City of
MAYOR’S
NEIGHBORHOOD ADVISORY COMMISSION
“JUST SO YOU ARE AWARE”—Information of Interest
New draft waterfront design
presented to city/port officials
A new draft waterfront design was presented to Port Commissioners
and City Council members on Tuesday, March 7th.
You can view the new design concept, called “The Water’s Edge,” as well
as all the public comments received so far, at the project website,
www.newwhatcom.org. The Port Commission
and City Council will consider acting on a preferred design concept at a
meeting scheduled for
“The Water’s Edge” was developed by the consulting team in response to the public’s feedback throughout the fall and winter. More than 25 meetings have been held during this process, as community members have described their waterfront visions and interests and reviewed four site plan design alternatives unveiled on January 24. These preliminary designs focused on major roads, infrastructure such as bridges and public parks and trails.
The Green Fingers design concept was the most popular design
at all public meetings, and was also viewed favorably by those submitting
written comments. Regardless of which design concept people favored, however,
it is clear that the
Upcoming meetings:
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·v
·v
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Most waterfront-planning meetings are filmed and aired on the city’s BTV10. Check the BTV10 website at www.cob.org/BTV10 for airtimes.
Bellingham
City Council approved on Monday, March 6 a 10-year levy proposal that would
collect an estimated $44 million. To meet the legal deadline for placement on the
May 16 ballot as initially expected, however, a Council majority must take a
take a final vote by Monday, March 13. Council and community members are
divided on particular points in the proposal and Monday's measure passed by a
slim majority. The future of Chuckanut Ridge remains a point of contention
among Council members and
Survey
Results Presented to City Council
Results
of a survey gauging citizen interests in parks, trails and open space conducted
in early February were presented to the Bellingham City Council on Monday, Feb.
27. This information, coupled with public hearings and extensive work with
citizens’ groups, is helping city Council members decide what to include in a
Greenways levy proposal. Survey results
provided city officials with useful information about Greenways levy length and
amount. However, the results indicate the community is divided over a few key
points, such as where property acquisitions should be made.
The
survey was conducted and analyzed by an independent social science research
firm. Survey questions, including those solicited from stakeholder groups, were
used to collect opinions from area citizens via telephone and the Internet
about Greenways in general as well as the importance of particular parks and
trails and specific proposed levy elements.
The
telephone survey polled 400 randomly-selected
Guide Meridian/Cordata,
The new water tank
(our
We are now operational and testing our work on our lift stations at
South Hill
Construction continues on the new Sunset Heights Water Pump Station. This $800,000 project will solve pressure and fire flow deficiency issues on upper South Hill.
We’ve
installed the underground utilities, some of the infrastructure for the market
building itself, as well as poured the slab and alley access stair cases for
the new Depot Market Square. This
project is the result of a citizens’ group that have raised considerable funds
and support working with our elected officials, as well as staff work from our
Public Works and Planning and Community Development Departments. Especially
innovative is the reuse of steel from the
CBD/Lettered
Streets
Repairs to the
CBD/Sehome/York
Our Holly Street Streetscape project will
begin work later this year. We will be
repairing the sidewalks, overlaying the roadway, and landscaping on the Holly
Street Corridor between Ellis and
Happy Valley
Part of
the Washington Department of Transportation's project to improve the traffic
flow and safety at the I-5 interchange at
All
Each year our Public Works Department schedules the replacement of certain priority sections of City Water Mains to assure the long term system health and uninterrupted service to the public. We also do this for our sewer lines. The work is contracted to the private sector through our public bidding process which is almost complete for this year. Our staff track and monitor the work of the contractors. We’ll let you know if construction or replacement work effects services while in progress.
Participate in planning for
trails and green spaces
The
City is looking for citizens interested in helping create a vision for a
greenways and trails system in the Guide
A
grant for technical assistance from the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation
Assistance (RTCA) program of the National Park Service will support this
work. Thanks to our Meridian/Cordata
residents for assisting with our successful grant application!
Alex
Stone, Community Planner with the National Park Service along with the steering
committee will assist the City and citizens with the development of a master
plan for greenways and trails in
We hope to complete the plan by
the end of the year For more
information or to volunteer for the steering committee, contact Leslie Bryson,
Design and Development Manager, at 676-6985 or by e-mail at lbryson@cob.org. After our steering committee begins work,
look for our further announcements of participation opportunities along the
way.
We
want you to know about an important project of our Planning and Community
Development staff led by Marilyn Vogel, Senior Planner. Marilyn has explained to MNAC that the
project involves conducting a systematic comprehensive review and revision to
regulations related to zoning and subdivision.
These regulations contain standards for such things as:
Residential development Mixed use development
Commercial development Industrial development
Site design Parking and bicycle facilities
Landscaping Signs
Administration and enforcement Specific uses
Building forms and design Streets and
sidewalks
Subdivisions Permits and processes for reviewing
development
Public
Involvement: The development code revision project will be
a multiple-year process with many public review steps. Because so much work is needed to update, we
will be breaking it into sections/topics.
We
will use public events such as open houses, forums and other community meetings
to share information, generate discussion and obtain comments. We will use our Planning and Community
Development Department Website to provide information about the project and
post public meeting notices, draft codes, staff reports and schedules.
The
Planning Commission will review development code proposals in work sessions and
public hearings. Their recommendations then go to the City Council for public
hearings and decisions on any code amendments proposed.
(The
process and schedule for the waterfront development project and the
Shoreline Master Program are separate projects with their own public process
requirements.)
For
more information contact: Marilyn Vogel,
360-676-6982, mvogel@cob.org
City of
Our
City Council has been working on the Comprehensive Plan since July, 2004 and
will hold a final public work session on Wednesday, March 8 to discuss any
final issues. Council will also meet in work session on March 20 on related Planning
Commission recommendations on Land Supply.
The Council is expected to adopt the plan sometime in March or early in
April. This will be their 13th work session on the plan, in addition
to 4 public hearings.
The
City’s Comprehensive Plan is the guiding document for managing the city’s
growth and land use decisions as required under the Washington Growth
Management Act. The Mayor’s Neighborhood
Advisory Commission spent significant time reviewing various draft proposals
and contributing their ideas to the Mayor and City Council.
Copies
of the latest draft of the plan are now available in the Planning Department
and on the City's web page (www.cob.org). Check the City's web page for updated
meeting information or contact Cheri Moniz in the Planning Department (phone
number) for more information.
Shoreline
Master Program
A
subcommittee of MNAC has begun working with Steve Sundin, our lead planner on
the Shoreline Master Program (SMP) update.
They have begun to review and provide input into various draft elements
of the program. The SMP must be approved
by the City Council as well as the Washington State Department of Ecology.
As we
reported last month, the Washington State Shoreline Management Act (SMA)
requires local governments to adequately manage and protect ‘Shorelines of the
State’ through a Shoreline Master Program.
The shorelines of
Public
Input Opportunities
A
Planning Commission public hearing / work-session is scheduled for
Public
comment on the DRAFT SMP will remain open up until the last City Council public
hearing date in June
Our popular TV
program Inside Bellingham, gives viewers an inside peek into city
government programs, services, activities and people. Our March program features:
·v Tips from the Bellingham Police
Department for safeguarding personal information and preventing identity theft;
·v Easy-to-use self-service
stations that allow Bellingham Public Library patrons to check out materials
without staff assistance (see below);
·v Exciting additions to Taylor
Dock, including a new picnic shelter, dinghy dock, public restrooms, and an
accessible path for people with disabilities.
·v Using the city’s
·v Examples of how city services
are being made more accessible to people who have hearing impairments;
·v A day in the life of a city
facilities maintenance worker, working hard behind the scenes to keep city
government running smoothly by taking care of the city’s many buildings.
·v And more! Check schedule at www.cob.org/BTV10.
Thanks to a
donation from Friends of the Bellingham Public Library supplementing City
funding, we have installed “Express Checkout” equipment at the central
library. This new technology enables our
customers to check out library materials at easy-to-use public stations and
without staff assistance.
Staff are still
available to help customers learn the new process, and to cheer on those who
may be hesitant about trying this new technology. For those who want the personal touch, are applying
for a library card, or have questions or outstanding accounts, staff is still
available to help at the “assisted check” for “cards and accounts”.
Because the
Bellingham Public Library checks out 1.2 million items annually, our patrons
previously could experience long lines at check out. That’s over! We’ve also made picking up and checking out
“Holds” more efficient. Customers may
pick up their own “holds” at the “hold shelf” and proceed with them directly to
the express checkouts. (We have approximately
1,700 Holds on the shelf each day).
The Fairhaven
Branch and the Central Children’s Department will have the same equipment
available soon. For more information,
contact our library at 647-6860
To help you master the process
of using our computerized cataloguing system, the Bellingham Public Library is
offering free classes: 'Mouse Lessons',
'Just the Basics', and 'Advanced Catalog Skills'. The 45 minute classes will increase comfort
level and familiarity with using the library catalog.
·v 'Mouse Lessons' will offer
practice with a computer mouse and how best to use it with the computer
catalog.
·v 'Just the Basics' will teach catalog searching
skills that will make it easier to find library materials.
·v 'Advanced Catalog Skills' will offer tips,
tricks and shortcuts in getting the most from the library catalog.
The classes will take place in
the Central Library's catalog area before the library opens. Class size is limited to five; call to
register (676-6860). Comfort using a
computer mouse or attending a 'Mouse Lesson' is a pre-requisite for attending a
'Just the Basics' or 'Advanced Catalog Skills' class.
'Mouse Lessons'
27
February Monday
5
March Sunday noon-12:45pm
15 March Wednesday
25 March Saturday
28 March Tuesday
6 April Thursday
14 April Friday
17 April Monday
29
April Saturday
'Just the
Basics'
2 March Thursday
18 March Saturday
27
March Monday
9
April Sunday noon-12:45pm
26
April Wednesday
'Advanced
Catalog Skills'
10 March Friday
20
March Monday
5 April Wednesday
22
April Saturday
City and County Emergency Management Services and the County Health
Department as well as the
The City’s goal is to make sure we have the planning in place to ensure we can continue to provide essential government services and help people cope with this kind of crisis.
International and national emergency officials are closely monitoring the progression of the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak in other countries. While no one can predict when the next pandemic influenza outbreak will occur, we urge our citizens to take steps to prepare for this possibility.
For more information about preparing for pandemic influenza, visit http://www.pandemicflu.gov
Underage drinking—Town Hall Meeting
With the City Police Department’s emphasis patrols and
“party patrols” in selected neighborhoods and downtown, we naturally support
broad community efforts and education to prevent underage drinking. The Community’s STAR Task Force (Straight
Talk about Responsibility) is jointly sponsoring a Town Hall Meeting to increase understanding of the problem and
consequences and foster individual, neighborhood, and community action on the
issues. The Town Hall Meeting will be on March 28 from