The Insider

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. 

Vol. 4, #40

Dr. Kathi Hiyane-Brown, President of Whatcom Community College (WCC), will be our first guest speaker of the New Year on January 13. Hiyane-Brown assumed her Presidency in June of last year having served three years in the same position at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota. That was preceded by 13 years as vice-president of student affairs at Tacoma Community College. Hiyane-Brown’s career in education also includes service at community colleges in Iowa and also Hawaii where she was born. Our speaker received her Doctorate in Education from the Oregon State University Community College Leadership Program, a Master’s in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Iowa and a Bachelor’s in Anthropology from Grinnell College in Iowa. WCC has a lot to offer Cordatans so plan to attend this significant meeting on the 13^th beginning at 7 p.m. at Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Lane.

                                                                                                    

The Community Garden took another step. January 7 was like Christmas Day for our steering committee:  the meeting with Mary Redman and her Foundation grant committee. The GM/CNA was ably represented by Bill Smith, Julie Guy, Ted Mischaikov, and Ben and Dee Andrews. Details were worked out easily for funding of the granted $5,000 and first phases of construction. Learning and planning are taking place in many different arenas as we move toward our goal. We plan to have our road finished and fencing and raised beds ready for spring planting. There will be spaces for fifty families, and there are plots still available. Find out more about how you can help at the monthly meeting January 13. 

 

Two major openings highlight Cordata’s continuing rapid development during the first two weeks of the New Year. Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) kicked things off on January 5 when a preview party for the just-completed Cordata Station was held in anticipation of a public opening now set for mid-January. Built as a hub for buses entering Bellingham from smaller communities, Cordata Station also represents a park & ride facility for those wishing to visit other city locations. Station benches were dedicated to various groups and individuals including: Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association accepted by Julie Guy; Cascade Meadows Apartments Present and Future Residents accepted by Edwin and Delphia Merta; and Seniors and Public Transportation accepted by Ruth Voigt. The other opening will occur on Wednesday, January 14, when a second Food Co-op opens in Cordata at 315 Westerly Road. The public is invited to the 4-7 p.m. celebration across the street from Cordata Station. Started in 1970 in Fairhaven, the Food Co-op eventually moved to its present flagship Forest St. location downtown.

 

It was a relatively dark and snowy day recently when GM/CNA board members joined elected officials, non-profit group representatives and policy experts on a half-day bus tour focusing on growth and development patterns in and around Bellingham and Whatcom County. The comprehensive examination covered 16 topics including Population Growth, Annexation, Comprehensive Planning and Urban Sprawl. The four-hour tour included four stops either in or immediately adjacent to Cordata. One of the Cordata topics dealt with the possibility of an Urban Village in our future. Sponsors of the event were Sustainable Connections and Futurewise Whatcom! Board members attending included: Julie Guy, Bev Jacobs and Caroline Yaude with Bev braving the elements at every stop. Also on board were our 1^st Ward Councilman Jack Weiss and developer Ted Mischaikov.

 

Volunteer training for Flying Colors, an after school program for Children 5-12, will get underway January 8, at Birchwood Church with the Cordata Neighborhood invited to participate. The program has been developed by Rebound of Whatcom County, an agency committed to providing supportive programs including help for kids struggling in school. Thus far, some 40 children have signed up. Volunteers can get further details about Flying Colors at www.reboundwc.org

 

Deadline Dash --- Free counseling by Western Washington University’s Psychology Department will be offered beginning January 8. The sessions will be performed by graduate students under faculty supervision. For details, call Program Coordinator Lynn Graham (650-3184). Mayor Dan Pike, unable to keep a commitment for our December general meeting (his very able special projects manager Sati Mookherjee filled in with a Waterfront report) will be our February 10 speaker. --- Speaking of the Waterfront, that was an interesting move by 10 local architects who offered their services at a Port of Bellingham meeting to help resolve planning issues that vex Port and City officials. --- Bet you didn’t know that Whatcom Community College was a college without a campus for 13 years. Started in 1970, classes were held in empty offices, grocery stores, high schools and other sites throughout the county. It was in 1983 that 5.9 acres was given the school by Trillium Corporation with ground broken for the first building three years later.

More next time,

Bob Sanders

Vol. 3, #39

While your Neighborhood Association concentrates on matters of high priority for this immediate community, we would be derelict not to pay proper attention to such subjects as Lake Whatcom and the Waterfront Plan.  All of Bellingham’s 24 neighborhoods are affected and both subjects are currently getting a lot of media attention.  Throw in all the talk over the backyard fence plus blogosphere blather and they take on even more significance.  While the Port of Bellingham and COB have had a reasonable relationship the past three years, those days are decidedly by the boards.  Each time the two factions clash, another aspect of discord over the central waterfront is revealed.  A petulant port, headed by Executive Director Jim Darling, failed to show up for the first in a series of city-hosted forums, then appeared at the second amidst confusion over the redevelopment of the former Georgia-Pacific mill site.  The complex situation will be addressed by our December 9 speaker, Mayor Dan Pike who recently embarked on a campaign to explain the City’s Waterfront Plan to Neighborhood Associations.  The 7 p.m. meeting is at the Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Ct.  Oh, yes.  With the New Year approaching, it’s time to remind you that $10 membership dues are due. 

Our Community Garden Project is moving right along thanks to the diligence of a committee headed by Dee and Ben Andrews.  Having met a December 1 deadline for a garden plan, the committee and all of us involved in the exciting undertaking are now waiting for a hoped-for announcement on December 15 that could provide a grant of up to $5,000.  The grant, covering infrastructure costs including fencing, raised beds, tools, etc., is funded by the Mary Redman Foundations and is administered by the Community First! Gardens arm of Washington State University Whatcom County Extension. 

Thus far, individual gardens have been claimed by 12 units whose efforts will be made on land donated by developer Ted Mischaikov and his partners.  The land is located at the extreme northern terminus of present day Cordata Parkway.  We are greatly indebted to Mischaikov for his enthusiastic involvement.

Our newest member of the GM/CNA Board of directors is Dorothy Smith who comes to us from Corpus Christi, Texas where she lived with husband Bill for more than 30 years.  A retired teacher of mathematics, Dorothy was born in Edinburg, county seat of Hidalgo County located 112 miles southwest of Corpus Christi where  Bill was a homebuilder.  To the surprise of very few, there is a bit of Texas in her speech as she tends to board duties as chair of the Membership Committee.  The position is a natural one for her as she keeps tabs on names whose accuracy Bill, as our blogosphere expert, is dependent upon.  Commenting about the newness of the Fourth Corner and her Neighborhood Association board responsibilities,  Dorothy observed “there is much to learn about this area, so different from South Texas in almost every aspect.  I feel privileged to be a member of this board, and look forward to being a contributor to its projects.”     

Deadline Dash….The bastardization of spoken language is striking close to home.  Two recent mispronunciations of Cordata (Cor-daht’-ah is correct) on Bellingham radio stations have resulted in Cor-date’-ah, a verbal monstrosity making our beloved neighborhood come off as sounding like something consisting of dirt roads in south Georgia.  Let’s be vigilant and strong and stomp out such outrageous utterances when we hear them….Land use in Bellingham and Whatcom County will be examined by way of a December 13 bus tour sponsored by Futurewise Whatcom and Sustainable Connections.  The four-hour survey, to be undertaken by City and County officials plus Neighborhood activists including GM/CNA representatives, will attempt to demystify growth and development….Dick McKinley, the COB Planning Department’s #1,  soon will move to Tacoma in a similar capacity.  We’ll attempt to get his as-yet-unnamed successor as a future general meeting speaker….Judging from his outstanding Nov. 17 column (“The Gristle”) in the Cascadia Weekly, editor Tim Johnson is a must read for followers of the ever-changing Waterfront contra temps.  The talented writer has insights worth checking out…Whatcom County residents apparently are learning the ABCs of voting.  But 477 votes were rejected for a variety of reasons this time around.  That compares to 2,177 in 2006 and 1,675 in 2007.  The turnout also was impressive.  Of 115,314 registered County voters, 88 per cent of them voted…. The COB City Council may establish a Transportation Commission that would replace the City’s Parking Commission and the Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee.  If that happens, its major goal will be to reduce car use….At this writing, it looks as though the Whatcom Transit Authority Cordata Station will open January 5.  That’s the word from GM/CNA Co-President Julie Guy who knows about such things….Speaker at our January 13 general meeting will be Kathi Hyane-Brown, named President of Whatcom Community College earlier this year.  She’ll speak about forming a closer relationship between WCC and our Neighborhood….Speaking of WCC, use of the college library is catching on and saves a lot of time and effort for those who don’t want to drive downtown.  Simply order books by phone and indicate you’ll pick them up at the college.  The library, by the way, is very user friendly and open to the entire community.

More later,

Bob Sanders

Vol. 3, #36

 These are exciting times as your Neighborhood moves forward with programs of improvement. Of timely importance as Bellingham deals with the Big Box Controversy is our speaker at Tuesday’s (September 9 at 7 p.m.) general meeting. He is Bellis Fair Manager Dennis Curtis and we are most appreciative of his willingness to pinch hit for Costco Warehouse Manager Carter Witham, called out of town by his company. Costco, at the heart of the controversy, is in the process of being approved for a 2,000 square foot increase--far short of the 27,000 requested by the big box giant including 1,500 for refrigeration it says it needs to increase stock on hand and cut down on trucking. Costco is one of nine big box operations here defined as being 90,000 square ft. or more. Costco (133,000) and Walmart (160,000) are the largest of the nine whose City of Bellingham taxes total around $2.7 million. Overtures have been made by Ferndale that could attract big box moves north. Tuesday’s meeting will be held at Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Ct. See you there for this important meeting.

This is the time of year when people of the Fourth Corner are inclined to be smug about our good fortune in not sustaining disasters. Approaching the fourth quarter of the year, we again have not suffered tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and other calamities so persistent elsewhere.  

In truth, anyone who thinks we’re immune here is a fool. The Big One, a euphemism for an earthquake, is in our future. The only question is when. Another verity involves the first three days. That’s the time frame officials say we won’t be able to depend upon emergency services because of priorities. Those three days of enormous importance mean it’s up to us to care for ourselves. 

Basic training skills, vital in a disaster, are being taught by the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The CERT concept was developed and implemented by the City of Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985. The program proved to be so beneficial that FEMA felt it should be made available to communities nationwide. CERT was selected as one of the primary programs offered the public to meet the challenge. 

Nine three-hour classes include: Disaster Preparedness, Fire Safety, Disaster Medical Operations Search and Rescue plus Disaster Psychology. Those interested in taking a class call Lead Instructor Bob Jacobson at 398-9707 or 527-1441 for details.

Your Neighborhood Board has gained additional cachet with the addition of Nicholas Mele. Nick, until recently International Director for Communications of Nonviolent Peaceforce, is a New Yorker whose background includes a rich history in foreign policy issues. After Peace Corps service in South Korea, Nick joined the United States Information Agency (USIA) as a foreign service officer. 

With over 25 years service in Asia and Africa, Nick retired at the end of 1999, moved here in early 2000, and began working for Peaceforce in 2001. He and his wife Mary (they met in Korea) helped found the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center and he served as the first president of the Center board. Nick also is a local organizer for Bread for the World, an ecumenical group that lobbies Congress on legislation affecting hungry people here and abroad. Writer and speaker about foreign policy issues, nonviolent intervention and cross-cultural topics in this country and abroad, Nick is a grandparent once with two more on the way. Nick Mele will be our guest speaker at the October 14 Neighborhood general meeting.

Any WTA Cordata Station update has to start with a completion date just moved back to well into December. As of now, 52 potential construction change items have arisen with 44 resolved at a cost of $276,000. Eight are pending or under negotiation and expected to be in the $100,000 range. The construction bid awarded last January to Vertical, Inc. came in at $3,390,000 and included a contingency of $340,000 and an allowance of $75,000 for an early completion—now “inoperable,” as the late White House press secretary Ron Ziegler would put it. Meanwhile, the WTA reports a Nation leading 29.7% ridership increase the first six months of this year and 38% the past three years. Spokeswoman Maureen McCarthy says a big factor is our do-the-right-thing culture.    

Deadline Dash….Bellingham may be the City of Subdued Excitement, but it’s reassuring to report that there is something called HAMFLAP doing business here. What’s that, you ask? You don’t know about HAMFLAP? Ah, gentle reader, HAMFLAP stands for Have As Much Fun And Laughter As Possible. A subsidiary of Evergreen Team Concepts, the firm is dedicated to “bringing fun, laughter and their benefits to the public.” One wonders about staff meetings and the role of whoopee cushions in them?.....More than a bit disquieting was the announcement accompanied by little press attention that the ground rules for the Basic Food Program (also known as Food Stamps) have been changed. Income limits for the program were just set at 200% of the Federal Poverty Rate as compared to 130% initiated 10 months earlier. Is this further acknowledgment of the worsening economy?....One local economic bright spot is Whatcom County’s export success. With two major refineries in the area, the petroleum and coal products category are very healthy. Downside of the good news is the continued plunge of the U.S. dollar…. While the Idiom Theater will be dark until August of next year, a new installment of the Cody Rivers Show will take to the boards in January. If you haven’t seen Cody Rivers, do yourself one big favor and catch some comedy of Off Broadway quality….With Jim Zander having moved on to the Greenways Committee, Adrienne Lederer has stepped forward to chair the Parks & Trails Committee whose members include Mary & Nick Mele, Caroline Youde, Linda Langey and Bob Sanders. Possessor of an impressive work ethic, Adrienne also heads up a new committee dealing with Neighborhood Borders. Members are Ralph Wenning and Bob Sanders. The Insider will provide additional information next month about the distinct possibility that our neighborhood parameters will be changed in the near future…..Our Neighborhood’s high profile was a factor in GM/C being chosen as a possible recipient of a grant that would inspire a community garden. The carrot being dangled is the result of a $15,000 award given Master Gardeners of Bellingham with GM/C among the candidates. The mayor is very much behind the project and who knows? An opening ceremony of a neighborhood garden might find the mayor throwing out the first trowel. Those interested are invited to attend a September 18 assessment meeting from 2-4 p.m. at the El Dorado Condo Clubhouse. Master Gardener Jill Cotton will be there to check us out and determine how we stack up with other Neighborhoods thus prompting an afterthought:

A Jill from a family of Cottons 

May put trowel to earth for Condatans

With jack from Master Gardeners

And digging from local pardners

Further proof we’re not The Forgottens

More next time,

Bob Sanders  

     

Vol.3 #35

Perhaps it’s time for a summation of where your Association stands in terms of problems demanding immediate concern.  

With buildout of Cordata Park (not, yet its official name) scheduled to begin in 2009, there is no road access. Our challenge is to find a way to fund a partial buildout of Horton Rd. in order that access is made available to our park. Without it, the park remains decidedly short of what we want. A meeting with a Public Works representative late last month disclosed that Horton’s very damp development to Aldrich Rd. is considered both very expensive and “not presently on the list for early construction.” Public Works says it will meet shortly with Parks & Recreation to discuss a possible solution. 

Our objection is strong. We finally have a park, a plan and a budget to get started. We find the possibility of the entire project being stopped for years totally unacceptable. Should our objections be met by words of discouragement, other avenues of entreaty will be explored.    

We have concerns about “big box” stores such as Costco and Wal-Mart leaving Bellingham. We feel they should be able to expand to meet their growing needs. Each departure means the loss of a major member of the tax base and citizens will be underserved. 

Beset by Neighborhood traffic problems, we continue to wonder about not only a never released traffic study underwritten by Trillium Corp. but, also, the possibility of a second one whose details might impact upon problem solutions. Our concerns focus upon the intersection of Cordata and Stuart where pedestrian and driving challenges have found the WTA threatening elimination of Stuart Rd. from the #24 bus route. 

The bottom line of the Stuart & Parkway situation is that the traffic count (currently 9,300 daily) is not yet heavy enough to warrant a roundabout. Further, the City does not want to put in stop signs on Cordata because that slows the flow of traffic. That leaves, according to Public Works, the possibility of a yellow blinking light for pedestrian crossing of the Parkway.

 A small branch library remains a major goal as children and adults are forced to travel downtown. While the downtown library situation remains fluid with a number of possible solutions, we do not feel it necessary to wait years until the main library issue is resolved. We continue to search for donated space (a Bellis Fair location is a likely solution) and will ask the City to work with us if we find it. 

We seek a dialog regarding our Neighborhood Plan. With the Plan not scheduled to work this year following last year’s many signs of encouragement, we have met with the Planning Department twice during recent months with promises of further meetings. Those looking for a word to describe such disappointments could easily conclude: stonewalling. 

The very real threat by Costco to leave Bellingham will be our exciting program at the September general meeting of the Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association. Speaker at the Tuesday, September 9 session, to be held at Birchwood Presbyterian Church, 400 Meadowbrook Ct., will be Costco Warehouse Manager Carter Witham. Born in Seattle, Witham has been with the firm 22 years after being hired in Portland. He moved to Bellingham two years ago after stints in such communities as Bend and Medford, OR and Vancouver, WA. He and his wife live in South Bellingham with two children. Come to this highly important 7 p.m. meeting to gain added insight into Costco’s threat to move to Ferndale and why your association is in favor of keeping big box stores here. 

Costco is one of several large retailers who have expressed interest in building near Slater Rd.at I-5. Owner of the land is Ralph Black, co-owner of Alliance Properties and twice a speaker at our general meetings. The essence of the problem for Costco is that the Bellingham City Council has banned big box stores from making major expansions while Ferndale officials have given initial approval to annex Alliance Properties acreage.  

Deadline Dash….Whatcom Plaza, being constructed across from Whatcom Community College at the Kellogg St. roundabout, will consist of three buildings—two of one story and one of two stories. Principle service will be for the college and its students with the inevitable coffee shop all but a certainty. Bet it won’t be a Starbucks….That proposed joint management structure of a  combined Bellingham and Whatcom County direction of Lake Whatcom may not require a director. The announcement by County Executive Pete Kremen comes a few months after the acceptance of Mayor Dan Pike’s suggestion that a building housing decision makers and costing more than $6 million building was not necessary. It’s remarkable how savings can be achieved--particularly when the economy is in a swoon…. Speaking of money, how about that grand gesture by the City Council to accept a $200,000 mistake in favor of a Blaine construction firm?....”Poppa” Andrews turns 96 August 30. If you don’t know Poppa, you should. He’s that delightful man who walks Ted, his seven year-old Greater Swiss Mountain dog, twice daily from his Heronwood home where he lives with son Ben Andrews and Ben’s wife Dee. Happy birthday, when it rolls around, Poppa….The Parks and Recreation Department will vote on a name for out park on August 13 and forward it to the City Council. Odds-on favorite is Cordata Park. The transfer of an adjoining 7.5 acres will be voted upon by the County Council on September 9….The written word took another beating with the August 1 closing of The Newsstand on Magnolia. Owner Ira Stohl was force out of business when his main supplier refused to bring periodicals numbering 3,400 to market. That’s a remarkable number for a city the size of Bellingham. A tip-off on Stohl’s character was his placement of free publications at the front of his shop. The Newsstand joins the recently folded Whatcom Independent in the communications industry graveyard here….Due diligence by co-founder Julie Guy has revealed that heaters will definitely be installed at the Cordata WTA Station due for completion in November. 

More next time,

Bob Sanders