| Jun. 12, 2012 @ 7:00 PM at the The Prince of Peace Lutheran Church |
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| NITNC Annual Yard Sale Saturday 6-16-12 |
May. 14, 2012 |
| The NITNC 13th Annual Yard Sale is on Saturday June 16 2011. The registration form can be downloaded here by clicking on Yard Sale Registration A list of the addresses of all particpants and some of the items they have for sale, plus maps showing their location will be available here to be downloaded on about 6-10-12.
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| Traffic Calming Proposals Submitted |
Feb. 9, 2012 |
| The NITNC Traffic Calming Proposals for 2012 have been submitted. They are modifications on southbound N Indian Trail Road at Barnes to limit the right lane to right turns only (not through traffic) and making the speed limit on N Indian Trail Road a consistent 35 mph from Francis to the City Limit. We had a third proposal involving re-stripping N Indian Trail Road in spots to make left turns legal, but that has already been accomplished by the Street Department.
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| Traffic Calming Proposals For NITNC |
Sep. 29, 2011 |
| It's time again to distribute money from the Photo Red program to fund traffic calming projects, and the City is asking us what we would like to have in our neighborhood. So far the only item on our potential list is some 4 way stop signs at intersections of major neighborhood collectors which have had many collisions and near misses (i.e. Sundance and Iroquois, Ridgecrest and Iroquois, etc). Please submit your additional ideas to Curt Fackler (fackler@iglide.net) and come prepared to vote on this question at our next meeting. |
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| NITNC Secretary Needed |
Sep. 29, 2011 |
| We are looking for someone to fill our vacant Secretary slot for 2011-1013. Patti Shadden, who served in this capacity for a number of years, has graciously agreed to fill in until we can get a permanent replacement. Contact Curt Fackler ( fackler@iglide.net ) if you are interested.
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| INDIAN TRAIL CRIME UPDATE |
Sep. 7, 2011 |
| A meeting was held on 9/1/11 at Indian Trail Elementary school to discuss the unprecedented number of property and vandalism crimes this summer in the Indian Trail area. 100-200 residents from NIT, SIT, and Balboa neighborhoods attended along with a number of police, the Mayor, City Council Representatives, political candidates, and the press. A number of residents and police spoke about burglary incidents, ideas for residents to protect themselves, and what could be done and has been done to stop the criminals. News report text and videos of the meeting can be viewed at www.KREM.com and www.KXLY.com by searching for “Crime in Northwest Spokane”.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: LOCK DOWN, LINK UP, LOOK OUT, LOOK OVER, LET KNOW:
LOCK DOWN: Keep your doors and windows locked when you are away or in the back yard. Consider locking up even when you are at home. If you have an alarm system, activate it when away, and consider activating it when you are home. Close your garage doors. A burglar has even crawled underneath a garage door left up 10 inches for ventilation.
LINK UP: Link up with a few of your neighbors and agree to keep an eye on each other’s property while someone is away at work or play or out of town. Facilitate communication by sharing phone numbers and email addresses. Consider forming a formal Neighborhood Block Watch (call the C.O.P.S. shop at 625-3336 for assistance).
LOOK OUT: Look out for your neighbors, and look out for suspicious people and vehicles in your neighborhood. Write down descriptions of such people and vehicles (including license plate numbers), time and date, and take photos if possible. Report suspicious activity to the C.O.P.S. shop at 625-3336. If you see what you think is a crime in progress, call 911.
LOOK OVER: If a stranger rings your doorbell, if you can, look them over thoroughly before opening the door. If you don’t feel comfortable, don’t open the door, THEN
LET THEM KNOW: Remember, the reason criminals ring your doorbell is to see if you are home, and they may break in if they think you are not. So let them know you are home, and tell them, by voice or hand signals (if you have a glass door or window visible from the door step) that you are not interested in what they are selling. This may seem to be rude behavior toward a potentially innocent person just trying to earn a living, but it is appropriate toward anyone who wants to case your house or is planning a break-in. If you do decide to open the door, demand identification and DON’T LET THEM INSIDE.
PLEASE HELP WITH THE EFFORT TO COLLECT INFORMATION: If you have been the victim of a property or vandalism crime this summer, please write down the important details and send those to us. We need the date, the time of day, the location, the crime, the method of entry, reports to the Police and their response, the value of the loss, and any descriptions of the criminals or their vehicle or other evidence that might be helpful. Send this information to Curt Fackler (467-7392 fackler@iglide.net ) if you live in NIT Neighborhood. Send this information to Karen Kearney (328-4304 kmkearney@q.com ) if you live in Balboa/SIT.
RECENT CRIMINAL INCIDENTS: We are compiling a list of recent incidents in our area. You can download a copy of the NIT Neighborhood’s initial compilation by clicking on
Crime Incident List
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| Annual NITNC Yard Sale 6-18-11 |
May. 5, 2011 |
| The NITNC 12th Annual Yard Sale is on Saturday June 18, 2011. A list of the addresses of all particpants and some of the items they have for sale, plus maps showing their location can be downloaded one here by clicking on Address List and Map 1 and Map 2 |
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| Mini-Center Victory: Round 1 |
May. 5, 2011 |
| Our neighborhood has opposed a Comp Plan Amendment that would change the Land Use on the corner of Blackfoot and Indian Trail from Neighborhood Mini-Center to General Commercial. We won Round 1 when the Plan Commission decided unanimously to defer the Amendment Application from the 2011 cycle. Round 2 will be to get the City Council to agree. The owner may submit a new Application in 2012 for the 2013 Comp Plan Amendment cycle.
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| Barnes Road Victory: Rounds 1, 2, and 3 |
May. 5, 2011 |
| Our neighborhood has opposed the finalizing of the Barnes Road Preliminary Plat/PUD (a large apartment complex) which was first applied for 5 years ago. We won Round 1 when the City Staff agreed with us and determined the Application had expired due to missed deadlines. Round 2 was when the Hearing Examiner agreed with the City’s action. The owner appealed this decision, and Round 3 was when the Hearing Examiner reaffirmed his earlier decision. The owner has now filed a law suit against the City challenging the expiration of their Application. NITNC is supporting the City in this Round 4 battle.
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| Victory: Barnes Road PUD Application Expired |
Feb. 26, 2011 |
| Congratulations to the large number of residents who wrote letters to the City opposing this development. The City of Spokane Hearing Examiner rendered his decision on 2-23-11 upholding the City’s determination that the Application for the Barnes Road PUD/Preliminary Plat had expired due to non-compliance with deadlines. The Hearing Examiner ruled that the Application expired 360 days after the Application was Counter Complete on 3-6-06 and that recent events concerning the Application in 2010 were largely irrelevant. The Hearing Examiner further added that strict compliance with time constraints insure an applicant’s good faith effort in completing land use projects, thereby discouraging permit speculation. This is a point we raised in a letter our lawyer sent to the Hearing Examiner citing past court decisions requiring timely completion of Applications. The Hearing Examiner’s decision can be appealed by the Applicant to the County Superior Court, but this must be done by 3-16-11.
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| NITNC Supports Impact Fee, Opposes Amendment |
Jan. 14, 2011 |
| The City Council will meet next Tuesday 1-18-11 at City Hall at 6PM to vote on the Transportation Impact Fee Ordinance. NITNC will be testifying and recommending that the recent proposed amendment to include biking and pedestrian facilities be defeated and that the Ordinance be passed NOW with the focus on STREETS as it was forwarded to the City Council by the Plan Commission. If the amendment is passed, the effect is to dilute the emphasis on streets and likely delay the implementation by 1 to 2 years. Our testimony will be based on the letter to the City Council the membership approved at our 1-11-11 meeting which you can download by clicking on Impact Fee Letter . We will emphasize passing the ordinance NOW without the amendment and THEN forming a comprehensive work group to develop an improved pedestrian, bicycle and public transit policy. Improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities has merit, but the Impact Fee Ordinance is not the proper vehicle for doing that. We would like a lot of people present from NITN to emphasize our support for this position. You will not have to speak, but you will be asked to stand in support of our testimony. The meeting starts at 6 P.M. in the lower level Council Chambers. |
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| City Determines Barnes Road Application Expired |
Jan. 4, 2011 |
| This Preliminary Plat and PUD Application for the City portion was “Counter Complete” on 6-6-06 and “Technically Complete” on 6-15-10. The City Planning Department issued a determination on 12-17-10 stating that the Application for the Barnes Road PP/PUD had expired for non-compliance with a number of deadlines. The full text of the City’s expiration determination can be downloaded by clicking on Expiration Determination. The Applicant appealed this determination on 12-30-10, and the City of Spokane Hearing Examiner will conduct a hearing to decide if the Application will be reinstated or not. It will be held at 9:30 AM on Thursday 2-3-11 in the Council Briefing Center. This will be an Administrative hearing on the narrow question of whether or not the Application has expired and only the City and the Applicant will be able to testify. The public can attend but not submit comments or testimony.
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| Barnes Road PUD Proposal Update |
Jan. 4, 2011 |
| The Barnes Road PUD development proposes building 153 apartments and 23 single family homes on 26.5 acres on the slope above the upper end of the future Barnes Road. Half the land is in the City and half is in the County. On 12/14/10 the NITNC adopted a Resolution to the City and County recommending cancellation or modification of this project. The full text of that Resolution and the extensive information that backs it up can be downloaded by clicking on Resolution plus Backup The site plan for the project can be downloaded by clicking on Site Plan |
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| Annual Neighborhood Yard Sale Saturday 6-19-10 |
May. 9, 2010 |
| Our Annual NITNC Yard Sale will be on Saturday June 19, 2010 from 9:00AM until 5:00PM. All who registered to participate as an Official NITNC Yard Sale will have their address and four main items they are offering for sale entered into a listing that is available as a download along with maps showing each location by clicking on LIST and MAP 1 and MAP 2 and MAP 3. The listing and maps will also be available at Albertson's Sundance Plaza and at each Official NITNC Yard Sale address. Let's hope for good weather! We are due! |
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| CITY OF SPOKANE YOUTH BASEBALL UPDATE |
Apr. 19, 2010 |
| News Release from Parks and Recreation:
The City of Spokane and the Parks and Recreation Department are spending $3 million of the 2007 Park Bond to convert nine general use softball/baseball fields into youth baseball fields. These nine fields will be designated for youth baseball and are located in each of the three City Council Districts. There will be two new youth baseball fields at Underhill Park, one at Liberty Park, three at Chief Garry Park, two at B.A. Clark Park, and one at the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex. The fields will be ready for use in spring 2011. Youth baseball will also have access to the new Dwight Merkel Softball Complex and will continue to have access to the Franklin Park Complex. The contract with Spokane American Softball Association to run the Franklin Park Complex will expire July 31st and will not be renewed. The Parks and Recreation Department will consider a Field Use Agreement with Spokane American Softball Association and future users of the Franklin Park Complex that include rules and procedures to ensure that Franklin Park is a joint use facility, accommodating both softball and youth baseball. Spokane youth baseball players will have access to nine new youth baseball fields, the Franklin Park Complex, and the Dwight Merkel Softball Complex.
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| District 81 Practice Fields in NITN: |
Oct. 2, 2009 |
| Spokane School District 81 owns six acres of undeveloped land below Pacific Park and west of the Lutheran Church. The land has been a future site for an elementary school for years, but the District now feels that the existing schools in the area will be sufficient for the foreseeable future. The District does have an immediate need; however, for additional sport practice fields for North Central High School. That campus is relatively small and has a limited number of athletic fields. Students are being bussed to offsite fields now for after school practice. This site would have enough room for a boy’s baseball diamond and a girl’s softball diamond. Seasonally, it could be converted to one soccer field. The District would like to get our input on this idea before they go much further. They will make a presentation at our monthly meeting on 10-13-09 (7pm at Prince of Peace Lutheran) and will be available to discuss the proposal further at our 11-10-09 meeting.
Some of the details of the proposal are as follows: No lights, no loudspeakers, no grandstands. The area would basically be an extension of the park and would more than double the grassy area. It would be accessible for use by the community and other sport organizations except for the weekday after school practices of the North Central teams. There would be a 20 car parking lot, a storage shed, two back stops and some batting practice cages. There would be no need for additional restrooms since the Pacific Park restrooms are nearby. There may be some foul ball fencing required. Some additional trees and some vehicle access barriers may also be warranted.
Since the capital additions to the property will be small, the land could easily revert to a school building site, if the need for another school should arise.
Students would be bussed to these practice fields after school. Those who live in the area could go home after practice, and the others would be returned to North Central. If you have any comments or questions, send them to John Dietzman (467-5828, dietzmanJR@aol.com) or Ed Musser (465-0628 emusser53@msn.com) , and be sure to attend the meeting at 7PM on 10-13-09.
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| Hunt’s Pointe Development: |
Oct. 2, 2009 |
| The final public hearing on the revised preliminary plat before the Hearings Examiner was held on 10-1-09. There were no substantive issues, so approval is likely within two weeks. This project will eventually build 213 single family and duplex residences west of Indian Trail Road between the Landfill and Pacific Park in a number of phases. The developer will dedicate an additional 15 foot right of way on the west side all along the Indian Trail frontage and will install a new south bound lane along the frontage prior to any building permits being issued for a residential structure. This action gives us a very significant first step toward our goal of widening Indian Trail Road between Barnes and Kathleen. The construction of the additional lane and home site preparation work will probably not begin until mid 2011 with the first phase homes probably ready for sale in 2012.
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| NITNC Committee to Evaluate Little League Proposal |
Sep. 4, 2009 |
| Members of this committee have met together and attended public meetings on this issue many times over the summer, and as a result, produced a a “Findings Report on Little League Baseball” and a “Recommended Position on the Little League Proposal” which was voted upon and approved at our 9-8-09 meeting. A copy of the “Recommended Position” was distributed and discussed at that meeting. You can obtain a copy of both by clicking on http://nitnc.com/upload/files/NITNC_Findings_Report_on_Little_League_Baseball.doc or by emailing dietzmanJR@aol.com . |
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| NITNC Plans for 2009-2010 |
Sep. 4, 2009 |
| Leadership met recently and worked out a plan for NITNC activities, projects, and issues for the coming year. That Plan will be distributed at our meeting on 9-8-09 or you can obatin a copy by clicking on http://nitnc.com/upload/files/NITNC_Plan_For_2009-2010.doc or by emailing dietzmanJR@aol.com . |
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| Hunt’s Pointe Development public hearing 10-1-09 |
Sep. 4, 2009 |
| This project has progressed to the final stages of approval for the revised preliminary plat. The public hearing on this proposal before the Hearings Examiner will be at City Hall on Thursday 10-1-09 at 9AM. As currently proposed, this project builds 213 single family and duplex residences west of Indian Trail Road between the Landfill and Pacific Park. The number of homes has been reduced 25% from the 283 in the original application. The developer will dedicate an additional 15 foot right of way on the west side all along the Indian Trail frontage and will install a new south bound lane along the frontage prior to any building permits being issued for a residential structure. Also, the developer will reserve an additional 15 foot right of way on the east side of Indian Trail for future dedication when the east side Phase 2 is developed. In addition, the developer will pay SEPA transportation mitigation fees (“Voluntary Impact Fees”) totaling $608,000 which will be obligated to an “Indian Trail Corridor Improvement Project, Barnes Road to Kathleen”, plus a future traffic signal along Indian Trail between Pacific Park and Kathleen. These traffic mitigations meet NITNC’s requests and the commitments made by the developer’s Engineering Consultant at the 5-15-08 Public Meeting on this project which many of you attended. This action gives us a very significant first step toward our goal of widening Indian Trail Road between Barnes and Kathleen.
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| New Computers at All Libraries |
Jul. 25, 2009 |
| There are 50 new computers, along with new monitors and printers, distributed throughout our six city libraries. The new Dell computers replace machines that were over 9 years old. They were underwritten by the Gates Foundation and local private donors including the Johnston-Fix Foundation, the Spokane Public Library Foundation, the Friends of the Library, the Inland Northwest Community Foundation, the Spokane Public Library capital reserve fund and Cathy and Charles Simon. With the deepening of the nationwide recession, the library has seen a large increase in computer usage as the community needs access for job searches, homework help, research and Internet. The new computers will be of great help to our neighborhood.
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| Pacific Park Children’s Center is OPENING! |
Jul. 25, 2009 |
| The construction on Pacific Park Children's Center (behind Starbucks) is just about done and they are ready to have an open house. They will be open for tours and enrollment on Friday July 31st and Saturday August 1st from 9-5 and again on Sunday August 2nd from 11-4. Their scheduled opening day of business is Monday August 10th (barring any delays). They are looking forward to being a part of the Indian Trail community.
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| NITNC Committee to Evaluate Little League Proposal - 7/22/09 |
Jul. 21, 2009 |
| This committee will meet at John Dietzman's house at 7PM on Wednesday 7/22/09. The committee is comprised of NITNC members who volunteered to serve at our 6-9-09 meeting or at the joint neighborhood meeting on the subject on 6-30-09. If any other NITNC members would like to join us, give John Dietzman a call at 467-5828. The committee will meet 1 or 2 additional times this summer to develop a findings report and recommendations concerning the Little League Proposal that will be presented at our 9-8-09 meeting.
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| LITTLE LEAGUE BALL PARK MEETING 6-30-09 |
Jun. 25, 2009 |
| You are invited to attend a joint meeting on the proposed Little League Baseball Park project with Spokane North Little League, NITNC, SIT/BalboaNC, and 5MileNC. It will be on Tuesday June 30 at the Woodridge School between 6 and 8PM. Representation will be present from all the City Departments who may be involved and the EPA. The proposed site is the greenbelt portion of the City Northside Landfill property off Indian Trail Road.
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| N Indian Trail Neighborhood Yard Sale Map & List |
Jun. 19, 2009 |
| Come join us for 80 homes of deals on Saturday 6-20-09!
Map & List of Yard Sales |
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| Compact Fluorescent Bulb Recycle Program |
Dec. 6, 2008 |
| The NITNC has decided to initiate a program that will support the reduction of household energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through replacement of incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs use much less electricity which reduces carbon dioxide emissions from our fossil fuel power plants. They last much longer, which helps offset their higher cost. However, they contain mercury, which is very toxic, and should not be disposed of in our normal trash. The City has a recycle program for compact fluorescents, but they must be delivered directly to the recycle station. This is because they cannot be included in the normal weekly curbside pick-up due to the danger of breakage and the potential health exposure to the City recycle collection truck workers. To fill this gap, the NITNC will collect spent compact fluorescent bulbs at each monthly meeting and deliver them to the recycle center. Just bring your spent bulbs to the meeting sealed tightly in a zip lock bag, and deposit them in the blue recycle bin which will be placed outside the entrance to the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.
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| A Splash Pad Is Coming To Pacific Park |
Nov. 9, 2008 |
| Pacific Park will have a Splash Pad by the summer of 2009!! The Parks Department has responded to our neighborhood's overwhelming support for this idea and is proceeding full speed ahead with a goal of having our Splash Pad in operation early in the summer of 2009. The funding is coming from the bond issue the voters approved a year ago for $43 million to replace the City's deteriorated or outdated swimming pools and splash pads, and build 5 new splash pads in new park locations. We got one of them. Come to our NITNC meeting on next Tuesday 11-11-08 at 7PM to learn more about the design and construction schedule. |
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| NITNC Meeting 3/11/08: New Northwest Policing Program |
Mar. 9, 2008 |
| Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 3/11/08 at 7PM at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Our main speaker will be Spokane Police Lieutenant, Craig Meidl, who will discuss the new Neighborhood Policing Program that will be implimented later this year. This program will put additional patrols in the Northwest part of the city and improve policing effectiveness in our neighborhood.
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| NITN Land Use and Zoning Changes Approved |
Dec. 14, 2007 |
| The City Council approved the North Indian Trail Neighborhood Center Plan on 12/3/07. This plan was developed at the request of the City Council by a diverse Stakeholder Committee, with Planning Services assistance and input from the neighborhood and affected property owners. This plan revises the Land Use designations and Zoning on a number of properties in and around our Neighborhood Center. It cleans up a number of different types of anomalies in the Land Use and Zoning such as parcels with two or more designations, mapping errors, and incompatibilities between Land Use and Zoning. It also updates the land use and zoning to match actual construction. The revised Land Use Map is available on the City website at http://www.spokaneplanning.org/Centers_and_corridors/NIT/NIT_LandUseDRAFT_8-7-07.pdf and the revised Zoning Map is available at http://www.spokaneplanning.org/Centers_and_corridors/NIT/NIT_ZoningDRAFT_8-7-07.pdf |
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| Victory In Preventing Spread of Apartment Tax Incentive |
Dec. 14, 2007 |
| The City Council passed Ordinance C34099 on Oct. 29, which expands the target areas eligible for the Multi Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) throughout most of the City. However, we were able to convince the City Council that North Indian Trail should be exempted from this change, because it would give a property tax incentive to build apartments on properties in our area zoned for Offices. We made the case that the greater need was for offices and small businesses that would provide jobs and services in our neighborhood and reduce rush hour traffic on Indian Trail. More apartments would just aggravate our traffic problems. The new ordinance went into affect on12/7/07. |
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| Free Dump Passes Handed Out on Thursday 10/11/07 |
Oct. 4, 2007 |
| Chuck Moser will have 100 dump passes available at the next NITNC Meeting on THURSDAY Oct 11, 2007 at 7PM at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. The passes are good for $35 for dump runs made between Oct 13th and Oct 27th. (NOTE: the meeting is on THURSDAY not Tuesday). |
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| Abused Children Awareness Month |
Apr. 6, 2007 |
| April is Abused Children Awareness Month, and many of you have seen articles on child abuse in the Spokesman Review recently. We will have a representative from the Olive Crest Homes & Services for Abused Children who will report on this important topic at our 4/10/07 meeting. |
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| Free Dump Passes on 4/10/07 |
Apr. 6, 2007 |
| It’s clean-up time in our neighborhood, and Chuck Moser will be passing out free dump passes at our 4/10/07 meeting. |
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