Edgemoor
Neighborhood Association Board Meeting
Thursday,
November 3,
7
- 9 PM
Fairhaven
Park Pavilion
ENA
Board meetings are open meetings and Edgemoor residents are welcome to
attend
Read
the Minutes
from the October ENA Annual Membership Meeting
Greetings
From the Communications Committee
October
is a month traditionally associated with tricks and treats – scares and
spirits. Many are
contemplating upcoming elections and carefully considering issues to cast
an informed vote. For ENA the
votes are in and the official Board has been elected.
They are ready to continue to make ENA an organization
where all Edgemoor residents are welcomed, encouraged to join and
become enlightened about their community.
So much is happening in our city with comprehensive plan updates,
growth issues and budget struggles often in the headlines.
For some, change is exciting while for others it is frustrating.
ENA meetings are a forum of sorts where neighbors can meet, talk,
gather information and voice opinions.
No tricks – just treats. No
scares – just a friendly spirit. Come
see…
ENA
Update
The
ENA Annual Meeting was held on October 6th at Lairmont
Manor (compliments of Joel Douglas). The first hour was dedicated to
ENA meeting business. Interim President, Niall Hacket introduced ENA
Committee Chairs, who gave brief reports on their committee activities
during the past year. Officers and committee chairs were elected to the
ENA Board for the next year. Click
here to visit the list of ENA Board members who will represent
Edgemoor for the next year. The hospitality committee provided
refreshments and lovely fall decorations.
During
the second hour of the meeting, representatives spoke on several important
local issues. The Greenways Legacy committee provided information on their
proposed format for the next Greenways levy to be placed on the ballot in
March, 2006. A representative
from Fairhaven Neighbors spoke about their concerns regarding the planned
Fairhaven Harbor development within 200 feet of Padden Creek. You can find
out more by visiting their website at http://www.fairhavenneighbors.org/
Fairhaven Harbor developer and architect gave a presentation about their
proposed development. Questions regarding the project may be directed to
Ted Mischaikov, 734.7755. Project plans should be posted soon on the City
of Bellingham website.
Thank
you to everyone who helped Edgemoor Neighborhood Association through this
first formative year. Since the idea was first proposed in May of 2004,
many people have worked hard to develop the ENA into an organization
devoted to keeping Edgemoor residents informed about local issues,
providing a friendly forum to discuss these issues and developing a
stronger sense of community.
ENA
Board
Brien
Thane,
ENA President
Edgemoor
Neighborhood Representative
October's
meeting of the MNAC was on October 13. We discussed the Housing and
Capitol Facilities chapters of the proposed Comprehensive Plan. I
encourage everyone that is interested to read the draft of the
Comprehensive Plan update (http://www.cob.org/pcd/planning/growth/comp-update.htm).
Next month's sections of review will be Private Utilities & Services
Element and the Community Design Element sections. If you have any
comments or concerns about these sections, please let the city know
(Contact Greg Aucutt (gaucutt@cob.org)
or let me know and I'll pass on the concerns.
We
also had a presentation about the proposed process for generating the
Master Plan for the GP site. There will be ample opportunity for the
public to provide input into the Master Plan. I'll keep everyone
posted as to when the opportunity for public input comes up.
Finally
we discussed the "Just So You Are Aware" report for the
month. This report provides information of interest for
neighborhoods in Bellingham. This month's report can be found at: http://www.cob.org/documents/mayor/boards-commissions/neighborhood/2005-10-17-just-so-you-are-aware.pdf
Thank
You
Brad
Rose, Edgemoor
Representative to the Mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Council
Association
of Bellingham Neighborhoods Committee Report – Oct. 17,
2005
ABN
Letter of Disapproval of City’s Planning Process
At
the October 17 ABN meeting, seven neighborhoods voted to sign the ABN
letter that was adopted at its September meeting.
This letter expresses a “strong disapproval” for the City’s
planning function and reflects a citywide concern over how the
administration plans, or fails to plan, for growth and development.
Four neighborhoods preferred to draft their own letters.
The remaining neighborhoods did not specify what action they
planned to take.
Resignation
of Planning Director Jorge Vega
Since
the September meeting, the ABN letter had been leaked to the
administration and pressure on the Planning Department increased
considerably. Although a
connection cannot be proven, the announced departure of Planning Director
Jorge Vega may have been influenced by the ABN’s draft letter of
disapproval. Mr. Vega
announced his decision to resign as Planning Director effective December
15, 2005. Senior Planner Greg
Aucutt will serve as Interim Director until a permanent replacement is
found.
ABN’s
Recommendations for New Planning Director
The
ABN plans to submit a letter to the administration requesting that the
City follow its established procedures for finding a replacement, and that
the new Planning Director meet all minimum requirements, including: 1) A
Master’s degree in Urban
Planning, Public Administration or related field. (Significant qualifying
experience may be substituted for education beyond B.A.) and 2) Five years
experience in the fields of planning, economic development, community
housing and community redevelopment. At
least three years direct supervisory responsibility some private sector
experience preferred.
ABN’s
Recommendations for Critical Areas Ordinance
The
ABN also voted unanimously to request that Council adopt a Resolution to
identify the specific Critical Areas within the City that will be
protected by the City’s Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO).
The ABN will suggest that in addition to those areas identified by
the Planning Department, the Critical Areas list should also include ALL
28 “Significant Habitat Conservation Areas” listed on pages 171 to178
of the December 1995 City of Bellingham Wildlife & Habitat
Assessment. Included in
this list are: 1) The Hundred Acre Woods, 2) Chuckanut Creek, 3) Chuckanut
Bay, 4) Clark’s Point, 5) Padden Creek, 6) Lower Padden Creek &
Padden Lagoon, 7) Padden Creek Gorge and 8) Connelly Creek.
Dr.
Bob Gibb also presented a letter
that he sent to City Council on September 30 with specific recommendations
for the CAO. Dr.
Gibb recommends that buffer zones be increased and adhere to those
recommended by the WA State Dept of Fish & Wildlife.
He also suggests that the Planning Commission be an elected body
with Ward representation similar to City Council.
In the interim, Dr. Gibb suggests that the Council take back its
power from the Planning Director to make final decisions as they relate to
critical areas.
ABN
Request for Neighborhood Plan Updates
The
ABN is considering making a request for technical support to assist
neighborhoods in updating their Neighborhood Plans.
An ABN rep will meet with City Council next week to discuss this
option.
Short
Course on Planning
An
ABN rep will request Council approval to schedule a “Short Course on
Planning” workshop by the Community, Trade & Economic Development.
This workshop will teach residents about the Growth Management Act
(GMA) and how an effective planning department should function.
Larry
Horowitz, ENA Representative to the Association of Bellingham
Neighborhoods
Neighborhood
Mediation Program
The
Campus Community Coalition is partnering with the Whatcom Dispute
Resolution Center to develop the
Neighborhood Mediation Program, part of the Coalition's
Neighborhoods Engaging with Students (NEST) Project. The program will
train WWU students and neighbors together in conflict resolution
strategies, and develop ways for them to use their skills to prevent
and address neighborhood conflicts.
I
invite you to participate in any of the upcoming FREE conflict resolution
trainings:
Dealing
with Conflict
This
interactive training is an introduction to conflict management, focusing
on prevention by addressing the root of conflict and how different people
respond to it, and exploring constructive ways to approach challenging
situations.
Thursday,
October 27, 6-9pm, at the WECU Ed Center, 511 E. Holly
or
Saturday
November 5, 9-12am, at the WECU Ed Center, 511 E. Holly
or
Monday,
November 7, 6-9pm, at the WECU Ed Center, 511 E. Holly St.
Neighborhood
Conflict Management
This interactive training builds skills in both conflict prevention and
intervention. It introduces participants to a conflict resolution process
and prepares them to take a proactive role in resolving conflict. The
training will include time to begin developing neighborhood-specific
approaches to responding to conflicts, and participants will become
empowered to serve as Neighborhood Conflict Managers.
Saturdays:
December 3 & 10, 9am-4pm, location TBA
or
Evenings:
November 28 & 29 and December 7 & 8, 6-9pm, location
TBA
To
register or for more information, call the Whatcom Dispute Resolution
Center at 676-0122
Richard
J. Maneval, 360-671-9559
President of the Association of Bellingham Neighborhoods (ABN)
www.aobn.org
ENA
Committee Highlights
Communications
Committee
The
Communications Committee again has been busy as we spent last month
promoting our ENA Annual Meeting as well as creating and testing a survey
of the members who attended the meeting. Responses were sparse so we
assume that most of you are satisfied with the job we have been doing both
through the newsletter and on the website. We would like to hear
from you, however, regarding whether or not we are reaching you and if we
are providing the type of news concerning our neighborhood issues that
keeps you informed and interested. Please take the time to e-mail us with
any suggestions you may have or post a comment on the Neighborhood Message
Board on our website. We are also looking for neighborhood news so let us
know if you have anything to contribute. Our committee is small and we don’t
want to seem detached or out there in space somewhere. We know that we are
reaching more of you then we have a chance to meet personally but hearing
from you would help keep us energized.
Kathy,
Lauri and Sandie
The Communications Committee Committee Chair, Kathy
Kaiser
Growth
and Land Use Committee
Public
hearing Monday Oct. 24
A
public hearing before the Bellingham City Council on a draft Critical
Areas Ordinance is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday Oct. 24. The purpose of the
ordinance is to identify and protect environmentally sensitive and
hazardous areas, such as wetlands, flood zones, and fish and wildlife
habitat. For details, go to: http://www.cob.org/features/2005-10-21-critical-areas.htm
Committee
Chair, Brad Rose brad AT affoinfo DOT com
Hospitality
Committee
A
warm THANK YOU to the Hospitality Committee, who provided
decorations and refreshments for the Annual ENA Meeting!
Laurie
Renne
Neighborhood
Plan Update Committee
Edgemoor
residents are encouraged to attend a very important
meeting:
Visions
of Edgemoor
Tuesday
October 25, 2005
Fairhaven
Park Pavilion at 7:00PM
Everyone
in Edgemoor is encouraged to come to the “Visions of Edgemoor” meeting
on Tuesday October 25
. The purpose of the visions meeting to give us the chance to list
out what we love about our neighborhood, what we want to change in the
future and what we want to preserve. This is the first step in
updating our neighborhood plan that has not been significantly updated
since the early 1980s
Ralph
W. Thacker has offered his experience in proctoring this event. The
concept of the exercise is to get together in groups and brainstorm
answers to questions regarding Edgemoor. All answers will be taped
up on the wall and recorded. From this brainstorming session we
should be able to start formulating our neighborhood character chapter to
reflect the desires of the residents of Edgemoor.
I
encourage all to participate. Download a copy of the current Edgemoor
Neighborhood Plan from the City of Bellingham web site and read it
prior to the meeting.
What
to bring? Nothing except your ideas!
Thank
You
Brad
Rose
Neighborhood
Plan Update Committee
Neighborhood
Safety Committee
Keep
Kids Alive, Drive 25
I
am still working on getting signs out to all who are interested.
Ironically, I have had a sign stolen from my yard twice!
The goal for the signs are to help people remember to keep ALL of
our pedestrians safe by looking out for them and driving the speed limit.
Please be aware and cautious of blind areas when you are driving.
If you would like to purchase a yard sign or window cling for your
car, please contact me. The
cost is $15 for a sign and $3 for a window cling.
Block
watch
I
have contacted all the people who mentioned interest in the past to become
a block watch captain to help facilitate the easy process.
We currently have 7 block watch captains in a neighborhood that has
the potential for 40 or more. Just
think how safe we could keep our neighborhood with more eyes watching and
ears listening out there! The
police need us to be aware so they can then respond.
Street
Safety
I
have been communicating with public works about various issues with our
streets.
-Hawthorn
is due for some patching up where the white circles are painted.
-Bill
Doran has been notified that the abatement on both ends of Middlefield has
not seemed to occur. More
letters may be sent out. ***NOTE:
Keeping the vision triangle clear is the homeowner's responsibility and
liability.***
-The
speed bumps in Fairhaven Park are designed for low speeds, such as in a
parking lot. On a road, speed
humps must be built. Fieldston Rd.
does not qualify as it is designated as an arterial street used by
emergency vehicles.
-Concerning
the “blind stop” at Willow and Fieldston going east on Willow, it was
suggested that perhaps a white line and the word “STOP” be painted
where we should actually stop. Public
utilities response was “There is nothing unusual about this
intersection. It is very
common to have the stop sign set back from the intersection.
If drivers stop at the stop sign and creep forward, they should be
fine. This movement averaged
93 cars per day when I counted it last year.
It does not warrant any pavement markings.”
Speeding
PLEASE,
PLEASE PLEASE call Sgt.
Richards (traffic
officer) with any traffic concerns. Ask
him for more patrols and the speed watch wagon.
More calls from concerned citizens will make it happen.
His number is 676-6677.
For
details about any of the above issues or to raise any other, please
contact me.
Thank
you,
Veronica
Douglas, Safety Committee Chair
Edgemoor
Neighborhood Message Board
Please
visit the Neighborhood
Message Board a place for Edgemoor residents to post messages of
interest.
About
www.edgemoorneighborhood.com
The
Edgemoor Neighborhood website provides news and information to Edgemoor
residents, which has several active homeowners' associations and
organizations. Your stories, photos and
feedback are always welcome.
Webmaster,
Your
Input is Welcome!
Please
send information to be included on the website or the ENA newsletter.
If
you would like your email address changed, removed or a new one added to
this mailing list, send a request to email
at EdgemoorNeighborhood dot com.
