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New Spokane Transportation Maps

New Spokane Transportation Maps

The Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC) is experimenting with new, more visual maps that don’t just use traditional lines and points but also pictures, charts, graphs and other visual indicators to convey transportation data.

Several new maps of this kind are available on SRTC’s ArcGIS Online website.

SRTC maps 2015

Some of these new maps include:

  • A bridge condition map showing bridges in Spokane County that are structurally deficient functionally obsolete
  • A before-and-after map for transportation improvement projects showing how roadways and other transportation facilities looked before and after construction
  • A heat map showing collisions involving vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians, serious and fatal collisions, or all collisions between 2009 and 2013
  • The Horizon 2040 Corridor Screening map, which details the process used to define top urban transportation corridors

To view all the new maps as well as the old classics such as the Spokane Regional Road Construction Map or the Spokane Regional Bike Map, click here.

June PeTT Meeting Summary

June PeTT Meeting Summary

This is a quick summary of the last two meetings of the Community Assembly‘s Pedestrian, Traffic and Transportation (PeTT) Committee from Carlie Hoffman, our neighborhood’s PeTT representative. It provides some context to the discussion about Photo Red funding that took place during the June meeting of the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council.

MissionGap

John Snyder spoke at the May 26 PeTT Committee meeting. He noted that there have been unused funds each year since the program began in 2010, about $200,000 per year.  Each district now gets $150,000 per year (up from $100,000) with a $50,000 limit per project (up from $40,000).

Snyder proposed that the neighborhood councils and the Community Assembly discuss the option of using some of the surplus unallocated funds to help fund a larger project through a loan.

  • The loan would be paid back using funds from the unallocated photo-red funds over a set number of years.
  • The loan would be created to enable a grant-matching amount so that the total price of a large project (e.g., Mission Gap) would be supplemented.

This concept presupposes that the Photo Red camera project would continue to have an excess of funds each year to cover the loan repayment.

At the June 23 PeTT Committee meeting, this issue was discussed further, and all agreed that the neighborhood councils had concerns about the following three areas of the proposal:

  • Sustainability of the Photo Red money
  • The larger project’s fit to the purpose and goals of the Photo Red traffic-calming focus
  • Involvement of the neighborhood councils in the choice of the projects that would involve unallocated funds.

Two additional documents offer additional information on the Mission Gap project that prompted Councilman Snyder’s proposal and PeTT Committee chair Paul Kropp’s summary of the situation to the neighborhood councils.

If you have questions about this proposal as it relates to Emerson-Garfield, please contact Carlie via e-mail.

Photos from the Trinity Traffic-Circle Planting

Photos from the Trinity Traffic-Circle Planting

Here are some photos from this morning’s traffic-circle planting at Trinity Catholic School. This is the first of two plantings that will beautify these residential traffic-calming projects on W Montgomery.

Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10
Trinity Catholic School Traffic-Circle Planting, June 10

With the help of teachers, parents and neighbors, the students planted coneflower (aka echinacea), blue fescue and some tall grasses that are also drought-resistant, so they’re as practical as they are pretty.

Similar flowers and grasses will be planted at the circle at the intersection of Madison and Montgomery — stop by tonight’s neighborhood council meeting to find out how you can volunteer to help plant.

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 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!