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March Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

March Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

[Ed. note: This is a condensed version of the official minutes, which are available for download here.]

The March Edition of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council came in like a lion at a couple of minutes after 7pm on March 13.

Chair Liorah Wichser started the meeting with a vote for a new logo for the Neighborhood Council. Three submissions had been submitted by three submittees, all of whom were present. A silent vote was taken and the winning logo was submitted by Liorah Wichser. It was a very fair vote and totally a coincidence that the Chair of the Committee has a name very similar to that of the the winning artist.

Thanks to Joe Snodgrass and Stan Burke for their artistic submissions. [Ed. note: All three logos will be featured in an upcoming post.]

Garbage Czar Karl Boldt spoke next and gave a report on the Neighborhood Clean-Up Day scheduled for Saturday, April 27 from 9am to 12:30pm. It will again be held in the parking lot of Faith Bible Church at 600 W Cora. There will be bins for garbage and clean green, just as in the past. In addition, there will be a recycling bin for metals of all kinds (other than radioactive) and an area for household hazardous waste. That means paint, chemicals and radioactive iridium 358. The Salvation Army will also be there to accept resellable items you would like to donate. [Ed. note: An upcoming post will have more information about Neighborhood Clean-Up Day.]

There will be a large furniture pick up scheduled for later in June. You need to register with Karl at (509) 325-3031.

Next was a brief update on the status of registering the group as a 501(c)(3) organization. Bylaws are being written up and a board of directors is going to be needed. The board will probably consist of 5 to 7 people and you can be one of them. Contact Liorah if you so desire.

Elections of new officers will be scheduled for next month. Liorah, E.J. and Stan are the nominating/railroading committee. Liorah has announced she is stepping down. E.J. has said he would like to become chair if no one else is so inclined, and Stan, your humble writer of minutes, will stay on for a fourth year if no one else wants the job, but he would also happily step aside. That means the vice chair and/or co-chair job is open and ready for someone like you. Contact anyone of the officers to submit yourself for electoral consideration.

The Corbin Senior Center has been buzzing with activity. The Luau was a great event. The 9th Movin’ & Groovin’ Fair was a happening event with 70 vendors, lots of great food and lots of people attending.

There will be a Pancake Breakfast on April 27 from 8:30 to 11am. Tickets are $7 per person and are available at the front desk or at the door the day of the event — so get some breakfast and then dump your garbage at the aforementioned Neighborhood Clean-Up.

Corbin and Emerson-Garfield will be holding a yard sale on May 11. The Corbin Golf Scramble will be at Indian Canyon on June 21 and sponsored by Pine Ridge Alzheimer’s Care Center.

The Neighborhood Planning Committee is still suffering from a woeful lack of attendance. Committee Chair Jay Cousins and one other person were at the last meeting. If you want a say in the future of how the neighborhood looks, the meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month at Corbin Senior Center. The next meeting is Thursday April 4 at 6pm. You should go.

Lt. Dean Sprague informed the group of the latest trends in crime in the neighborhood over the last month. There is all kinds of information available at www.spokanecops.org.

The Community Assembly met recently and discussed the stormwater/sewer project and heard a speech from the mayor.

In neighborhood news, Eline Helm is spearheading a Concert in the Park Series. Nothing is scheduled yet but this effort is underway and Eline would love more involvement.

Community Development rep Sara Kimball was not available but sent an update on sidewalks. Priorities are being organized for the 29 areas of concern. Not all areas will be addressed this year as funds (as always) are limited. The new swings in Corbin Park are in and two new horseshoe pits will be installed in the area of the old swing set. The new play equipment for Emerson Park has arrived and will be installed in late April.

The committee chose to recommend cross walks in the area of the Safeway store as the priority for our traffic calming projects.

With that, the meeting was adjourned at 9:12pm.

The Added Value of Public Transport

The Added Value of Public Transport

Home Values Performed 42 Percent Better When Located Near Public Transportation during Last Recession

Location, location, location near public transportation may be the new real-estate mantra according to a new study released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Data in the study reveals that during the last recession, residential property values performed 42 (41.6) percent better on average if they were located near public transportation with high-frequency service.

The Spokane Transit Authority (STA) will be hosting an open house to solicit public feedback on improving the major transit corridors. That will be held on Wednesday, April 10 from 4:30 to 7pm at the Lincoln Center [map], which is just a short walk from bus route 24.

More info on the STA open house and the results of the recent corridor advisory panel (CAP) will be posted here in the coming week.

Results of Traffic-Calming Votes

Results of Traffic-Calming Votes

In response to the neighborhood council’s call for traffic-calming proposals, two arterial and three residential proposals were submitted by neighborhood residents.

25 MPH speed limit signArterial:

A. Traffic from Monroe uses Lincoln for alternate arterial. With McDonald’s on the corner, there is additional traffic from that. Too many cars are going too fast and not slowing down for the intersections. Signs like “Slow” or MPH signs would be helpful. This includes Nora and Augusta.

B. Maple/Ash Streets and Jackson. Needs a crosswalk light for pedestrians crossing the street to go to Safeway. Very dangerous frequently used crossing, especially bad during rush hour and after dark.

Residential:

A. Chelan Ave off of Monroe St towards Maple/Ash is a wide street for several blocks and so people drive very fast. And it is a busy street — because of its wideness, it is has become a shortcut. There are many kids and pets who live on the street. Request speed-limit signs or something to help deter the noise and traffic.

B. Though not a terribly busy intersection, the traffic from Cora and Euclid often contends for access up the last block (steep hill) to the corner of Euclid and Division. There have been in a couple of near-misses for sure. Tends to be traffic collecting from Cora, Alice, Dalton and Euclid looking for quick access to Division.

C. Cora and Alice between Post and Division. Used as a cut-through at high speeds. Children and church attendees are endangered. Speed-limit sign or “Children at Play” sign is requested.

Results

Earlier this month, the voting members of the neighborhood council conducted an e-mail vote (due to the tight deadline) on the traffic-calming proposals that were submitted. Option B from the Arterial section collected the most votes. Of the Residential proposals, option B won out, but due to its similarity and close number of votes to C, they were combined.

At last night’s neighborhood council meeting, it was decided that option B of the Arterials (i.e., a crosswalk/pedestrian light on Maple/Ash and Jackson) would be the application put to the city. There were only enough resources to carry out one project, and due to our history of alternating residential and arterial projects each year (residential was the focus in 2012), it was decided to go ahead with the winning arterial proposal.

If your traffic-calming proposal wasn’t selected, please don’t be discouraged. It can take a few rounds to be successful, but the increased safety and more pleasant streets will be worth it in the end.

E-G Planning Meeting Tonight (Mar 7)

E-G Planning Meeting Tonight (Mar 7)

The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Planning Group is meeting tonight (Thursday, March 7) at 6pm in Corbin Senior Center.

Please note that this date reflects the new meeting schedule on the first Thursday of every month. It was changed last month to accommodate more participants’ schedules.

There’s more planning-related news than usual this month because of several new or updated city- and neighborhood-level projects. Here’s a rough overview of the agenda topics:

  • Comprehensive Plan Update
  • Storm water runoff and sewers, a .5 billion dollar project for Spokane
  • City Council/Community Assembly discussion on neighborhood plans
  • CAN-PAC meeting review
  • Announcement of STA open houses for corridor upgrades

The planning group is always looking to include more participants who represent all facets of the neighborhood — so feel free to attend if you have an interest in mapping out Emerson-Garfield’s future. We hope to see you there!

February Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

February Neighborhood Council Meeting Recap

[What follows is a recap of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council Meeting that took place on Wednesday, February 13. You can either read slimmed and streamlined version of the minutes below, or download the full version of the meeting’s minutes here.]

The meeting began with a presentation from Judge Tracy Staab of the Spokane Municipal Court. The judge gave a Powerpoint slideshow that detailed the many facets of the Court, such as crime statistics, budgets, and punishment or rehabilitation methods. The slideshow was supposed to be made available online at the Spokane Municipal Court’s website, but has not appeared as of this post.

The popular Spring Clean Up event is still tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 27 between 9am and 1pm at Faith Bible Church.

The call for logo designs for the neighborhood council is still out. Several entries have been submitted so far. If you have a design idea, please submit it to Chairwoman Liorah Wichser ahead of the vote in March. The general consensus was that our logo should reflect the historic nature of our neighborhood, the residential feel that we exude, the small local businesses that we have — and maybe that it should have a marmot on it.

Members were asked to provide input on the pending mission statement as the neighborhood council works to become an official nonprofit organization.

Jackie Caro from Neighborhood Services talked briefly about the traffic-calming project that had been approved on Montgomery Street between Monroe and Northwest Blvd (see here for more info). The engineers need more time to evaluate the project, which means the project has been delayed. Anyone with follow-up questions can contact Jackie at (509) 625-6733. To apply for a traffic-calming project on your street, please download the Toolbox (PDF link) from the ONS. Applications are due very, very soon.

Laura Schlangen gave the report for Corbin Senior Center. The Movin’ and Groovin’ Fair is scheduled for Saturday, March 9 from 8am to 2pm. The Corbin Golf Tournament is set for June 21 at Indian Canyon. They are in search of donors and players. Corbin will also be holding a yard sale on May 11 from 9am to 2pm. If you provide your own table, the cost is $10. It will cost $20 if Corbin provides you a table. Food will be available for purchase as well.

Jay Cousins reported that the neighborhood planning committee has a new meeting time. It is the first Thursday of every month at 6pm in the upper north room of the Corbin Senior Center. The group is small and would love more attendees.

There will be was a meeting for the review of the city’s Comprehensive Plan at the Shadle Library from 5:30 to 7:30pm on Tuesday, February 19. The purpose is to update all aspects of the plan, with a particular eye on transportation. A more general meeting for the public has been scheduled for mid-March.

Community Development rep Sara Kimball reported that the new swing set at Corbin Park has been installed. New horseshoe pits are proposed to go in the area of the old swing set. There is going to be some tree pruning in Corbin Park and as many as five trees will be removed due to disease.

Sara is also accepting applications for repairing damaged sidewalks: see this post for more information on how to repair existing sidewalk or install new sidewalks near your home.

Finally, Kelly Cruz from West Central Neighborhood Council requested a neighborhood representative from our group to be on the Community Assembly’s Land Use Committee. Tom Powell agreed to be that representative. They meet on the third Thursday of every month.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, March 13 from 7 to (roughly) 9pm at Corbin Senior Center.