The Insider

Vol.1, No.1

Newsletter of the Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association

Welcome to “The Insider,” a means of communicating with members of the Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association. The goal of the publication is to provide information about our first challenge: the creation of parks and trails in our area. As the association grows, there will be additional neighborhood matters to address. Right now, we want to concentrate on this very vexing of subjects. The information provided by “The Insider” will be just that: no innuendo, no supposition, no shrill cries.

First, some heartfelt “thanks” to the two leaders whose initial concerns and hard work made our organization possible. Julie Guy and Edie Norton decided to do something about the neglect directed toward our neighborhood. That neglect permeated city government over many years. Now, thanks to Julie, Edie and the rest of us, it’s pretty hard to find a Bellinghamster who isn’t aware that a significant unfairness has been perpetrated. There’s something decidedly wrong about a city whose well-established pride in parks and trails can also be responsible for an imbalance of 1,500 park acres south of Alabama Street and nothing north of I-5.

What Julie and Edie started is showing solid signs of building momentum. Each meeting shows greater attendance than the one before. The October 4 evening meeting, featuring Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen, packed the Palm Room of Birchwood Presbyterian Church and produced news for local media. That coverage also included quotes from another guest speaker, Greenways 2006 President Jack Blethen. .

Having devoted impressive hours and talent to the project, Julie Guy and Edie Norton announced at the October 10 board meeting that they were slowing down their hectic pace and would provide advisory assistance. Their understandable decision was largely influenced by confidence in leadership qualities of other board members. As a result, Adrienne Lederer and Cathy Starr were elected co-presidents. Other officers include: Bob Sanders, vice-president/programming; Jerry Phillips, treasurer; Mike Kettman, assistant treasurer/memberships; Lue Phillips, recording secretary; and Linda Langey, parliamentarian.

A number of important meetings are coming up and your attendance is urged. The sheer politics (and they do exist) of our situation is that we are in search of the kind of clout produced by large numbers of aroused citizens whose strong story and enthusiasm can right a wrong.

Our next association meeting will be Wednesday, October 19, at 10:30 a.m. in the Palm Room of Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Ct. Our main speaker will be Mauri Ingram, Project Manager of Trillium Corporation. Trillium has been deeply involved in developing this area and Ingram will present a parks proposal.

Another meeting to put on your calendar will be November 8 at 7 p.m. when Jody Bergsma of Greenways Legacy makes a presentation at Birchwood Presbyterian Church. Greenways Legacy is one of two quite different groups advocating the continuation of the Greenways levy. The other is Greenways 2006. The latter is broad in scope while Greenways Legacy’s plan has been criticized by some as placing too much emphasis upon buying 100 acres on Chuckanut Ridge. Both organizations seek our approval..

Another speaker, not yet scheduled when this was written, is Ted Mischaikov, a key player in the Larrabee Springs development who wants to make a presentation to us. Larrabee Springs, whose core will be the North Bellingham Golf Course off Smith Rd., has just announced plans to provide park land and open space with a variety of recreational uses. What is interesting about our recent and future programs is that we no longer have to ask people to speak to us. The complex subject of development in our neighborhood and the responsibilities that go with it are no longer being ignored.

An organization such as ours is only as good as the people who take on responsibilities to better the whole. We need your talent and will have sign-up sheets at all meetings. While it’s true we can always use leaders, the foot soldiers do the heavy lifting in any organization. So, please join us

More next time.

Bob Sanders

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