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Recap of the March E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Recap of the March E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

The March 11, 2015 meeting of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council (EGNC) featured Kelly Norwood of Avista, assisted by Casey Fielder, as its guest speaker. Kelly provided a printed slideshow with some background on the company, its infrastructure, as well as the rate regulations it is subject to.

Of the $2.5 billion investment in Avista, 48% is equity, owned by shareholders, and 52% is owned by bond holders and banks. Avista is asking for a 4.75% authorized return on equity, which, according to the statistics provided in the printed materials, is an average rate compared to other providers. While the cost of electricity has increased 41% over the past 10 years, natural gas has only increased 3%. Over time, the costs to the customers has matched inflation almost exactly.

Kelly took questions from the group and later remained after the meeting to speak with interested attendees individually.

Kelly Norwood of Avista speaks to the EGNC about rate increases.
Kelly Norwood of Avista speaks to the EGNC about rate increases.

Next, Alicia Powell spoke about the City’s Greening Grants. In 2014, twelve neighborhoods applied for projects, and there were 17 approved applications, including 117 street trees, five perennial plantings, and one riparian planting. Under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, 66 street trees were planted.

Under the Greening Grants program, each neighborhood in Spokane can apply for three grants each at up to $5,000 per grant. On April 17 and 18 of this year, 1,000 trees will be given away to residents for planting. Every resident can receive up to two trees. If residents would prefer to be supplied with larger, more established trees, a landscaping company can deliver and install up to two for $95 each. Vouchers for these trees and pickup locations will be provided to the neighborhood council at the next meeting on April 8.

The neighborhood Greening Grants planting for its successful 2014 applications will take place on Saturday, April 4. More info on that — including times, locations and scope of projects — will be available in a forthcoming blog post.

There were several volunteers for an ad hoc Greening Grants Committee, which will meet briefly over the next month to determine potential locations for plantings and landscaping and apply for one or more of the three possible grants. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please get in touch. You don’t have to be a voting member of the neighborhood council to participate.

Volunteering for the neighborhood council executive positions was encouraged, as elections are in April.

Megan Kennedy reported on the City-hosted open house for North Monroe business owners that she attended on the morning of March 10. She said that the City employees took the concerns of the business owners very seriously. One of the main concerns for owners was the length of the street closure. If a full closure, there would be 3 to 5 months of construction as opposed to 2 to 4 years if a partial closure. The City is also adjusting an additional levy source that could bring further improvements to the road surface.

Community Frameworks recently provided their architectural plans to the EGNC’s chair and vice-chair, requesting their opinions regarding the development of affordable housing at 315 West Mission.

The City is currently in negotiations for a site in Emerson-Garfield that would house an additional drinking water well. This well would provide a safe source of drinking water, especially in light of the risks associated with some of the current drinking water wells in industrial locations.

The neighborhood website was recently migrated to a new server, and is now (clearly) back online.

The Movin’ and Groovin’ Fair of the Corbin Senior Activity Center will be held on Saturday, March 14 from 8am to 2pm. There will be 75 vendors.  Lunch will be served for $6. Corbin’s sound system, valued at $500, was stolen, and the Center is considering a new locking system.

Karen Colvin and Carol Anderson spoke on behalf of the Spokane Community Oriented Policing Services (C.O.P.S.) shops. The North Hill and North Central C.O.P.S. shops should be merging, with volunteers relocating to the North Central location (630 W Shannon). The North Central location is open Monday through Friday, 10am to 2pm.

As C.O.P.S. receives limited funding, there will be a flea-market fundraiser market on Saturday, May 9 from 9am to 3pm at Knox Presbyterian Church (806 W Knox). C.O.P.S. North Central and Knox Presbyterian will be collaborating with the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council to plan and augment the event.

Al Steuart briefly reported on the planning for composting demonstrations and other activities during the Emerson-Garfield Farmers’ Market. There are currently additional volunteers for canning and dehydration/desiccation demos. If you would like to coordinate one of these events, please e-mail Al directly.

On the news that previous organizer Eline Helm was stepping down, Timothy Diko and Melissa Parker volunteered to organize this year’s Concerts in the Park. The date will depend on the availability of the band but could be timed, like last year, to coincide with Summer Parkways.

Karl Boldt reported on the Spring Cleanup scheduled for Saturday, April 18 from 9am to 12:30pm, the annual dumpster roll-off event that allows residents to dispose of household and yard waste for free. Faith Bible Church will provide beverages and snacks to all those who participate, plus pizza for volunteers after the event. Unlike previous years, we will be unable to gather hazardous waste materials. This is a good opportunity to clean up alleys with your neighbors. Tires are acceptable at the roll-off event, but dump passes may be provided for construction materials that should be taken directly to the dump.

Barb Biles reported on the Land Use Committee, which is considering changes to bicycle lanes, rental properties regulations, and an easy-to-use outline for application processes.

Steve Anderson reported on the Pedestrian, Traffic and Transportation (PeTT) Committee, which primarily consisted of an STA presentation and ensuing discussion. A more detailed overview is available here.

Tim Musser reported on the Community Development meetings, which are working to determine how neighborhoods will receive and allocate CDBG funds in the coming years.  The intent of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the source of the funds, is to improve the standard of living for lower-income residents, so the committee used that goal to formulate a proposal for a point-based system of resource allocation. Generally speaking, if a CDBG block has 75% or more of low-income households, it receives four points. With 60–75%, two points, and 50% to 60% receives one point. The Community Assembly is set to assess and vote on that proposal.

Materials for the Mar 11 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

Materials for the Mar 11 E-G Neighborhood Council Meeting

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets tomorrow (March 11). The meeting starts at 6pm in the Corbin Senior Center (827 W Cleveland).

Representatives from Avista will be this month’s guest speakers. They’ll be talking about the rate increases as well as other local energy-related initiatives.

Following that, we’ll hear about upcoming Greening Grants opportunities and possibly brainstorm some ideal locations in the neighborhood for new landscaping and street trees. We’ll also hear a recap of this morning’s open house for N Monroe business owners, updates on the traffic-calming applications submitted earlier this month, and news on development big and small around E-G including Pura Vida, a new drinking water well and 315 West on the southern tip of Emerson-Garfield.

As always, you can download the materials beforehand as PDFs:

These meetings are open to anyone who lives, works or owns property in Emerson-Garfield. There are no dues or fees to participate. It’s a great way to stay informed, meet your neighbors and take an active, grassroots role in shaping your neighborhood for the better!

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.

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.