Edgemoor Neighborhood Association

November 1, 2012

Minutes

The ENA monthly meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm on Thursday, November 1 by ENA President Lylene Johnson. The meeting was held in the Library at Fairhaven Middle School. Kerry Briet recorded the minutes. There was a quorum of the Board.

Minutes for the October meeting were not available and will be considered at the next meeting.

The agenda was approved with no additional new business.

Treasurer's Report: (Diane MacLean)

The current balance in the ENA account is $2729.91, which was the same as October.

Introductions:

Attendees introduced themselves…there were 11 members and 3 guests. Guests were Michael Lilliquist, City Council member, and Christopher Grannis & Dan Remsen, members of the steering committee for the Chuckanut Community Forest initiative.

Speakers: Christopher Grannis & Dan Remsen

A measure to “form a metropolitan park district to be governed by five elected Park Commissioners” will be on the February 12, 2013 ballot, and at the same time, elections will be held for the 5 park commissioners. If the proposal passes, the commissioners will immediately begin work. They will have the right to levy a tax on the geographical area included in the Park District and negotiate with the City of Bellingham regarding the conditions under which that money would be used to pay the loan from the Greenways endowment fund which was used to partially fund the purchase of the property.

The intent of those speaking is to have a conservation easement established on the entire property, defining the exact uses for it in the future. This decision, however, and all others regarding the property, will be made by the elected commissioners. The City of Bellingham will continue to own it.

Names are being discussed of possible commissioner candidates. The filing deadline for the commissioner positions has not yet been established

Michael Lilliquist shared that City Council could deny placement of the question on the ballot and/or choose to act as commissioners themselves. At this point, there is no indication of that intent.

Pros and cons of the park district proposal were discussed. The only two negatives raised and responses were as follows:

· There might be less support for the next Greenways levy from the neighborhoods being taxed for the park district. Response: The southside neighborhoods have been strong supporters of Greenways, knowing it provides trails and parks outside this area which are used by southside residents.

· Why should just the southside neighborhoods, which already pay for Greenways, pay additional taxes for a park which will be open to everyone, regardless of where they live? Response: While residents of all neighborhoods can enjoy the area to be protected, the southside neighbors will benefit the most, not only due to proximity, but also by avoiding the increased traffic and density resulting from the property being developed.

Further information is available at www.chuckanutcommunityforest.com

Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Committee (MNAC) Report – John Erickson

James King provided an overview of the Parks Department.

The airport master plan was discussed. At this point there has not been significant public input, although there is a meeting scheduled for November 15^th. The FAA has primary control over airport traffic. The Bellingham tower controls planes within 5 miles of the airport. Flights south of that area are controlled by the Whidbey Island tower. A 150 Plan will look at impacts and consider input from the public; the Port of Bellingham does not control this process.

The Mayor has proposed a change to MNAC’s charter, changing its role in the planning and development process from one of analysis to simply providing input from the neighborhoods. There was discussion at our meeting emphasizing the importance of neighborhood input into the planning process.

Old Business:

John Erickson reported on conversations with traffic officials with the following results:

· The speed sign we requested is out of service.

· There is no money for speed bumps…they cost about $10,000 each. The question was raised as to whether they could be installed via an LID…John will check. We will also try to find out what streets in Edgemoor might be eligible for speed bumps.

· WA State DOT is considering extending the 25 mph speed limit on Chuckanut for some distance south of Fairhaven Park.

Lylene reported on the Neighborhood Plan committee’s recommendation to keep the plan as developed and passed by the membership and submitted to the city for docketing as an indicator and guide to the wishes of the neighborhood residents. It will not be submitted to the city again, as they declined to docket it for consideration, and there seems to be no real benefit in spending the time to make changes which might make it acceptable. However, this does not preclude us from referencing and/or modifying it to reflect actions the neighborhood might want to undertake in the future. There was no objection to this proposal.

Speakers: Steve Wilson, from the Center for Self Reliance, will be speaking to us at the December meeting.

City Issues:

· Gateway Pacific Terminal – There will be two more hearings, in Ferndale & Blaine. Scoping questions may still be submitted. Each issue should be addressed in a separate letter and should be very specific, as in “Please study the impact of _______________”. They should not be statements of opinion.

· Airport Noise – There will be additional meetings.

· Sewage Treatment Plan Updates -- Coffees Friday mornings at 8:00 on site to update anyone who would like to attend.

Closing:

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00

The next Edgemoor Neighborhood Meeting will be held at 7pm on Thursday, December 6th in the library at Fairhaven Middle School. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend – come get acquainted with your neighborhood.

Respectfully Submitted,

Kerry Breit & Lylene Johnson

(Minutes are subject to approval)