After not having a meeting in January, the Edgemoor Neighborhood Association will have its first meeting of 2009.  The meeting will be on Thursday Feb, 5, 2009, 7 PM at the Fairhaven Park Pavilion.  In addition to the normal ENA business, we will have a presentation by Mary Mullen to propose Edgemoor’s participation in a multi-neighborhood small and simple grant to benefit the Fairhaven Rose Garden’s new direction.  We will also have a brief discussion about the Edgemoor Lagoon Reserve Property, located at the end of Willow Road. As always we will also have updates on Chuckanut Ridge and other items of interest to Edgemoor Residents.

I hope all can make it.

Thank You, Brad Rose

The Mayors Neighborhood Advisory Commission met on January 14, 2009 in the Mayor’s Board Room, City Hall.  Items Discussed:

1. Public Works Environmental Educator, Kym Fedale let us know about resources available to the neighborhoods in 2009.

2. We received an update on the Samish Way Urban Village.  Also there was a brief mention of other potential Urban Village sites.

3. Worked on MNAC’s role in reviewing incoming re-zone requests form neighborhoods and property owners.

4. Roosevelt Resource Center needs money to keep it open.  Pursuing grants and non-profit status.

5.  Neighborhood roundtable discussion about neighborhood specific items of interest.

6.  Neighborhood Services Coordinator’s report relayed that we are using a new reimbursement form for 2009.  Also any property damage incurred during the January flooding needs to be reported to the city

 If any Edgemoor resident has an item they want brought up to the city during the Neighborhood Roundtable, please let me know.

The following is an overview of the process of land acquisition by the Greenways program:

The first 1990 levy and the second Beyond Greenways 1997 levy had planning strategies adopted by the Greenways Advisory Committee (GAC) within months of the passage of the levies.

In keeping with this practical procedure, the GAC started strategic planning discussions soon after the passage of the May 2006 levy.  Because of the size of the levy and the general categories in the budget guideline, the GAC first worked to create and pass two documents: Criteria for Property Acquisitions and Acquisition Guidelines.  These were adopted in March/April 2007 with consultation with the City Council in public meetings.

GAC and the Parks and Rec Department hold public input meetings on January 31 and March 6, 2007 for suggestions on properties and criteria to consider for acquisition.  Over 150 comments were received.  Contrary to recent criticism, it is important to understand that these meetings, as announced at the beginning, were to “scope” the different and unique properties to analyze, not to vote on which ones were more popular.  One vote for Chuckanut Ridge meant one vote, regardless of how many responded to a single property.  When the Census is done next year, we will continue to count Mayor Pike as just one unique person regardless of how popular he is with votes. 

The volunteer GAC holds an all day retreat on March 10, 2007 to sort and analyze comments and start the planning process.

GAC holds monthly meetings between March 2007 and October 2008 with updates occasionally reported in public session (Responsible Development President, Joe Yaver, or South neighbor citizen, Christopher Grannis, were present during many of these meetings).  Because of the sensitive nature of some of the work related to the possible acquisition of specific properties, much of the strategic plan work was conducted in executive session.  This allowed the free flow of information among committee members without jeopardizing or tipping off potential property transactions which would put the City in a compromised bargaining position.

For all of 2006/2007 and part of 2008, five of the 11 GAC members reside in Ward 6, the southern most ward of the City.  For citizens concerned with the workings of the GAC or the effort of the committee in executive session, a call or note to Southside residents who served on the GAC for years in the past would be recommended.  Consider Seth Fleetwood, Jody Bergsma, or Bobbi Vollendorf to start.

September 29, 2008: City Council holds an executive session concerning property acquisition.  Later that evening, the Strategic Plan is announced that it is nearly complete.  Some main elements of the Plan are verbally discussed.

October 6, 2008:  Council receives a report from the GAC in a public afternoon session and a draft of the Strategic Plan is released for initial Council comment.  Council is told that the Plan is ready for GAC and Parks Board approval.  Council will receive the final report soon after.  Proceedings of afternoon and evening sessions are available at the City website.

The Strategic Plan calls for Greenways III spending $12.96 million in six northside areas, $1 million near Whatcom Creek, and $9.5 million in five southside areas.  All money is for acquisition of land only and individual projects and areas are evaluated based on the approved Acquisition Guidelines.

October 10, 2008:  GAC approves the Strategic Plan on a 10-0 vote in public session.  Four of the 10 committee members reside in Ward 6.  The motion was seconded by a member who resides directly adjacent to the Chuckanut Ridge parcel.  Barbara Ryan is in attendance as a guest and makes her initial appearance at any GAC meeting since her service as a Councilmember began in 1998.

November 8, 2008:   Parks Board approves the Strategic Plan on a 11-0 vote in public session.  Two of the 11 committee members reside in Ward 6.  An additional member resides in Ward 5 nearby.

January 8, 2009:  The agenda for the Council January 12 meeting is publicly available.  The agenda contains an item labeled: Approval of Strategic Plan for Greenway 3 Levy Land Acquisition.

January 12, 2009:  Council approves the North and Whatcom Creek sections of the Strategic Plan on a 7-0 vote.  One councilmember resides in Ward 6.  An additional member resides in Ward 5 nearby.  The Council further approves a motion on a 6-1 vote to table the South section of the Strategic Plan until the Council meeting that is after 15 days after the release of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Fairhaven Highlands/Chuckanut Ridge project.  Stan Snapp voted against this motion.  He resides near Lake Whatcom. Proceedings of afternoon and evening sessions are available at the City website.