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Next Council Meeting:
Sep. 14, 2010 @ 7:00 PM at the The Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
 
Latest Neighborhood News & Updates:
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!
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.
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.
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.
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 .
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 .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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).
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.
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.
Recommendation for Baseline Traffic Study Mar. 11, 2007
From Jim Bakke: I believe that we are on track to come up with a good Impact Fee Ordinance but I am very concerned about the lack of a baseline traffic study which is essential in validating the projects proposed to be funded by impact fees. Without it, developers can challenge projects and related fees in court and may be able to prevail. Additionally, the ordinance must allow for developers to choose to provide their own studies, which will most likely “prove” reduced impacts and fees. The ordinance reserves the city’s right to reject those studies, but lacking a baseline, it will have no assured basis to do so. The net result is that large developers will be most likely to be able to fund lawsuits or independent studies, thus there is a likelihood of a substantial loss of revenue. Every dollar lost is also a dollar not available for matching funds, so the loss is multiplied. There is also an issue of equity in that smaller developers will most likely be penalized in that they will probably end up paying the full fees. There are two additional significant benefits from having the baseline study: One is to facilitate economic development by reducing or eliminating the need for traffic studies. This will help streamline the process and create a certainty of costs and timeframes for developers. Jason Wheaton from Greenstone has cited the example of North Idaho, where there is a baseline and impact fees. The process there is very straightforward and facilitates attracting new business and other development. Spokane suffers competitively by comparison. Another benefit is that having the baseline data will allow the Street Department to optimize traffic signal timing – if they can get authorization for enough signal technicians. Please give me your input on this issue at the 3/13/07 NITNC Meeting.
 
Meeting Minutes:
May. 11, 2010
Nov. 10, 2009
Oct. 13, 2009
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