Edgemoor Neighborhood Association

Monthly Business Meeting

April 6, 2006

Minutes

Call to Order: The Edgemoor Neighborhood Association meeting was called to order by Brien Thane at 7:05 at the Fairhaven Park Pavilion. Board members Brien, Brad, Sandie, Laurie and Lois were present to form a quorum.

Laurie Renne was present to record the minutes.

Approval of Minutes: The minutes were approved as recorded.

Reports of Officers:

Report from Brien Thane, President:

Brien attended the Port Commissioner’s Meeting on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 and reported that a document was presented at that meeting which may affect the current development plans for the area adjacent to the Bellingham Ferry Terminal. This document is a collection of agreements with the City of Bellingham, dating from 1988 and 1989, which outlined restrictions on development plans in areas of Fairhaven. A copy of this document was available at the meeting, and attendees were allowed to review the contents. Brien also reported that there are two appeals pending on the building approvals for current developments within Fairhaven. One of the appeals is being entered by Dave Carlson and he has documentation in his store, Eclipse Bookstore, for anyone wishing to know more about both the development and the appeal. For those wishing to support this appeal, Dave is also accepting donations at the store for his appeal process.

Report from Lois Miles, Treasurer:

The ENA received $360.00 from memberships during the previous month, and had no expenses. This leaves the balance of $2536.42 in the ENA checking account. Lois also reported that she has submitted a 501 C 3 application. A discussion followed regarding any limits that this might impose on the activities of our association. It was determined that since our organization is primarily informational and educational, this should not become an issue.

Report from Brad Rose, MNAC :

Brad updated us on some of the building activities which might affect our neighborhood. For those wishing to keep updated on this information, Brad suggested that members view the Bellingham City Web site, in the Mayor’s section, under the heading “Just so you are aware.”

Reports of Committees:

Report from Sandie Koplowitz (standing in for Kathy Kaiser), Communications Committee:

Two new signs have been purchased to inform people about upcoming ENA meetings. They will be placed in front of Fairhaven Middle School prior to meetings, one will be used prior to business meetings and the other will be used prior to quarterly neighborhood meetings. The sign used for the quarterly meetings has a removable piece which specifies the meeting location.

Report from Laurie Renne, Hospitality Committee:

The membership chair, Sandie Koplowitz, compiled a list of members who were interested in being a part of the Hospitality Committee. Laurie will use this list when assembling the next Hospitality Committee meeting and will begin planning the summer picnic.

Report from Brad Rose, Growth and Land Use Committee:

Brad reported on several issues affecting the area in and around the Edgemoor Neighborhood. The McKenzie Square development is in progress in Fairhaven. The Hearing Examiner will have a hearing on a request to build an accessory building at 600 Briar Street. The owners of Governor’s Point are exploring options for subdividing the property into large(5-10 acre) building parcels. On Chuckanut Drive, development near Teddy Bear Cove will not affect access to the Cove, but may affect parking. Everyone should be aware of the Greenways levy on May 16, 2006.

Report from Sandie Koplowitz, Membership Committee: The ENA now has 100 members.

There was no report from the Safety Committee or the Neighborhood Plan Update Committee.

Representative Reports:

CSN – Brad presented information about the Greenways Levy. A general discussion followed regarding a local group within Bellingham which is forming to suggest a Chuckanut Mountain Parks District to preserve the Chuckanut Mountains. This effort is designed to augment the Greenways levy. A preliminary draft of this proposal was read.

Brad also suggested that members located on the north slope of the Edgemoor neighborhood are encouraged to become involved in the Fairhaven Neighborhood meetings for information on developments near the Bellingham Ferry Terminal. The Port of Bellingham is working on an new Port Fairhaven Plan and expects to have a draft plan completed in Summer/Fall 2006.

A letter was presented to the ENA with a request for $30 donation to reimburse Sue Kahn for the cost of copying and compilation of the “1988,1989 City of Bellingham Agreements.” A discussion followed and it was generally agreed that the distribution of these agreements could benefit the Edgemoor Neighborhood. A motion to fund this request was moved, seconded and approved.

ABN – Brad Rose reported that Larry is requesting that a member volunteer to be the alternate representative to ABN, so that the ENA will be represented when Larry is unable to attend.

New Business:

Speakers and Agenda for the May 4 General Membership Meeting:

Attendees entered into a general discussion about speakers for the May meeting and it was decided to have a speaker to clarify the Greenways Levy, and a 10-15 minute presentation from the film society. Speakers from Visions of Edgemoor and the group proposing the Chuckanut Parks District will be scheduled for the August General Membership Meeting.

Support for the Greenways Levy:

After a general discussion about the Greenways Levy, a motion was moved, seconded and approved. This motion specifies that the ENA Board endorses the Greenways Levy and encourages Edgemoor residents to vote.

Letter to the City of Bellingham:

Lois Miles and Sandie Koplowitz will draft a letter to the City of Bellingham which supports the Greenways Levy, but qualifies the endorsement with concerns that the funds will be available to acquire the area of the Chuckanut Mountains scheduled for development. Brad Rose will review this letter.

Issues and Concerns:

Changes to ENA procedures:

Due to time constraints, it was decided to draft requested changes to the ENA Bylaws at the June ENA meeting. These changes are regarding the fiscal year, whether or not to authorize phone and Internet votes, and how to handle Co-Chair votes. These changes will be added as ‘Procedural Rules’, and can be approved by the board.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 8:55.

The next meeting scheduled on May 4 will be a business meeting held at Fairhaven Park Pavilion starting at 7:00 – everyone is welcome to attend.

Respectfully Submitted,

Laurie Renne