New Environmental Policies for City Plan

Meeting materials for the April 12, 2012 Planning Commission public hearing regarding the new proposed Environment Element Chapter for the Comprehensive Plan have been posted to the web-site (http://www.cob.org/web/commsnl.nsf). Hard-copies are available at the Planning Department.

Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission

Meeting Notes

February 15, 2012

Greetings, fellow Puget Neighborhood residents!  We are going to start reporting information about the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission (MNAC) meetings in our newsletters.  The commission is made up of 25 representatives from the Bellingham neighborhoods.  We meet monthly to share information about what’s going on in our neighborhoods and to receive information from the city.

Mayor Kelli is planning to chair the meetings herself.  She is working hard to get up to speed on everything and stated that she is committed to MNAC and appreciates the efforts we put in to provide a conduit of information between the City and its neighborhoods.  We spent some time discussing what we feel our roles and responsibilities are, and that will continue to be a primary topic as Mayor Kelli gets settled in.

Bloedel Donovan Changes Proposed to Park Master Plan

Public Meeting
Thursday,
March 29
7pm
Bloedel Donovan Park Community Building

Looking for Ways to Serve Your Community?

Vacancies exist on several citizen committees that advise the City on important, high-profile topics, including Lake Whatcom watershed protection, community development and housing needs, and more.

PNA Board Elections

Here is a great opportunity to know what’s happening in the neighborhood.  Meet with the rest of the Board to help organize the PNA meetings and neighborly connections. Or, you perhaps have a neighbor who would be perfect.  Think about it.  Let us know!  You can place your name in nomination now.

Board meetings are a mere 5x during the year. (Neighborhood Meetings 4x.)  Elections occur at the Annual Meeting February 21, 2012.  For more information: info@pugetneighborhood.org) or at the General Meeting, Tuesday, February 21^st.

Join us!  Bill Radock, David Boyd, Diana & Greg McKinney, Marcia Ford, Mary Chaney, Therese Kelliher

Explore the Shore: A Cherry Point Field Trip

North Sound Baykeeper Events

Saturday, February 25th 

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm 

Cherry Point, Ferndale

Join the North Sound Baykeeper, the Surfrider Foundation, and the WWU Western Action Coalition out at Cherry Point to explore this beautiful aquatic reserve! 

Click here for more details.

The Markets Donates to the PNA - because of your votes!

The following letter was sent this week to the Puget Neighborhood Association from The Markets Stores

Congratulations!  I am enclosing a check for $150, Puget’s portion of our Lakeway Good Neighbors program.  This payment covers the period from September-December 2011.  Lakeway Good Neighbors continues to be a popular program with our customers, and we have begun our first “voting” period for 2012, which runs January 1-April 20, 2012.  You will receive the second payout in September.

Next PNA General Meeting

Initiative for Bellingham Community Bill of Rights

Tuesday
February 21st, 2012
7:00 pm
Moles Funeral Home -- Community Room

Phil Damon from the local group “Coal-Free Bellingham” will explain their initiative for a Bellingham Community Bill Of Rights. 

Phil will explore the ideas of Living Democracy at a community level.  This is a presentation about citizens’ rights to a voice in what happens in the place we live. 

Organizers expect to have petitions out for signing in a couple of weeks and hope to have the initiative on the November ballot.  For more information www.coal-free-bellingham.org

Snowshoe Fest

Celebrate the new trails that have been put in by the National Forest Service.

Saturday

March 17, 2012 – St. Patrick's Day

10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Whatcom Events is sponsoring Snowshoe Fest 2012 to be held at Heather Meadows, at the Mount Baker Ski Area.  If you can walk, you can snowshoe! For additional information call: 360-746-8861

Wear your "green" and be entered into a special raffle drawing.  Free snowshoe rentals provided if you don't have your own.

Donate Your Old Appliances AND Help Job-Training Program

Appliance Depot
Local Job Training Non-Profit Needs Appliance Donations

Bellingham’s community owned job training and recycling program, Appliance Depot, has been supporting low income families and waste stream responsibility for six years. Their facility at 802 Marine Drive accepts working and non-working large household appliances to refurbish and fund a hands-on job skills education and assessment program. Appliance Depot sells their re-conditioned appliances with a 90-day warranty to support their efforts to help folks reenter the work force and get free of government assistance.

Watershed protection fee -- Council Public Hearing

Monday

January 23rd, 2012

7 pm

Bellingham City Council Chambers

The fee increase is a recommendation of the Lake Whatcom Watershed Advisory Board, a citizen advisory committee that advises City officials about the watershed land acquisition program and other lake protection efforts.

Under the board’s proposal, the current $5 per month watershed charge would increase to $12 per month for all flat-rate customers, with a comparable increase for metered customers. The proposal also includes expanding possible uses of the fund, designating approximately 30% of the total revenue for capital projects.

More information:

City website - http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1264/1282211/

Snow & Sidewalks

November 2011 PNA meeting update from Chad in Public Works:

The sidewalk snow removal ordinance is currently on hold.  The Public Works department will be making a concerted effort to improve our outreach and education of neighborhoods and business groups to keep them informed of the need to remove snow from sidewalks during snowfall events as a first approach.

The Backyard Homestead Class

with Alicia Wills

March 10, 2012 

Saturday 2-5pm

Learn about backyard chickens, water catchment, worm bins, composting, organic gardens, fruit and berries, and more.  Discussion time will help you to prioritize your first steps.  How to/resource handouts will send you home ready to create your own backyard homestead.

Whatcom Creek Trail Work Party

March 31, 2012
9am-noon

Puget Neighborhood Trail needs you!

Lend a hand with Bellingham Parks & Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) to improve habitat for salmon and other wildlife along Whatcom Creek. We will be removing invasive plants, planting natives and mulching around native trees and shrubs.

Recycle your CFL Bulbs & Batteries

Both Cordata & North Forest locations of the Food Co-op provide collection containers to recycle compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and batteries.

You can bring:

• Dry-cell standard household batteries – D-cell, C-cell, AA, AAA, 9-volt, and button cells. 
• Rechargeable battery packs from small electronics – cell phones, cameras, laptops, power tools, etc.

What do you love about downtown?

From the City of Bellingham
The City asks:  What do you love about downtown Bellingham?  What do you wish for downtown? These questions are key to an ambitious downtown planning effort designed to identify actions our community can take to support a vibrant, thriving downtown.

An online survey, activities and prizes at the Bellingham Farmers Market and social media conversations are just a few of the ways people are invited to weigh in on the City’s Downtown Plan, a two-year planning effort led by the City of Bellingham and supported by various community partners.

Invasive Asian clams found in Lake Whatcom

From City of Bellingham

Local and state officials recently confirmed the presence of invasive Asian clams in Lake Whatcom, and are working to determine the extent of the infestation and how best to respond. Area residents are asked to assist by being aware of the infestation and reporting any clams they see in the lake.

Are You Ready for Emergencies?

From Puget Sound Energy:  Now is a good time to get ready for emergencies.

Recommendations begin with a kit:

Minimum 3 day supply of

• Food
• Water
• Pet supplies
• Flashlights
• Battery powered radio
• First aid kit

To find out more, go to PSE.com/Prepare or Ready.gov, redcross.org, 3days3ways.org and TakeWinterByStorm.org

Ward 3 Council Candiates

Thank you to Barry & Cathy for attending our recent PNA meeting.  For more information, here are their websites:

Barry Buchanan, Incumbent - http://www.barryforbellingham.com/

Cathy Lehman - http://votecathylehman.com/category/bellingham-city-council

Events This Week

We enjoyed a robust discussion about walking at last week’s PNA meeting.  Here are 2 related events this week – celebrating walking & the projects that make walking safe, pleasurable & attractive.