:30am.

The invitees asked questions on topics such as angled parking and bus stops, which were discussed in further detail.

Futurewise Land Use Workshop (May 1)

Futurewise Land Use Workshop (May 1)

Do you know what to do to protect your quality of life when the “Proposed Land Use Action” sign goes up in your neighborhood?

Hint: The answer is not to write "Are you kidding?" on the sign.
Hint: The answer is not to write “Are you kidding?” on the sign.

Futurewise is hosting a free workshop on Thursday, May 1 to answer that very question. It’s called “Navigating Permitting Processes in Your Neighborhood” and will take place at the Downtown Spokane Library (906 W Main Ave) at 2:30pm.

Tim Trohimovich, Futurewise’s Director of Planning & Law, will discuss how to navigate SEPA and permitting processes. Tim grew up in Aberdeen and has more than 25 years of growth management experience. Before working for Futurewise he was Comprehensive Planning Division Manager at the City of Redmond, where he participated in GMA appeals and worked extensively with citizens, elected officials and planners.

To confirm your attendance or ask questions about the event, contact Kitty Klitzke, the Eastern Washington Program Director at Futurewise.