Wednesday, January 14, 2009

1/17/09 Neighborhood Council Meeting Followup

A few anouncements from the January Neighborhood council Meeting:

  • Christine White will be the coordinator for the summer 2009 concert series.

  • The goal for the coming year is to focus the monthly meetings on high interest topics

  • Envision Spokane is a neighborhood community group that wants to revise the city charter. Information about their plan is available to pick up after the meeting. They might be presenting at a later date.

The neighborhood also had amazing presentation from Sherry Pratt Van Voris. Here is the background:

The landscape architects, Sherry Pratt Van Voorhis, were contracted by the Parks Department to prepare a plan that addresses the Overlook Park area. They presented some ideas and design concepts and asked for feedback from the neighborhood residents. This is not a construction document but just a design. It’s part of the public process to get input from the neighborhood.
The Overlook Park and West Bluff area is part of the Great Gorge master plan. The gorge plan has not been adopted by the city but this design sets the groundwork for adopting and developing this area. There is some talk about the economic development of the gorge such as a golf course, a dog park, and a white water park. Two concepts for the development of the park at the top of the ridge were presented.

  • Formal Design: There would be a main path with fingers to viewpoints and a trailhead marked by pavers. An irrigation system would be automatic to keep down the maintenance. Keep the existing trees. This design includes benches, garbage cans, cigarette disposal, doggie doo-doo bags, etc.

  • Informal Design (sustainable design): Use drought tolerant grass which doesn’t have to be mowed as often. It can grow to about 12 inches in height. This design shows a more curved path with native conifers. It also includes benches, garbage cans, cigarette disposal, doggie doo-doo bags, etc.

Look for a followup post with more media and details from the presentation to make your own decision. The final design will be developed and presented to the neighborhood in March.