The Insider

Vol. 5, #50

Our next general meeting, to be held Tuesday, November 10, will feature a talk by Ted Carlson, City of Bellingham Public Works Director.  Carlson, six months in his position, is making a timely appearance as dramatic changes in our Neighborhood are either being made or considered.  Public Works, a department of 240 employees whose focus is enhancing our quality of life, has a highly significant impact upon the community.  Composed of 15 units, Public Works is charged with many responsibilities including the building of City roads, the protection of health and safety and the provision of efficient quality services.  Included are such disparate subjects as water recycling, parking, and yard waste disposal.  Carlson’s 7 p.m. appearance on the 10^th will be at Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 500 Meadowbrook Ct.  See you there. 

 

New Neighborhood boundaries have been conceptually approved by the Bellingham Planning Commission.  Yet to be completed is a boatload of legal and technical work although final borders approval appears quite likely and soon.  The most significant aspects of the re-working will be the loss of Guide Meridian and the retention of West Bakerview Rd.  The latter reflects opposition by your GMCNA whose desire to keep all of Whatcom Community College and the Whatcom Transit Authority sub station should  be realized in what will be re-named the Cordata Neighborhood.  The new one will be bordered on the south by West Bakerview Rd.  Western limit will be Aldrich Rd. with the east border running north from Kellogg Rd. along the backside of the storage units and passing short of big box stores including Costco.  The re-designed Cordata Neighborhood thus will have been transformed from a mixed light industrial/residential Neighborhood into one almost exclusively residential.  The only exceptions will be businesses on West Bakerview Rd. and Cordata Parkway.

 

Our newest board member is Linda Trentman who, with husband Jon, lives in The Reserve @ Cordata.  Having resided in Vancouver, B.C. and Southern California where she held positions as a technical account executive and a regional account executive in the disclosure business, Linda brings excellent communications skills to the table.  She also holds real estate licenses in California and Washington.  Her work in the latter provided insight into such subjects as neighborhood developments, home builders and contractors.  Linda’s interests include internal design, travel, boating and marveling at the beauty of such local sights as Cordata Parkway—particularly on a fall day.  Great to have you with us, Linda.

 

Deadline Dash….Candidate Night, sponsored by your Neighborhood Association, found 18 of 20 candidates participating in the October 20 event held at Birchwood Presbyterian Church.  Its success probably can be summed up by a comment of one of the attendees: “It was so good I changed my mind about three of the races”….The nearby Hilltop Restaurant on Guide Meridian will soon acquire Blarney Stone West, according to owner Tom Kilpatrick.  It’s being created from 50 tons of one million year-old olivine rock obtained from a Twin Sister Mt. and will be ready for this winter’s Olympic Games.  Kilpatrick quotes in the Bellingham Herald strongly suggest he has been within kissing distance of the original stone in County Cork….Julie Guy represented us at a recent Public Works open house held in regard to the roundabout to be built in front of the auto dealership at I-5 & Northwest Rd. at the Jerry Chamber dealership.  Preliminary work, begun today, will continue through Nov. 20 with major construction scheduled for spring.  Working hour flaggers are now in place to make sure pedestrians have proper area access as the Neighborhood Association monitors the complex site.  A word to the wise: shop very early or late at Fred Myer….That’s excellent news about extension plans for Cordata Parkway whose fall height of beauty was, again, a total delight.  Developer Ted Mischaikov (he will build South Springs west of a Cordata Parkway extension) will re-institute the medium strip so thoughtlessly rejected by the departed DR Horton.  Mischaikov has also hired Earth-First Lawn Care as his project plans become even greener….Should the City of Bellingham O.K .the highly controversial Fairhaven Highlands project (a.k.a. Hundred Acre Wood), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will actually make the definitive call.  That’s the word from Bob Simmons, writing in Crosscut Public Media on October 31.  The problem is locally owned Horizon Bank whose partnership with developer David Edelstein, combined with a lagging economy, raised red flags difficult to dismiss since an FDIC major responsibility is to prevent bankers from venturing into wild financial territory.…And now it’s time for a commercial message.  This organization would not be possible without your support.  With the new year around the corner, it’s time for us to ask of you more than your time.  Membership dues are $10 per year.  Think of us along with other do good organizations like the Girl Scouts of America (we, too, are cookie-prone serving them often at meetings) and participatory walkathons for causes thus begging the thought that attending meetings is far less exhausting.

 More, later

 Bob Sanders, with a thumbs up for Micah Caucutt

Vol. 5, #49

News Alert….News Alert….The Planning & Development Commission will take under consideration developer Blair Murray’s Tin Rock Project for Cordata.  The 7 p.m. City Hall session tomorrow night (October 8) will determine the future of Murray’s 45.7 acres on Cordata Parkway between Horton and Stuart Rds.  It’s all about rezoning the property.  Murray explained his hopes and dreams at the September general meeting.  Your board of directors has a number of questions contained in a letter, written by board member Ralph Wenning, to be read at the meeting.

 Such vital subjects as a South Springs progress report and the challenges of neighborhood crime and what to do about it are on deck for the GM/CNA general meeting to be held Tuesday, October 13, at the Birchwood Presbyterian Church.  The 7 p.m. session will feature developer Ted Mischaikov and Katrin Dearborn of Bellingham’s Crime Prevention Unit.  Mischaikov will provide details of a possible purchase by the City of north Cordata land formerly owned by D.R. Horton.  The property would be used to create another Cordata park.  Dearborn will introduce such subjects as Block Watch and vandalism.  Appearing November 10 will be Ted Carlson, Bellingham Public Works Director.  He has been in charge of the department’s 240 full-time employees since May. 

“Meet the Candidates,” a forum designed to help you make up your mind as election day approaches, will be held Tuesday, October 20, from 7-8:30 p.m. at Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Court, off Cordata Parkway.  All candidates running for open offices including Port, City Council and Whatcom County Council have accepted invitations to speak.  Questions from the audience are likely to involve such subjects as: Big Box Expansion, Cordata Branch Library, Lake Whatcom Water and Urban Growth.  GM/CNA Co-President Beverly Jacobs will moderate.        

 The impact of new housing on Cordata was the principle theme of a letter written to the City’s Planning Commission by Julie Guy, co-founder of GM/CNA.  The letter, read by her to the Commission on September 17 with copies to Mayor Dan Pike and the City Council, underlined the contrast between older neighborhoods “concerned about squeezing in more housing in the vacant or rundown areas” and Cordata where three neighborhoods “are bursting at the seams with new units.”  Drawing attention to 1,134 residential units planned for the next few years, Guy suggested: “This is not infill, it is major development.”

 Raising the looming specter of Cordata Park, 20 acres of mostly wetlands finally awarded to the community a year ago, Guy commented about promises unfulfilled.  One of the problems of park development involves Horton Rd whose extension is vital for truck access.  That extension is currently “scheduled” as far off as six years.      

 Marriott, a leader in the hotel industry, has been approved for construction of a 204-room inn at the southeast corner of the Northwest Avenue and West Bakerview Road intersection.  A first kind venture, the hostelry will join two Marriott brands—TownPlace Suites (83 rooms) and SpringHill Suites (121 units).  Construction is scheduled to start   next spring or summer.  The five-story building calls out for a top floor restaurant with commanding views in a city where dining affords far too few.  Meanwhile, the GM/CNA is committed to making certain that building plans, including an access sidewalk for Sterling Neighborhood residents, are carried out as approved.     

 Deadline Dash….Another one of those subjects that won’t go away is Fairhaven Highlands, certain to attract an overflow crowd on October 20 at City Council Chambers beginning at 7 p.m.  The public hearing will be about a Draft Environmental Impact Statement dealing with the 739-unit project proposed in April, 2005….Getting his ducks in order is activist Clay Butler who wants to put severe limits on fireworks in Bellingham.  He pitched your GM/CNA board of directors recently  for approval and we told him to go for it…To no one’s surprise, any City Council decision regarding an expansion of big box stores won’t be made until at least January.   Meanwhile, Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike has opened revenue-sharing talks with Ferndale Mayor Gary Jensen.  Our neighbor to the north earlier this year lifted nearly all big box size restrictions giving the green light to any stores leaving Bellingham….Congratulations and thanks for a terrific job go to our Neighborhood gardeners who celebrated a highly successful year with a picnic/pot luck on the last Sunday in September.  There is something approaching the spiritual about more than 50 highly diversified people coming together to create bountiful harvests.  Event committee members Jim Chow, Maureen Vaughn, Becky Pillai, Lisa Moss, Sarah Pree, Juana Banuelos & Rachel Graybill did a marvelous job….While publicity for the Cordata Neighborhood Gardens almost always has been through traditional means, let’s not forget the Bellingham Business Journal’s website and a story featuring a photo of Dee Andrews.  You can read it at: http://bbjtoday.com/blog/community-garden-takes-root-cordata/3569.  The story is by BBJ editor Lance Henderson….Praise music singer/songwriter Cheri Keaggy will be featured in a concert Saturday, October 17, at 7 p.m., at Birchwood Presbyterian Church.  The fundraiser is for the church’s Guatemala Mission Team, now in its sixth year.  Tickets ranging from $10 to $25 can be obtained at the church (733-8860)….Too early for this edition of The Insider was an announcement by Whatcom Community College that it was offering free two-day classes late in September titled: “Understanding Twitter.”  Perhaps class graduates, now armed with rudimentary knowledge, will demand additional instruction--something along the lines of “Connecting With Your Twitter Audience” or “Writing Exciting Twitter.”

 More later,  

Bob Sanders 

Vol. 4, #48

Now that summer’s doldrums, whose principle ingredient appeared to consist of a roller coaster temperature ride, are almost over, it’s time to resume regular monthly general meetings of your Neighborhood Association.  Without question, the Tuesday, September 8 session is the most significant one in our four years as one of Bellingham ’s most assertive Neighborhoods.  Titled “The Challenge of Change,” the evening’s program features speakers representing proposed adjustments for Cordata and include COB Communications Coordinator Nicole Oliver and Pat Carman of the Planning Department plus developer Blair Murray. 

At stake is a possible revamping of the present Neighborhood from multi-use to residential by moving two of three main main arteries, Guide Meridian and West Bakerview , into the Meridian Neighborhood.  The change, suggested by Planning Director Tim Stewart, is part of the 2009 Comprehensive Plan/Neighborhood Plan Amendment Process.  The procedure includes a series of evaluations by the Planning Director or authorized representative, the Planning Commission and the City Council.  The Council will likely hold a public hearing sometime in November. 

Also speaking on a decidedly related issue will be Murray who will describe what he has in mind for his Tin Rock Project, a 45.7 proposed development located on the east side of Cordata Parkway between Horton and Stuart Rds. Let’s get the word out regarding the importance of the September 8 meeting to be held at

7 p.m. t the Birchwood Presbyterian Church, a t400 Meadowbrook Ct.  See you there.  October’s speakers will be developer Ted Mischaikov with further information about his proposed north Cordata project now called South Springs and Katrin Dearborn of the Bellingham Crime Prevention Unit.  

Another calendar notation is “Meet the Candidates” forum sponsored by GM/CNA scheduled for October 20, from

7-8:30 p.m. t Birchwood Presbyterian Church.  All candidates running for open offices at the Port, Bellingham City Council and Whatcom County Council have been invited.  Cordatans are urged to come with questions about such subjects as a branch library, community center, big box expansion regulations, traffic planning and waterfront development.  Neighborhood Association Co-President Beverly Jacobs will moderate.  

County Executive Pete Kremen, playing catch-up with a two years late updating of urban growth vision, has called for returning 7,815 acres of urban-zoned land to rural zoning during the next 20 years.  Kremen, who will not run for re-election, was elbowed into his plan by a state growth board that asked the review be completed by Dec. 1.  His recommendations are based upon an anticipated county population of 246,000 in the year 2029.  That’s 55,000 more than the county’s total in 2008.  Focal points of Kremen’s plan are water supply protection, the environment, and agricultural lands.  Of no surprise was his suggestion that “there’s plenty of room for infill and for expansion within the existing UGAs.”  In terms of numbers, it means the City would have to find room for 4,450 more  ‘hamsters than what it has requested.  With Kremen’s report finally a reality, the next move is up to City planners who will make recommendations for the City Council—likely at a Sept. 14 meeting.   

 

In the interest of transparency, GM/CNA Treasurer Julie Guy and co-founder will make graphic presentations to the Planning Commission on Sept. 17 and the City Council shortly thereafter regarding 1,134 residential units currently planned for Cordata during the next five years.  On the drawing board are 340 units in Grandview Gardens , 429 at South Springs (formerly DR Horton), 300 at

West Cordata ith 64 scheduled for assisted living on w Tremont Rd.

  The goal is to make certain the City does right by the Comprehensive Plan for an infill of this magnitude, a dramatic contrast to long-established Neighborhoods.  Guy’s appearances will put the City on notice. 

Deadline Dash….That City Council decision to annex 233 acres north of King Mountain means it will join 636 acres pulled into City limits in March.  Council member Jack Weiss (First Ward) voted against it while Stan Snapp (Fourth Ward) was absent….While one of your Neighborhood association’s prime objectives is a branch library, the difficulties of such an acquisition were underlined by the recent COB decision to cut 32 more full-time jobs.  Eight are library positions.  Also reduced are Wednesday and Thursday library hours from

8 p.m. to 6 p.m

…..Seven jazzy new $400,000 buses have been added to the WTA fleet with seven more scheduled to hit the road later this month.  They replace 14-year old clunkers with 600,000-700,000 miles on them.  The new ones have cleaner emission and greater fuel efficiency….Western 

Washington University

continues its ranking as the West’s best university according to U.S.News and World Report.  Its achievements include being third best Masters-granting-schools.  The West is defined as running from Texas to Alaska
…The Cordata Community Gardens, our Neighborhood’s significant summer hit under the direction of the indefatigable Dee Andrews, now has a website up and running thanks to an anonymous gardener.  It’s reachable at: Cordatagarden.ning.com….Anger, the subject of much political discourse these days, should be used rarely and skillfully in selling a particular point of view.  Tim Johnson, editor of Cascadia Weekly and author of the publication’s “The Gristle” column, is to be commended regarding a recent look at voter unrest and obvious attempts to capitalize on it.  As Johnson so succinctly put it, “Be careful in the change you wish for.  You might get it.”….There’s a show called “Built to Spill” coming in November to a nightclub near all of us, according to a recent newspaper ad.  My first reaction, admittedly highly personal, was to bristle believing it was yet another criticism of martini construction.      

More later, 

Bob Sanders with Micah Caucutt’s able assistance

Vol. 4, #47

At the risk of seeming premature, there can be no question regarding the importance of our first general meeting following a two-month hiatus.  In the opinion of the City’s Planning Department, Bellingham’s northern neighborhoods have become unwieldy and over-sized because of successive annexations.  As a result, the Planning Director has called for a review of Guide Meridian/Cordata boundaries as part of the 2009 Comprehensive Plan/Neighborhood Plan Amendment Process. 

The essence of the change would transform the present neighborhood from multi-use to residential by moving commercial main stem Guide Meridian into the Meridian Neighborhood.  Also transferred to  Meridian would be commercial laden West Bakerview Rd. along with the Sterling area plus land adjacent to the airport often referred to by City planners as a “no man’s land.”  Other possible boundary changes, subject to a series of evaluations--first by the Planning Commission--involve the Meridian, King Mountain and Mount Baker Neighborhoods.  The process includes a series of evaluations by the Planning Director or authorized representative, the Planning Commission and the City Council.  It is anticipated the Council will hold a public hearing sometime in November should the proposal including zoning changes be approved to that point.  Making the presentation for the Planning Department at the September general meeting will be Planner Pat Carman and Communications Coordinator Nicole Oliver. 

In what certainly can be described a related issue, developer Blair Murray will kick off the program with a presentation about his Tin Rock Project.  Murray will describe what he has in mind for a 45.7 acre proposed development located on the east side of Cordata Parkway between Horton and Stuart Rds.

 The meeting, to be held Tuesday, September 8, at 7 p.m. at Birchwood Presbyterian Church, is unquestionably the most important one in the nearly four-year history of your Neighborhood Association.  Please come to the meeting to hear and be heard.  There are nearly 3,000 people currently living in what is now called Guide Meridian/Cordata.  Surely, 10% of us can make it to the meeting.

Looking back on nearly four years of our being an official Bellingham Neighborhood, it is interesting not only to reflect upon our success but, also, to observe a new Neighborhood Association being created nearby.  Bruce Alexander and Kevin Waltz are co-chairs of what will become the King Mountain Neighborhood Association currently located east of us between Guide Meridian St. and the Irongate Industrial area, the latter plus Barkley visualized as coming Neighborhoods.  King Mountain’s current 635 acres are owned by developers Ralph and Mike Black who plan an urban village.  The area quite likely will be enlarged north of there plus Queen Mountain to the east.  Still alive is the possibility of a bridge over Guide Meridian that would provide linkage between the two Neighborhoods.

City Hall’s Planning Board of Directors and Planner Kathy Bell.  Thoroughly discussed was Grandview Cordata Green with construction scheduled to begin this month south of June Rd. and whose eastern access is currently blocked off Stuart Rd.   Eleven houses will be built on Sumac and Violet Streets as Phase 1 gets under way; included are 77 lots north of June Rd.  A myriad of questions produced the following:  The old County PUD (Planned Unit Development) contract that expires October, 2010 controls the area with the City gaining leverage should developer Ronald Jepson and the City extend it; there is no chance for parks and trails at present; the County will monitor buffers with the City initiating enforcement at an undisclosed later date; a scheduled clubhouse will not be built until much later in the development of the project’s 64 acres; the timing of June Rd. completion plus the widening of Aldrich Rd. won’t happen until Phase 11, very late in the game.  Unclear is the location of condominiums in Phase 1.   According to the Planning Department, the developer has the option to go single family.  The meeting’s bottom line, as with much of Cordata development, suggests an unfortunate inheritance by the City of casual county ground rules in an area largely disregarded for far too many years.  Inescapable are the fingerprints left behind by a series of developers. 

 Deadline Dash….Bellingham International Airport may become a connecting point to Hawaii, according to Allegiant Air.  The airline is considering the possibility although it can’t happen for at least a year.  Something larger than the MD80 (150 passengers) will be required….Life Safety Division of the Bellingham Fire Department reminds us to make certain that smoke alarms be installed in every bedroom and on every floor….With Marriott International  Corporation hotel construction underway at Bakerview Rd. & Northwest Ave., we’ve just learned the Sterling Rd. area is being considered for easement.  Construction sidewalks and nearby roundabout construction will be open for public discussion when the roundabout bid is awarded.  Meanwhile, Cordatans can contact WTA for special bus service during the construction  when the handicapped need a safe way in and out of Sterling….’Hamsters of varying persuasions are keeping an eye on a rooming house in Seattle’s University District where $500-$600 gets you a room and shower about the size of a parking space.  Utilities include broadband Internet and, yes, there are six parking spaces for the 46 residents living in an already crowded neighborhood….Don’t forget to cast your primary vote.  You have until August 19.

More later,

Bob Sanders, aided by the nimble fingers of Micah Caucutt

Vol. 4, #46

The Big Box Contretemps, a story that won’t go away, was pushed forward when representatives of the City Planning Commission voted 3-2 a request that the Planning Department comment on several issues not in the original ordinance that would enable super stores to enlarge their operations. A lot of questions were produced during the June 25 session seeking public input.  It’s anticipated that the City Council will render a decision in August or September.  Chief architect of relaxing restrictions as trade-offs for environmentally friendly ground rules is Mayor Dan Pike. 

That public hearing was preceded by the following letter from your Neighborhood Association with copies to Mayor Dan Pike and Planning Director Tim Stewart:

Planning Commission                                                                                                                                 City of Bellingham

The Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association is writing in support of the expansion of big box stores with appropriate conditions important to the welfare of our neighborhood and city.

Our neighborhood is the home to several big box stores including Wal-Mart and Costco.  Because of this,  we are particularly interested and impacted by the issue of expansion of these stores.

When the Bellingham City Council approved the building of Bellis Fair Mall on the edge of Meridian in the 80’s, they also created a commercial zone running north from the Mall to Horton along Meridian.

As the big box stores located on Meridian, they were permitted by our planning department.  It was clear this is where the city wanted the major commercial growth to happen.  We now have a major commercial engine in our neighborhood.  Millions are generated in these economically trying times by this commercial zone.

Over the years, hundreds of dwelling units have been built in the same neighborhood.  Single family, condos, apartments and senior living institutions have sprung up all around the Meridian commercial zone.  A community college is located here, as well as a major WTA hub.

While all this growth was happening, parks, trails, and open spaces were not created as visualized in city planning.  We are just now seeing some relief on that front.  We are very concerned that if the big box stores are not allowed to expand to reflect the needs of their growth, our neighborhood will end up with big box stores, gaping and empty.  The tax revenues will disappear.

We definitely want to support the proposal to allow expansion with conditions of the big box stores in our neighborhood.  They are already here and expanding their own footprint will not affect any other neighborhood.  It will ad more tax revenue to the entire city, provide employment to more citizens and continue to serve the needs of those customers that patronize them.  They are good neighbors and we want them to stay with us.

Sincerely,

 

Adrienne Lederer, Beverly Jacobs, Co-Presidents                                                                     Board of Directors                                                                                                                  Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association                 

June 18, 2009                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Cc: Mayor Pike, Bellingham City Council, Tim Stewart, Planning Dept.

In what may have been a Bellingham “first,” your board of directors and general members present at the June 9 meeting unanimously adopted a resolution informing the City of Bellingham that it supports design modifications to the “Cordata Country” plat as presented by Ted Mischaikov of M:KOV Development I.  The plat, not yet officially named, was formerly owned by D.R. Horton.  The vote follows information gained from two charrettes that form the basis for stakeholder information, participation, and inclusion as precursors to the more formal public process to come.                           

Another hot topic is the Infill Toolkit, a COB Planning Department device to create small footprint housing (there are nine different types) on small lots.  It’s a controversial approach with the anti group led by the web sited Zone Maven whose intense irritation revolves around people who rent out rooms to students thereby incurring the Dreaded Added Automobile Curse.  Actually, the ZM makes some good points.   Interestingly enough, the small footprint homes including cottages are being embraced by Cordata’s present and future builders.

  “Cordata’s radical change” was a telling point of reference made by architect David Christensen as he led a coalition of City officials, community leaders and vocal Cordatans through two charrettes designed to inspire commentary about Tin Rock Development’s rezone request.  Tin Rock, a 45.7 acre proposed development located on the east side of Cordata Parkway between Horton and Stuart Rds., is owned by Blair Murray.  A third session, held June 30, featured a concept plan presented by Christensen who also addressed questions involving design, process and technical aspects of the proposal.

Deadline Dash….Bellingham police need your help. More than 59,000 square feet of lawns and about 100 shrubs and trees have been damaged or destroyed in your neighborhood; the replacement value is between $60,000 and $100,000.  Targeted are commercial properties, condos, apartment complexes, retirement communities, strip malls, property management businesses and realtors.  Anyone with information should call Detective Sergeant Mike Johnston (778-8687)….There will be a Bellingham Neighbors Night Out to be held August 4.  Stay tuned to this space for further information in the next Insider....Cold and dry has been our weather since late May, so much so that lawn and gardening watering cutbacks have been ordered.  Those with even numbered addresses are limited to Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays while Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are O.K. for uneven numbers.  Mondays are a no-no for both….The City’s Community First! Gardens will hold a workshop July 21 at 7 p.m. at the downtown Community Food Co-op.  Further, there will be Healthy Connections Tours at Bellingham’s four community gardens including our very own produced by the GM/CNA’s Community Garden Committee.  The tours will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on consecutive Saturdays (July 18 & 25)….Most disappointing was the news at press time that Cordata trails, scheduled to be built this summer, have been rescheduled for 2010.  The story out of Parks & Recreation blames a holdup of approval by federal and state agencies for the design of a bridge over wetlands as part of trail design.  That’s another way of saying bureaucratic paperwork has been slowed down because of budget cutbacks.  

More later,

Bob Sanders with Micah Caucutt’s gracious help

Vol. 4, #45

A major Neighborhood event is upon us and well worth the wait.  Saturday’s (June 6) celebration of Cordata Community Gardens, beginning at noon and running four hours, will honor those whose untiring efforts have helped make possible the City’s first such venue on the north side.  There are three others--all located considerably south of Cordata.  The Gardens are impressive proof of extensive neighborhood involvement in addition to grant money from Washington State University Extension funded by The Mary Redman Foundation plus the City of Bellingham.  Another contributing factor has been that of the business community without which the project would not have been possible.

Land was provided at no cost by developer Ted Mischaikov whose M:KOV group now owns plats purchased from departed D.R. Horton.  The project was brought to life by the Cordata Community Gardens Committee of the Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association.  Among Saturday’s features will be commentary by Mayor Dan Pike and 1^st Ward Councilman Jack Weiss, tours of the gardens, snacks, food for purchase and a lottery drawing for 14 prizes including a $100 shopping spree at the Cordata Community Food Co-op.  Lottery tickets at $1 each are still available by calling Julie Guy (738-8466).

Our last meeting until September, featuring developer Ted Mischaikov, will be held Tuesday, June 9, Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Ct.  Mischaikov, through transparency delivered at Neighborhood meetings and a donation of land making possible Cordata Community Gardens, has achieved significant stature among us and the rest of Bellingham.  It was Mischaikov and his M:KOV group that purchased land remaining from D.R. Horton’s projects north of Tremont Rd. and Cordata Parkway.  Included is a 428-unit residential plat located west of the Parkway.  While planning of the land by Horton was initially accepted by the City, Mischaikov is attempting beneficial changes that must be within a reasonable range according to the Planning Dept.  If, in its opinion, the changes are too dramatic, Mischaikov must begin from scratch. Forthright and intelligent, the developer represents a departure from Bellingham’s inclination to slam and jam.  Focus of his appearance will be his plans for the as yet un-named project.  One of his suggestions involves a use of eight different types of housing as contrasted to Horton’s five.  Another major feature is a concern for the development’s wetlands through which will run an extension of Kline Rd. if current plans are carried out.  Mischaikov wants make Kelly Rd. to the north as a main east-west connector to Aldrich Rd. from Guide Meridian.  Tuesday’s meeting is a 7 p.m.  Come and bring a neighbor and learn about plans to our immediate north. 

Bellingham’s Big Box Ban, the story that won’t go away, achieved further development with Mayor Dan Pike’s announcement that he wants to relax the ground rules.  With City Council approval, the current 90,000-square-foot cap would be obviated and such stores as Costco, Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer allowed expansion.  The squeeze was put on the City by Ferndale and Lynden overtures to the big guys.  Ferndale now has no limits on size while key Lynden leaders have indicated a desire to eliminate the current 65,000 square-foot limit along Guide Meridian.  Bellingham’s fallback position will request expansions adhere to environmentally friendly building standards.  The nine stores currently beyond the cap, initiated two years ago, paid $4.2 million in taxes and fees last year.  There will be a public discussion June 25 at City Hall.        

Another public hearing at City Hall, to consider amendments to zoning tables, will be held June 15.  Involving payment of fees in lieu of acquiring transfer of development rights from Lake Whatcom watershed, the amendments would affect GM/C Neighborhood in addition to King Mountain, Meridian and Mt. Baker Neighborhood Zoning.

Whatcom Community College is now part of Northwest Colleges Egypt Initiative resulting from a $1.4 million grant.  Sixteen students from the land of pyramids will enroll this fall in a variety of programs.  Anyone interested in providing housing should call Kelly Kester (383-3245)....Battle of the Bands will be held at Heimer Center Auditorium on June 12, at 8 p.m.…..The Bellingham Slam continues to play outstanding professional basketball in the International League.  Upcoming games in the WCC Pavilion include: Oregon Waves, June 5; Shanxi (China) Zhongyu, June 12; Edmonton Energy, June 28.  Games begin at 8 p.m.

Deadline Dash….Television’s attitude toward “Ski to Sea” begs many questions, among them the matter of its lack of attention regarding the unusual seven-leg competition.  I’m sure the lack of “names” comes into play and its awkward length suggests feature coverage.  Seattle stations have accorded the event attention as did Bellingham KVOS-TV when the station did news.  Still, “Ski-to-Sea” is worth more than regional programming.  For a good look at the event, catch up with Ron Judd’s recent take in the Seattle Times.  It can be accessed on the Internet….Bellingham housing values fell but 2.2% during the first quarter compared to last year’s same time frame.  That compares to Washington State’s 6.6% and the national figure of 7.1%.  Alaska, up 4.8% led the Nation while Nevada, victimized by housing high rollers, was down 31.1%....A vote on revised Association bylaws, discussed at the last general meeting, will be held at the June 9 meeting.  For further insight, call Ralph Wenning (733-6310) or Julie Guy (738-8466)….As we head into summer (its doldrums will include no general meetings until September), your Association will greatly appreciate any year’s dues that have yet to be paid.  Collector of such fees, vital in our activities as we make Cordata an even better place, is Julie Guy (738-8466).

More later,

Bob Sanders with noble assistance from Micah Caucutt

 

 

     

Vol.4, #44

Particularly timely will be the appearance of Nick Hartrich as guest speaker at our Tuesday, May 12 general meeting.  Hartrich, Green Building Program Manager of Sustainable Connections, represents a local forum whose mission statement calls for businesses to come together to transform and model an economy built on sustainable practices.  Sustainable Connections envisions a thriving, collaborative community in which local businesses are prosperous and contribute to a healthy environment and the well-being of all citizens.  Begun in 2002, SC includes more than 600 local independently-owned business members, a staff of eight, and a board of 13 business owners.  One of 53 forms within the framework of Business Alliance for Local Living Economics (BALLE), it is considered the model network.  The 7 p.m. meeting at Birchwood Community Church, 400 Meadowbrook Ct., also will include a Cordata Community Food Co-op update by Member Outreach Facilitator Laura Steiger. 

Developer Ted Mischaikov’s redesigned 428-home project now has a name.   It’s Cordata Country as revealed in a front page Herald story this past Monday.  Mischaikov’s plan will be detailed Tuesday, June 9 when he speaks at a regular meeting of the GM/CNA.  The session is not to be missed and it’s quite likely the meeting will be moved to a larger room at Birchwood Presbyterian Church.  Cordatans should spread the word.  The re-working of former owner D.R. Horton’s design, while maintaining the number of units, is a dramatic departure utilizing many different types of homes including cottages and row houses to escape Bellingham’s same old, same old.  Other changes include a 3.5 acre park east of the parkway, a 2,500 square-foot community center, and a switch to Kelly Rd. from Kline Rd. as an east-to-west connector.  As Mischaikov recently observed, “It’s the same thing done a heck of a lot better.”  

Those who haven’t seen the 10,500 sq. ft. Cordata Community Gardens are in for an impressive sight.  Located at the end of Cordata Parkway on land donated by developer Ted Mischaikov, the Gardens are an excellent example of what can be done through careful planning, infectious enthusiasm, a love of the soil and what it is capable of producing, and learning to work with the City and others in obtaining grants to make the project possible.  Including 50 beds (each 4’x16’), the Gardens will be open every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a garden-wide work day set for Saturday, May 16.  Many thanks to Dee and Ben Andrews and Bill Smith for their leadership of the Garden Committee whose membership also includes Jim Chow, Laura Fornalski, Lorena Shah, and Rhett Winter. 

And, of course, we’re all looking forward to the June 6 GM/C Neighborhood Association annual party--this year a salute to Cordata Community Gardens, site of the event whose highlights include such outstanding raffle prizes as: $100 gift certificate from the Community Food Co-op; three-month Bellingham Athletic Club membership; a quilted wall hanging; Pickford Film Membership; 24 original note cards by Shasta; five $10 gift certificates from Bellis Fair merchants; AT&T Universal Blue Tooth Headset; two $25 Billy McHale Restaurant gift certificates; three $25 Home Depot gift certificates; and a $50 Fred Meyer gift certificate. 

Bet you didn’t know Cordata has a professional basketball team and they’re currently in first place in the International Basketball League?  Further, the head coach of the Bellingham Slam is Rob Ridnour, father of Luke Ridnour of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.  Home games are played at Whatcom Community College’s Whatcom Pavillion.  Upcoming home dates: May 9, Seattle Mountaineers; May 25, Vancouver (BC) Titans; and June 5, Oregon Waves.  Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 for kids 12 and under.  Google bellinghamslam.com for further details.  Because of the increasing importance of WCC in our Neighborhood, this space will include information of interest as it pertains to our membership.  A broad spectrum of information is available by Googling Whatcom Community College and various links.

The Association’s by-laws, those rules that govern us, require some revisions and will be available at Tuesday’s general meeting.  A vote on the changes will be included in the June 9 general meeting.  Many thanks go to Ralph Wenning for his work on the project.  

Deadline Dash….Reflective of a changing community is the decision by Lynden to combine Holland Days with the Farmers Day Parade to create Heritage Celebration Day.  This year’s event will be held June 6 with the Klompen Dancers very much in evidence….Michael Lilliquist will run for the Ward 6 seat being vacated by Councilwoman Barbara Ryan.  He’s being endorsed by our 1^st Ward Councilman Jack Weiss….The GM/CNA wishes to extend enthusiastic thanks for work well done by those board members who recently chose to resign.  Those thanks go to Pat Adams, Caroline Yaude, Bill and Dorothy Smith, plus Dee and Ben Andrews.  The latter remain chairs of the Gardens Committee….The first of four Guide Meridian roundabouts to be completed this year (others will be located at Pole, Wiser Lake and River Roads) was inaugurated five days before the official opening of the first one.  A Canadian trucker failed to slow down on his approach, crashed into utility poles and deprived 1,500 users of power before a surge was heard three miles away in Lynden.  The 180 ft. diameters of the roundabouts compare with Cordata Parkway locations at Kellogg and Westerly Roads of 160 and 144 ft.  Semi-trucks and some buses are required to roundabout alone--at least that’s the hope.       

More later,

Bob Sanders

Vol. 4, #43

Fast becoming a landmark is the Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) Cordata Station, in business just two months.  Your Neighborhood Association is delighted to have WTA Manager of Community Relations & Marketing Manager Maureen McCarthy as guest speaker at the Tuesday (April 14) 7 p.m. GM/CNA general meeting.  In her job since 2002, Maureen also is responsible for the Whatcom Smart Trips Program.  A professional advocate for walking, biking and riding the bus, Maureen is herself a frequent walker, cyclist, and bus rider.   Among the subjects covered by her will be an update of the new Cordata facility plus an historical perspective of the WTA.  One of the impressive facts about the WTA is its reputation as the fastest growing of 150 U.S. transportation systems.  The meeting will be at Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Ct.

The Cordata Community Gardens Project, under the impressive leadership of the Andrews--Ben and Dee plus Bill Smith, has reached another important stage.  It’s the selling of raffle tickets, 2,000 of them at the rare good price of $1 each.  Among the raffle prizes are: $75 in merchandise from Home Depot, dinner tickets from Billy McHale, Pickford Theater membership and a wall hanging quilt with many more coming in before the June 6 celebration of the gardens.  Check in with B. J. Sherwood bjsbham@yahoo.com regarding the buying or selling of tickets.  In the parlance of horse racing, the project is in the far turn and more volunteer help is needed.  One of the home stretch aspects will be the moving of approximately 1,000 wheelbarrows of compost from its nearby gardens location.  Those of sturdy mien contact the Andrews at 738-8778.

What a difference a struggling economy makes.  Take the proposed Bay View Tower 23-story presence on what is still a parking lot at 1217 N. State.  Although the city had rescinded the building permit a year ago on the basis of believing the project had been abandoned, the developers (Bay View Tower LLC) recently had that decision expelled by court order.  The original plans called for a high-rise of 240 feet making it the tallest building between Vancouver and Seattle and (sound the trumpets, please!) 28 feet more than the proposed Bellingham Towers whose future is equally murky if non-existent.  Bay View Tower LLC is seeking damages from the city of $3.675 million plus $7.7 million in lost profits.  If memory serves, a breathless press story of four years ago told of wealthy Hong Kongers grabbing up million dollar Bay View Tower condos while locals had to be content with lesser digs beginning in the low $300,000s.    

 

A recent library poll, whose results came on the heels of establishing a drop off location at the Cordata Community Food Co-op, suggested B‘hamsters favor giving up Sunday hours as a budgetary measure.  Nearly 3,000 respondents, representing 93% of those contacted, indicated a preference (43%) to give up two morning or afternoon hours of a weekday as opposed to those (21%) opting for a full weekday.  While the establishment of a drop-off location adds substance to limited pick-up service at Whatcom Community College, we were struck by a spokesperson’s summation of the move emphasizing the WHY of it: “without driving all the way downtown.”  We couldn’t put it any better since that’s one of the major points in our demands for a Cordata branch library.  There’s a great deal of difference between being serviced from afar by a library and having its joys within Bellingham’s fastest-growing Neighborhood.      

A new partnership is that of Whatcom Community College and Community Food Co-op and it’s aimed at foodies.  Having offered cooking classes separately for a number of years, the two organizations have partnered to offer 21 cooking classes to be held at the Co-op’s new teaching kitchen at the Cordata store, and at the downtown store.  A list of classes and registration forms may be reached at: whatcomcommunityed.com.  Foodies, those amateurs who love food for consumption, study, preparation and news, should not be confused with gourmets, those epicures of refined taste.  That’s the word from Wikipedia, a sometimes incomplete source.  Your humble scribbler likes William Safire’s take on the upper echelon of food consumption: “After eating, an epicure gives a thin smile of satisfaction; a gastronome, burping into his napkin, praises the food in a magazine; a gourmet, repressing his burp, criticizes the food in the same magazine; a gourmand belches happily and tells everybody where he ate; a glutton embraces the white porcelain altar, or, more plainly, he barfs.”    

Deadline Dash….A sign of the times involves the decision by the City to assign four cops to work exclusively in what is now 24 Neighborhoods with the addition of nearby King Mountain.  Three of the police are being transferred from duty in the three Bellingham School District high schools.  The move reflects budget problems plus the knowledge that difficult economic times produce crime increases….Incidentally, the next Neighborhood will be located north of King Mountain.  It will be called Van Wyck….Irv Kupcinet, the late Chicago Sun-Times columnist, used to refer to the city’s downtown main stem, Michigan Boulevard, as Boul Mich.  With land angel Ted Mischaikov having provided such a huge helping hand in the creation of the Cordata Community Gardens, perhaps Boul Misch would be a proper name for the 300 ft. gravel path built by Ted that leads to the garden?....It’s 11 down and 21 to go in terms of new buses for the WTA.  The problem of the aging buses (they hit the road in 1995) got a combined jump start from federal and state governments--offers that couldn’t be refused by WTA board of directors.  In spite of lower gas prices, ridership continues to increase with January numbers up 21% over 2008’s….Bellingham business closures for the year are up but not dangerously so.  The first quarter saw 25, a pace that would produce 100 for 2009.  Last year’s total was 85 while the year before had but 35….Memories of those awful General Motors TV spots announcing the professionalism of its employees (“We’re professional”) returned recently when Whatcom County announced that a public works employee had become one having, apparently, advanced from either the amateur or semi-pro ranks….Congratulations to Rod Dean of Heronwood.  Rod is now a member of the Greenway Advisory Committee.  His term ends March 30, 2012…..A final thought:  With City Hall looking at cutting jobs to meet the realities of a sagging economy, one wonders if the problem’s best solution is simply the temporary reduction of everyone’s salary until times get better?  

More next time,

Bob Sanders

Vol. 4, #42

One of our Neighborhood’s most significant meetings, to be led by Ben and Dee Andrews and featuring fellow Board member Bill Smith plus angel/developer Ted Mischaikov, will be Tuesday’s (March 10) 7 p.m. session at Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Ct.   Ben, Dee, Bill and others are doing a remarkable job of making the Cordata Community Gardens a reality in developing all aspects of the project including those of City Hall, Master Gardener Program Coordinator Jill Cotton and Mischaikov who has donated land north and east of the intersection of Cordata Parkway and Tremont Ave.   Opening date of the garden is tentatively set for May 1 with a mid-April work party scheduled.  Thus far, 33 gardeners have signed up and paid their $35 fees.  It’s difficult to believe the project started off in such relatively low gear in mid-September, then gathered remarkable momentum by way of the hard work of so many--particularly Ben and Dee.  Come hear your neighbors give us the latest developments of a project getting City-wide attention.   To whet your curiosity, you likely will hear references to such gardening terminology as the lasagna method of layer mulching, the Flying Colors Program and Googling for Square-Foot Gardening. 

 

A wide-ranging meeting involving a large variety of people characterized a recent design planning workshop held in connection with the development of open acreage north of Cordata Parkway and Tremont Ave.  The meeting, called by developer Ted Mischaikov, was attended by 45 people including City Planner Kathy Bell, former Planning Commissioner Doug Starcher, three architects, two executives from Whatcom Transit Authority and four members of the Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association.  Bell explained some of the constraints on where to build on the property purchased by Mischaikov from D.R. Horton.  In search of community input, Mischaikov showed slides of various designs for single, duplex and multiple housing units.  Among the many subjects discussed were: wetlands and the handling of storm water, building constraints, Kline and Kelly Rd. rights of way, location of age groups, dwelling heights, and trees to be planted.  A second meeting is anticipated.

 

West Cordata Green, a long-planned 344-home project, likely will break ground in a couple of months.  Officials at Ronald T. Jepson and Associates have applied for building permits for construction on 64 acres of a 125-acre tract located north and south of June Rd.  Much of the property is adjacent to Whatcom Community College.  A June Rd. extension and improvements including a bike lane and a sidewalk are scheduled but can’t be made until Aldrich Rd. is widened.  Perhaps reflecting economic conditions, the initial construction will be of but 11 homes.  The project was first approved for housing permits by Whatcom County in 1990 with the land annexed into City limits in June, 2008.

 

 

Another likely success story involves getting the speed limit on Eliza Rd. reduced from 35 to 25 miles-per-hour.  It all started with board member Nick Mele who wrote a letter to City Hall, then brought the subject up at a the February meeting featuring Mayor Dan Pike.  At the meeting was First Ward Councilman Jack Weiss who, following the dictum that timing is everything, started the ball rolling to correct the situation.  Stay tuned.

 

Deadline Dash….A public hearing, now set for March, has been scheduled by the Whatcom Transportation Authority to consider fare and pass increases plus the elimination of transfer slips.  One of the other proposals would allow people 75 and older to ride free; the current limit is 80 and older….Washington’s Death With Dignity Law went into effect March 5 and with it a choice for health care providers and pharmacies to op out.  Answers to questions are being fielded by Compassion & Choices of Washington www.candcofwa.org or 877/222-2816 and The Whatcom County Medical Society www.whatcom-medical.org or 676-7630….Anyone driving into Bellingham from the north on I-5 during the first two weekends of March should anticipate delays.  The bridge approach foundation near the Northwest Ave. exit is being replaced thus necessitating weekend closures from 10 p.m. Fridays to 5:30 a.m. Mondays….Bellingham Police have come up with a Block Watch Coordinator to replace Tara Fleetwood who left nearly a year ago.  She’s Katrin Dearborn who takes on the job as part of her Crime Prevention Officer position May 16….Many thanks to Terry Parks, manager of our new Community Food Co-Op.  Hearing that the Cordata Community Garden will soon require some heavy lifting in putting up an eight-foot fence, Terry offered significant help: “I know what you are attempting to do, and I volunteer myself and my entire staff to do the work for you.”  What a guy!....Relevancy is an interesting word, one our association dealt with recently at a Parks Board Meeting.  Focal point of the gathering was a map around which clustered Public Works, Bikes & Trails and Parks personnel in addition to GM/Cers.  The map was Cordata-less with the City of Bellingham stopping just short of I-5, an interesting piece of confusion in view of our having submitted five bike and walking trails gaps with gaps being the subject of discussion.  “Not to worry,” was the suggestion from on high.  “Because there are still so few trails, the gaps are not relevant.”  We have subsequently marked up a City map that includes Cordata gaps to remind Public Works to prepare an updated map that will include the 65-mile north end trail system.  And so it goes. 

More next time,

Bob Sanders with thanks to Master Gardener Bill Smith      

Vol. 4, #41

The multiplicity of challenges facing Bellingham City Hall will be addressed by Mayor Dan Pike when he makes his second appearance before our association.  Quite naturally, his Tuesday, February 10 talk will be followed by what is certain to be a lively Q&A session whose emphasis will be on what our membership feels is the City Hall’s benign neglect toward the North end.  Don’t miss this highly important meeting to begin at 7 p.m. at the Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Ct.  See you there and bring a neighbor.  The mayor, an excellent communicator, is a firm believer in transparency in government. 

Work on our Community Garden continues to blossom in terms of preparation thanks to the leadership of Dee and Ben Andrews, now members of your board of directors.  So impressive  are plans for the garden, now anticipated to accommodate as many as 50 plots, that we will forgo our annual picnic at Whatcom Community College and, instead, celebrate a June 6 grand opening of the gardens at the end of Cordata Parkway.  One of the major reasons for the project’s significant interest by Cordatans is that so many of us, gardeners prior to downsized living, now have an opportunity to resume participation in that highly rewarding activity.  Dee and Ben and, hopefully, developer Ted Mischaikov (he’s our garden “angel”) will provide us with further information and answer your questions at the March 10 general meeting.

Just when you thought Chuckanut Ridge had gone away as a great Hamster divider, it roared back last month at a contentious City Council Meeting.  On the spot was Mayor Dan Pike who, in his defense, had been preceded by two decades of the Chuckanut Ridge Follies—none of which occurred on his watch until the CC meeting.  Having beaten the same dead horse to smithereens two years ago, the Chuckanut Ridgesters went at it again by way of a City Council seemingly primed to do its bidding in spite of the lack of a realistic value of the land.  Surprise, surprise.  When the dustup was concluded, three new Councilmen (Jack Weiss, Stan Snapp, and Barry Buchanan, joined by At Large Councilwoman Louise Bjornson) had brought some sanity to the jive-filled situation by seizing control of the Council.  Their leadership, among other things, offers hope that the North end need for parks and trails and other amenities will be met although the City’s management is enormously impacted by the economy.  As an example of the seriousness of the City’s challenges, an anticipated budget shortfall three months ago of $2 million has grown to $9 million.  It was hardly the time for the City to consider buying Chuckanut Ridge whose owner puts its value at $26--roughly twice that of the last county estimate and four times more than what these difficult economic times suggest would be equitable.  The City Council realignment strongly suggests the mayor’s promise of transparency will prevail.  His honor, embarrassed by the sneaky inclusion by City Hall staffers of Chuckanut Ridge as an agenda item, may very well address the issue at our February 10 meeting.      

Cordata’s significance went up a couple of notches with recent publication in the Herald of new five-year growth statistics indicating we’re the fastest-growing of Bellingham’s 23 neighborhoods.   As is often the case, there are stories behind the stories with attitudinized reflection, admittedly, a factor.  While single-family homes in Cordata grew at a 175% rate from 2003-2008 (136 to 374)--more than double that (83%) of multiple-homes--the stunning fact is that multifamily residences increased from 1,383 to 2,522.  In other words, more than 77% of Cordata residential units are categorized as multifamily.  This, among other things, is proof that Bellingham is finding a way to grow and the direction is up yet selectively so.   The City’s goal is to have two-thirds of all residences multifamily by 2022.   Not to put too fine a point on matters but that 77% Cordata figure is well beyond two-thirds and such current “high” numbered communities as Renton (44.3%), Federal Way (40.1%) and Yakima (30.7%).   Another rather dramatic way of looking at it is the realization that Federal Way, an impressive blight on any landscape, has nearly half the percentage of multiple-family homes as Cordata.  Interestingly, Bellingham’s 2008 multiple-family figure of 17,800 is 50.6% while the single family figure, 16,541, represents 47%.  The rest are mobile and assisted living homes.  Single family residences account for 40,426 of Bellingham’s population while 31,720 reside in multi-family homes.  With the swiftly burgeoning Cordata population (now estimated at 5,800) comes additional votes, always an attention-getter among politicians.  Our challenge is the decided need for us to have an even greater sense of responsibility and the need to build greater clout.  It all comes down to harnessing that clout.

Deadline Dash….At the risk of making this newsletter something approaching an all Mayor Pike issue, it’s quite likely his appearance at the February general meeting will inspire questions about the speed limit on Eliza Street between Bakerview and Kellogg Rds.  The Association and individual members of it have been trying for some time to reduce the limit from 35 to 25 miles per hour.  It is our contention that there is no need for the higher speed limit on a stretch of several hundred feet of road that includes part of a bus route with two stops on it.  A major consideration: The continuing rapid development of Bakerview Square promises increased traffic hazards augmented by so many of the cars on the short stretch of road belonging  to young people studying at Whatcom Community College.  A letter, signed by your board of directors and detailing the problem, has been sent Mayor Pike….Corvallis, Oregon has replaced Bellingham as the #1 Pacific Northwest green energy buyer.  Somewhat disappointed but determined to re-gain Hamster dominance is Nick Hartwick, Green Building Program Mgr. of Sustainable Connections.  Hartwick will speak at our May 12 general meeting….The WTA’s Cordata Station (there are 75 parking spaces) has opened to rave reviews.  It was more than two years ago that Delphia Merta of Cascade Meadows called for our assistance when a temporary bus station was created overnight on Westerly Rd.   Since then, we have worked in a firm but polite manner with the WTA.  Those efforts have paid off and the Feb. 1 dedication included your Neighborhood Association being honored for its work….Your new GM/CNA officers, elected unanimously at the February 4 board meeting, are: Co-Presidents Beverly Jacobs and Adrienne Lederer; Vice President (PR & Speakers) Bob Sanders; Secretary Judy Van Woudenberg; and Treasurer Julie Guy….At presstime, a particularly significant committee under the leadership of Co-President Adrienne Lederer was about to meet for  a second time.  Created with an eye on City budgetary shortfalls, the committee is discussing such subjects as Parks, Trails, Bikes & Pedestrians and Sidewalks.  These subjects will be discussed at future GM/CNA meetings.  Committee members include: Julie Guy, Jim Zander, Linda Langey, Caroline Yaude, Nick Mele, Ralph Wenning and Bob Sanders….Cable capable Cordatans are urged to watch the February 17 meeting of the Bellingham Planning Commission.  The advance word is that subjects greatly affecting the North side will be introduced.  Plans of the moment call for live delivery of the session on BTV10.  Check the channel’s web page for further info.