ENA President's Report - February 2012
It has been a very busy month. The CSN (Coalition of Southside Neighborhoods) met January 17th, and details are reported on the blog - www.edgemoorneighborhood.com/wordpress.
As a result of that meeting, you will be receiving an emailed survey this week to determine the position the Edgemoor Neighborhood will take regarding the Padden Trails development. If you are not familiar with the project, there are links in the blog post to help bring you up to speed. Please respond when you receive the survey – it is the board’s attempt to reflect your opinions in their actions.
The other major result of that meeting was the decision to hold another public meeting regarding the Gateway Pacific Project…but this one will be a bit different. The idea is to have representatives from SSA, ReSources, Whatcom County Planning, Department of Ecology and BNSF, with a goal of clarifying the mass of assumptions and rumors flying about as well as explaining the process which will determine whether the project becomes a reality. It is tentatively scheduled for March 27th…stay tuned to the blog and the newsletter for updates. Our neighborhood is spearheading it, so if you would like to help, please let a board member know.
The agenda for our February 2nd meeting will be posted to the blog on Tuesday. If there is something you would like to have discussed please feel free to email or call. At this point, primary topics will be a vote on the addition of the train clause to the neighborhood plan and review of the proposed changes to the bylaws. In addition, we will be talking about where our focus should be as a neighborhood association…and how we should act on it.
We would love to see you on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 at Fairhaven Middle School at our next ENA Meeting! If you park in the upper lot off Park Ridge Road, it is a level entrance to our meeting in the library.
ENA President - 360-303-1327
Meeting Agenda for February 2nd ENA Meeting
ENA President's Report - January 2012
A Summary of the Presentation by SSA Rep at Edgemoor Neighborhood Meeting (as posted by Lylene Johnson on the ENA Blog)
If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend the December 1st presentation regarding the Gateway Pacific Terminal, what follows is a summary based on notes I took. As you might have guessed, it was a “lively” meeting. What came through loud and clear was that the people who asked “questions” (more often statements of position and opinion) were absolutely opposed to the project.
The primary areas of concern seemed to be the following (not in any particular order):
- Impacts from increased train traffic on neighborhoods, property values & access to waterfront areas.
- Impacts from the transport of coal, specifically.
- Environmental concerns ranging from air, water and soil quality to public health.
- Costs of improvements/modifications to rail crossings.
- Potential expansion of the facility beyond its currently anticipated capacity.
- Questions regarding the actual number of local, permanent jobs to be provided.
Rather than attempt to accurately convey the answers given by Craig Cole & Chris Johnson, I am providing links to the printed information they provided. It seems quite comprehensive. If you have more specific questions about what occurred, I strongly urge you to attend one of the many meetings that will continue to be held throughout the county concerning the project.
We have made contact with BNSF, and it looks as though they will provide a speaker to answer questions specifically relating to the railroad. We will be pursuing that possibility after the first of the year.
All
members are welcome to
all meetings, so feel
free to just attend and
check out what is going
on at any time.
I look forward to
seeing you there!
SSA’s Answers to Terminal Questions
Response to Health Concerns
ENA
Blog - Edgemoor Conversations A new Blog titled
"Edgemoor Conversations" has been created to
provide a venue for dialog about local
issue. Check it out at
www.EdgemoorNeighborhood.com/wordpress
Edgemoor Neighborhood Association Bylaws Update
The ENA Bylaws committee has been working to update the bylaws which were developed in 2005 when ENA was formed. Since that time it has become obvious that changes are necessary for us to be in compliance with requirements by the city and state and to better reflect the structure of the organization. The proposed changes to the ENA bylaws were presented at the ENA meeting in February and will be voted on in March. Here are links to the old bylaws, proposed bylaws and draft showing the old bylaws with proposed changes.
Edgemoor Neighborhood Plan Update
The June ENA Meeting was devoted entirely towards discussion of the proposed Edgemoor Neighborhood Plan. The plan has been submitted to the City of Bellingham and we have been informed that the deadline for 2011 has passed and the next deadline to have the plan docketed for review is April 1, 2012. The letter below from Senior Planner, Greg Aucutt, explains the timeline and process for the plan to be reviewed by the City. Please feel free to send your comments or suggestions about the proposed Edgemoor Neighborhood Plan to the committee contacts , and .
Neighborhood Approved Edgemoor Plan June 2011 (PDF)
Letter from Senior Planner with docket review timeline
1981 Edgemoor Neighborhood Plan
Links of Interest:
Post Point Sewer Treatment Plant
Planning underway for wastewater facility improvements
Every day, people in Bellingham wash dishes, shower, brush teeth, and flush sending between 8 and 72 million gallons of wastewater mixed with some stormwater, through a complex system of pipes and pumps to the Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).
What arrives in the wastewater (called load) is as important as the quantity (or flow). Some days the amount of solid and dissolved, organic material or Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) touches or exceeds the rated capacity of the plant.
Treated wastewater entering Bellingham Bay from our plant consistently meets or exceeds all state and federal standards designed to protect public health and the environment. However, as the plant reaches capacity for both "load" and "flow", we must make improvements to be able to continue to meet wastewater requirements and serve our community safely and effectively in the future.
To address this need, a City-hired consultant team has prepared several improvement alternatives for review and consideration.
Read the full article at http://www.cob.org/issues/wastewater.aspx.
Read the Frequently Asked Questions document HERE
