Edgemoor Neighborhood Association

Monthly Board Meeting

February 7, 2013

The meeting held in the Library at Fairhaven Middle School was called to order at 7:00pm by ENA President Lylene Johnson. Lauri Grove recorded the minutes. There was a quorum of the board.

Motion: The minutes for the January meeting were approved as submitted.

Agenda: Lylene went over the agenda explaining the order and timeline for the evening before turning the floor over to the guest speakers representing varying views of the Chuckanut Community Forest District (CCFD) - Michael Lilliquest, Bill Geyer, and Dan Remsen.

Guest Speakers:

Michael Lilliquest representing the City of Bellingham addressed questions about park districts and offered some perspective from the city. He started the discussion by assuring attendees that the park district could not take over property, there would be no added bureaucracy, the City Park Department thought the CCFD was a win-win option and the big question was whether or not it was worth a tax to save the property in its entirety.

Bill Geyer represented the organized opposition to the park district. He stated that Bellingham is a charter city with no adjacent subdivisions and to give special service to one side strikes at the heart of the city. He was knowledgeable and offered several alternative options to the formation of a park district – some viable, some questionable.

Dan Remsen spoke for the Chuckanut Community Forest District. He loves the woods and feels passionate about working to keep the acreage in its entirety. After considering the options, forming a park district seemed the most sure-fire way to pay off the loan and save the woods.

Each representative was given five minutes to summarize their views about the park district followed by questions from the attendees. It was a very informative, lively discussion with many good points brought up by neighbors and addressed by the speakers. One important fact – if the park district is passed the search can and should continue look for other possibilities to pay off the loan early, dissolve the park district and end the tax. Thank you to all that took time to share information.

Business and issues:

Nextdoor Edgemoor allows Edgemoor residents to communicate and discuss matters within the confines of the neighborhood. Nextdoor’s decision to activate sharing between neighborhoods met with opposition from participants. Lylene was not sure if there was a way to keep conversations closed to outsiders but would check.

Speeding in Edgemoor – An incident occurred in the neighborhood that stimulated posts on Nextdoor Edgemoor about speeding and pedestrian safety. This matter has been discussed at many meetings yet continues to be an ongoing issue. Lylene presented a task or a challenge to each of us to come up with any thoughts to brainstorm a way to curb this problem. Post your ideas on Nextdoor, keep the conversation going – it might have an impact.

Closing:

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm

The next monthly meeting will be held on March 7^th in the Library at Fairhaven Middle School. Everyone is encouraged and welcomed to come meet your neighbors and get to know your neighborhood.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lauri Grove

Minutes are subject to approval