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.

Meador Ped Bridge Installed Today!

Construction work continues on the Meador extension of the Whatcom Creek Trail.  

See below to read how old toilets will be used in the project!

From the City website:

This project will provide on-street pedestrian facilities between Meador Avenue and Ellis Street including a pedestrian bridge over Whatcom Creek on Meador Ave. This project will provide the final on-street connection for the long-planned Whatcom Creek Trail system between Lake Whatcom and Bellingham.

Several low impact development strategies will be used for stormwater facilities and pavement options.  The City worked in collaboration with the Whatcom Housing Authority to recycle 400 old toilets by grinding them into sidewalk concrete aggregate, coined "Poticrete". The City will document sustainability best practices used throughout the project and apply for Greenroads Certification.

Sehome Neighborhood Plan

See how our Sehome neighbors have planned for growth in their neighborhood – at upcoming Planning Commission meeting.

July 14th, 2011 is the next Public Hearing set to go before the Planning Commission regarding the Sehome Neighborhood Plan amendments.  Materials for the Planning Commission meetings can be found at www.cob.org/web/commsnl.nsf at least one week before the meeting date. 

New signs encourage voluntary outdoor watering schedule

Ten new signs will appear at major arterial intersections this week encouraging residents to follow the voluntary outdoor watering schedule. The City of Bellingham annually implements a voluntary outdoor watering schedule effective June 1 through September 15 to help reduce the stress on our water supply during the warm, dry summer months. The average daily water consumption often doubles during July and August when outdoor water use is highest.

Residents are asked to limit outdoor watering to the following schedule: 

Odd numbered street addresses 

Water only on Wednesdays, Fridays, or Sundays.

Even numbered street addresses 

Water only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays.

No outdoor watering on Mondays 

- in order to allow the water supply to recharge.

Lawn watering and other outdoor water use can account for up to 30% of residential water consumption. If residents choose to water lawns, we remind them that most grasses only need one inch of water per week to stay green.

For more information, please visit www.cob.org and search for “conservation” or email waterconservation@cob.org.

Popular spray parks set to open June 18

With local temperatures finally edging up, Bellinghamsters are looking for ways to cool down. Popular spray parks at Cornwall Park and Fairhaven Park will begin operation on June 18, 2011 and remain open through Labor Day. Hours of operation are 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Leslie Bryson, interim Parks and Recreation Director, said that budget reductions in recent years resulted in City officials shortening the season for operating the spray parks.

don’t need swimming skills to enjoy Bellingham's spray parks, which are intended for toddlers through pre-teen children as a means to beat the summer heat.  Kids of all abilities love to splash their way through playful sprays, squirts and mists of water that shoot randomly from below-ground and above-ground apparatus. 

For more information, call Bellingham Parks & Recreation at (360) 778-7000 or visit www.cob.org/parks .

Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike: “Jobs, but at what cost?”

Statement by Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike, June 3, 2011

My administration has for months been focused on information gathering about the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point.  While much about this proposal remains unknown or unclear, I am clear today that I need to take a stand: a stand for protecting Bellingham, a stand for health, safety and quality of life, a stand for welcoming new businesses that provide clean jobs to our local communities.

We have examined the benefits proponents say this operation will bring to our community and have considered the risks.  While every resident of this county certainly agrees that more local family-supporting jobs would be a good thing, those same wise locals would also add, “But at what cost?”

View the full document online

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1264/1104683/

Mayor’s Office Contact Information

http://www.cob.org/contact/mayor.aspx

Report describes City drinking water safety, need for lake protection

A report published by the City of Bellingham says our drinking water meets all health requirements, and reminds area residents that protecting the Lake Whatcom Reservoir depends on the involvement of individuals, businesses and governments. The annual report, called a Consumer Confidence Report, arrived in Bellingham water customers' mailboxes at the end of May.

“The water we deliver every day to our customers meets or exceeds safe drinking water standards," said Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike. "But studies show us the health of the Lake Whatcom Reservoir continues to decline and will require more extensive and expensive treatment to keep our drinking water safe unless we all work together to protect it.”

The City of Bellingham provides drinking water to nearly 100,000 people. The Consumer Confidence Report, along with other information about the Lake Whatcom Reservoir, is available at www.cob.org/services/environment/lake-whatcom/index.aspx .
  

Burglaries increase as weather heats up

Since March of this year, there has been a higher than normal number of reported burglaries to homes in the York and Sehome neighborhoods. Click here for map of York locations. Since March, there have been 13 reported residential burglaries. In these cases, it appears that thieves are targeting laptop computers and other electronic devices. One of the disturbing trends common in these burglaries is that in all but one case, there were no signs of forced entry. It appears that the burglars are gaining access through unlocked windows and doors. You might be surprised to learn that on average between 40-60% of residential burglaries are the results of an unlocked door or window.

Here are a few crime prevention tips to keep in mind at all times.

1. Always keep your doors and windows locked, even if you are home but especially when you are away. If you need to open a window for ventilation, consider using a stick to block the window from being opened completely.
2. If you have roommates, make sure they are keeping doors and windows locked as well.
3. Keep a record of personal belongings. If you are a victim of a burglary, having this information available to the officer can become crucial in solving the crime and getting your property back to you. The list should include;
1. Make
2. Model
3. Serial number
4. Consider buying renters insurance.  In most cases, it is very affordable and will minimize your loss.
5. Get to know your neighbors.
6. Report suspicious persons in your neighborhood by calling 911.
7. Start a Block Watch Program. The Bellingham Police Block Watch Program Coordinator is Officer Katrin Dearborn @ (360) 778-8660.