Councilmember Amber Waldref - Spokane, WA City Council http://www.amberwaldref.org Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:58:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Weekly Events Update: February 20th-26th http://www.amberwaldref.org/weekly-events-update-february-20th-26th-2/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/weekly-events-update-february-20th-26th-2/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:58:45 +0000 David http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2744 Posted in Weekly Events Update

In an effort to make Council meetings and other public meetings, events, and neighborhood council meetings more accessible to you, I will be posting an abbreviated list of upcoming events every Friday. For a full listing of City-related meetings (including City Council committees, citizen board and commissions and city-wide neighborhood meetings), please follow this link. [...]]]> Posted in Weekly Events Update

In an effort to make Council meetings and other public meetings, events, and neighborhood council meetings more accessible to you, I will be posting an abbreviated list of upcoming events every Friday. For a full listing of City-related meetings (including City Council committees, citizen board and commissions and city-wide neighborhood meetings), please follow this link. Enjoy! Monday, February 20, 2012 City Council Legislative Meeting Time: 6:00 pm (Council Briefing Session @ 3:30 pm) Location: City Council Chamber, Lower Level, City Hall Discussion:  There are no final reading ordinances under consideration  (to view the full current agenda follow this link) Information: 625-6350 Tuesday, February 21, 2012 Logan Neighborhood Council Meeting    Time: 6:30 Read More
]]> http://www.amberwaldref.org/weekly-events-update-february-20th-26th-2/feed/ 1 The Need is Great: 2/20/12 Council Meeting Review http://www.amberwaldref.org/the-need-is-great-22012-council-meeting-review/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/the-need-is-great-22012-council-meeting-review/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:45:07 +0000 David http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2736 Posted in Tuesday Council Recap

The City of Spokane has made a good effort to provide direct funding to human services agencies who serve our neighbors need in these priority areas: health care access, reducing homelessness and reducing food insecurity. My goal is to increase the amount of our city budget allocated to human services. Last year, the Council accepted [...]]]> Posted in Tuesday Council Recap

The City of Spokane has made a good effort to provide direct funding to human services agencies who serve our neighbors need in these priority areas: health care access, reducing homelessness and reducing food insecurity. My goal is to increase the amount of our city budget allocated to human services. Last year, the Council accepted my motion to allocate an additional $100,000 specifically to organizations that provide access to health care because the need is so great in our community. I am so grateful to the Human Services Advisory Board (HSAB) for taking on ANOTHER round of funding, which meant giving up significant work and personal time to review applications and interview organizations directly, apply objective criteria, rank the applicants, and provide a recommendation to Council Read More
]]> http://www.amberwaldref.org/the-need-is-great-22012-council-meeting-review/feed/ 0 Working on the website http://www.amberwaldref.org/working-on-the-website/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/working-on-the-website/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:43:28 +0000 admin http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2291 Posted in Featured

Did you notice anything different about my website? I was working with the folks at Unleashed Online Marketing yesterday and they’ve given it a new look. My twitter feed is up and you’ll soon find current events posted weekly. ]]> Posted in Featured

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Did you notice anything different about my website? I was working with the folks at Unleashed Online Marketing yesterday and they’ve given it a new look. My twitter feed is up and you’ll soon find current events posted weekly.

]]> http://www.amberwaldref.org/working-on-the-website/feed/ 0 What is Smart Growth? http://www.amberwaldref.org/what-is-smart-growth/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/what-is-smart-growth/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:37:28 +0000 melissa http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2264 Posted in FeaturedUrban Planning

In urban areas like Spokane, we are confronted with the need to growth "smarter" since we have limits on our ability to expand beyond our borders. This means ensuring our policies and building codes and land use facilitate infill development and a variety of commercial/housing options. I'm learning about other communities across the country at [...]]]> Posted in FeaturedUrban Planning

In urban areas like Spokane, we are confronted with the need to growth "smarter" since we have limits on our ability to expand beyond our borders. This means ensuring our policies and building codes and land use facilitate infill development and a variety of commercial/housing options. I'm learning about other communities across the country at the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in San Diego, CA. Councilman Jon Snyder attended this conference last year and this year, I decided to join him. I had a great first day -- learned about best practices in neighborhood planning, heard from national experts in parking management for cities, and how communities are using performance measures to monitor their success in reaching goals. For some, density seems like a dirty word, but when offered Read More
]]> http://www.amberwaldref.org/what-is-smart-growth/feed/ 0 Council passes 2012 budget, recap of year-end decisions http://www.amberwaldref.org/council-passes-2012-budget-recap-of-year-end-decisions/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/council-passes-2012-budget-recap-of-year-end-decisions/#comments Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:49:09 +0000 melissa http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2184 Posted in eNewsletterFeatured

Council Member Amber Waldref December 2011 Newsletter I hope everyone is taking some time to breathe deeply, experience the love of family and friends, and celebrate the season. I've enjoyed spending some down time with myfamily this past week. Santa stopped by, we ate lots of cookies, and baby Nora only got into the tree once when we [...]]]> Posted in eNewsletterFeatured

Council Member Amber Waldref December 2011 Newsletter I hope everyone is taking some time to breathe deeply, experience the love of family and friends, and celebrate the season. I've enjoyed spending some down time with myfamily this past week. Santa stopped by, we ate lots of cookies, and baby Nora only got into the tree once when we weren't looking! Here is a nice photo of us when we went to visit Santa. She's growing so fast! Important Council actions in Dec. 2011: City Council passes 2012 Budget On Monday, Dec. 5th, the City Council adopted a final 2012 budget. We closed a budget deficit of $8M by making cuts, realigning programs, and using a little over $1M in "one-time" reserve money. What difficult choices did we have to make?The Mayor presented a budget that made numerous Read More
]]> http://www.amberwaldref.org/council-passes-2012-budget-recap-of-year-end-decisions/feed/ 0 Dec. 8th Northeast Spokane Development Town Hall Meeting http://www.amberwaldref.org/dec-8th-northeast-spokane-development-town-hall-meeting/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/dec-8th-northeast-spokane-development-town-hall-meeting/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:17:23 +0000 melissa http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2147 Posted in Economic Development and JobsEventsFeaturedNeighborhood News

Join me at the Northeast Community Center (4001 N. Cook) on Thursday, Dec. 8th to learn more about the work of the Northeast Development Advisory Board and about the proposed Public Development Authority (PDA) that would be an economic development tool to improve infrastructure and stimulate job growth in Hillyard. Attend the Town Hall Meeting [...]]]> Posted in Economic Development and JobsEventsFeaturedNeighborhood News

Join me at the Northeast Community Center (4001 N. Cook) on Thursday, Dec. 8th to learn more about the work of the Northeast Development Advisory Board and about the proposed Public Development Authority (PDA) that would be an economic development tool to improve infrastructure and stimulate job growth in Hillyard. Attend the Town Hall Meeting between 6 and 8pm in room 310 of the Northeast Community Center. For more information about the advisory board and about the open house follow this link.

]]> http://www.amberwaldref.org/dec-8th-northeast-spokane-development-town-hall-meeting/feed/ 0 Don’t forget the Division Street Gateway Workshop, Tonight Dec. 6th! http://www.amberwaldref.org/dont-forget-the-division-street-gateway-workshop-tonight-dec-6th/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/dont-forget-the-division-street-gateway-workshop-tonight-dec-6th/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:50:43 +0000 melissa http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2126 Posted in EventsFeaturedUrban Planning

The entrance into our city on Division Street is a bit, well, uninspiring. What could we do to enhance and welcome visitors and residents into our Downtown core? As part of efforts to develop the community’s vision for the Division Street corridor through downtown and the University District, the City of Spokane will host a [...]]]> Posted in EventsFeaturedUrban Planning

The entrance into our city on Division Street is a bit, well, uninspiring. What could we do to enhance and welcome visitors and residents into our Downtown core? As part of efforts to develop the community’s vision for the Division Street corridor through downtown and the University District, the City of Spokane will host a community workshop on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the WSU Bookie, 410 E. Spokane Falls Blvd.

Workshop participants will be asked to provide input on the design direction for the corridor with a focus on improving the sense of entry, overall aesthetics, overall operations, safety, and way finding.

Follow the  division street open house link to learn more.

]]> http://www.amberwaldref.org/dont-forget-the-division-street-gateway-workshop-tonight-dec-6th/feed/ 0 Election Outcomes, Upcoming Votes and Goals for 2012 http://www.amberwaldref.org/election-outcomes-upcoming-votes-and-goals-for-2012/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/election-outcomes-upcoming-votes-and-goals-for-2012/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:15:00 +0000 melissa http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2135 Posted in eNewsletterFeatured

October/November 2011 Newsletter What a ride! The last two months were the busiest of my life. Really. I didn't know how much the combination of city elections, city council business and getting up at night with a teething baby was going to wear me out (and I wasn't even running for election!). I'm finally catching up [...]]]> Posted in eNewsletterFeatured

October/November 2011 Newsletter What a ride! The last two months were the busiest of my life. Really. I didn't know how much the combination of city elections, city council business and getting up at night with a teething baby was going to wear me out (and I wasn't even running for election!). I'm finally catching up on lost sleep and I'm determined to pace myself for the rest of the year. Gotta stay focused for 2012!As you've probably heard (unless you're really living under a rock), Spokane will be welcoming a new Mayor and at least 3 new city council members next year, perhaps 4. (Richard Rush and Mike Allen are in a recount situation). I look forward to working with all the newly-elected in 2012 (See photo above of Council President-elect Ben Stuckart and I on election Read More
]]> http://www.amberwaldref.org/election-outcomes-upcoming-votes-and-goals-for-2012/feed/ 0 Another exciting addition to the U District! http://www.amberwaldref.org/another-exciting-addition-to-the-u-district/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/another-exciting-addition-to-the-u-district/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:18:30 +0000 melissa http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2039 Posted in FeaturedUrban Planning

Nov. 3rd Grand Opening - SIERR Building at McKinstry Station An amazing building has come back to life in the University District! The former maintenance home of the Spokane & Inland Empire Railway (an electric train that connected Spokane to Coeur d'Alene and the Palouse), this beautiful and unique brick structure has been carefully restored and [...]]]> Posted in FeaturedUrban Planning

Nov. 3rd Grand Opening - SIERR Building at McKinstry Station An amazing building has come back to life in the University District! The former maintenance home of the Spokane & Inland Empire Railway (an electric train that connected Spokane to Coeur d'Alene and the Palouse), this beautiful and unique brick structure has been carefully restored and transformed into the local headquarters of McKinstry, Inc. I toured the facility after the grand opening and it was absolutely amazing. The company is aiming for Silver LEED standard, which means the building was restored using stringent green building and energy efficiency standards. Another private project we can be proud of in Spokane's up-and-coming U District!       Read More
]]> http://www.amberwaldref.org/another-exciting-addition-to-the-u-district/feed/ 0 Electric golf carts — alternative transportation for Spokane? http://www.amberwaldref.org/electric-golf-carts-alternative-transportation-for-spokane/ http://www.amberwaldref.org/electric-golf-carts-alternative-transportation-for-spokane/#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:19:34 +0000 melissa http://www.amberwaldref.org/?p=2119 Posted in FeaturedNeighborhood NewsUrban Planning

Over the last several months, I've been engaging with several neighborhood activists in Hillyard who have a vision of using electric golf carts in Spokane as an alternative, inexpensive means of traveling short distances in our city. I think it's a creative idea and could prove beneficial to those who want to simply travel 5 [...]]]> Posted in FeaturedNeighborhood NewsUrban Planning

Over the last several months, I've been engaging with several neighborhood activists in Hillyard who have a vision of using electric golf carts in Spokane as an alternative, inexpensive means of traveling short distances in our city. I think it's a creative idea and could prove beneficial to those who want to simply travel 5 or 6 blocks to the neighborhood grocery, but cannot afford a vehicle, are disabled in a way that prevents them from walking/biking, or simply want a more inexpensive way to travel than burning fossil fuel for a short trip. Of course bus travel is still always an option, but it may not provide point-to-point access and, if needed, para-transit van trips are costly to the community. I took a short tour of the Hillyard area with the golf carts last month with State Representative Read More
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