Samish Neighborhood Association (SNA)
Board of Directors Meeting
July 13th, 2010
Call to order: President Greg McCracken called the meeting to order: BOD present is Greg McCracken, David Gilbertson, Trinn Murray, Gary Vodopich, Joe Carpenter, Dick Conoboy, April Markiewicz, Tim Wynn, Tom Roehl, and Steve Abel. Absent directors were Christopher Morrison, Shirley Forslof, Eric Weight and Emily Pacheco. Neighborhood residents attending were Pauline Palmer.
Public Comments: Garey noted his street is getting sewer service.
Old Business
Presidents Comments: Greg had nothing new to report.
Approval of June 2010 Minutes: Approved unanimously following change of $500 versus $1000 contribution via COB.
Treasurer’s Report: Tim reported we have we have a current balance of $1,827.43
MNAC: Greg did not attend the meeting this month nor did Eric.
SNA Tax Status: Membership vote planned for September General Meeting.
Good Neighbor/Business Award: Trinn reported that she has reached out to Key Bank and
other businesses for sponsorship. BOD agreed to have Trinn write and article for the next newsletter calling for nominations. The recipient of the award will be selected and presented at the March General Meeting.
New Business
Sign Modification: Garey discussed modifying our neighborhood signs to add the website. BOD agreed to consider sign that hangs from bottom that compliments the existing aesthetic of the existing sign.
Picnic Preparations: Reservations are already made. Pauline will contact Kin and Ginny Davidson regarding the cooking. Tim will reserve the grill and 6 tables and 20 chairs. Greg will get the info on the website and invite elected officials. Greg will also get a map of neighborhood for reference.
Newsletter: Pauline noted that August 20 is the mail date. Four pages only, eight pages would be too expensive.
For the Good of the Neighborhood: Dick updated the BOD about the Fireworks Ban proposed by Charles and Ann Anderson and their letter to the city. BOD discussed the matter in great detail and decided to ask Mr. Anderson to come back to talk to the BOD about the issue in August, September, or October.
Meeting Adjourned
Samish Neighborhood Association
7 p.m.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Community Baptist Church
Call to order
Public comment period (Please limit comments to three minutes)
Old Business
President’s Announcements
Approval of July 2010 Minutes
Treasurer’s Report
MNAC Report
Good Neighbor/Business Award
New Business
Picnic preparations
Newsletter review
For the Good of the Neighborhood
Adjourn
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 3:58 PM. Add a comment
Samish Neighborhood Association (SNA)
Board of Directors Meeting
June 8th, 2010
Call to order: President Greg McCracken called the meeting to order: BOD present is Greg McCracken, Shirley Forslof, Joe Carpenter, Dick Conoboy, April Markiewicz, Tim Wynn, Tom Roehl, Steve Abel, and Christopher Morrison. Absent directors were Eric Weight, Trinn Murray, David Gilbertson, Emily Pacheco and Gary Vodopich. Neighborhood residents attending were Pauline Palmer and Barry Alsos.
Public Comments: Dues were increased to $15. This is the first increase in 5 years.
Presidents Comments: Greg talked to Terry Falstrom at City about waterline question regarding metering of water lines to homes. State mandate required by year 2017.
Approval of May 2010 Minutes: Approved unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report: This was the last report from April before Tim takes over. We have a current balance of $1,954.83. April will be removed from the signature card at the bank, Tim was already on card, and Greg will be added. Pauline Palmer will also be removed.
MNAC: Greg told the BOD about the COB’s ‘City IQ’. This is an Information Query to look at Land, Sewer, Water, and Electrical info for land development. Check COB website for more info.
Paid parking downtown is now on Central Meter’s. The cost is now more, but you can pay for longer periods of time.
SNA Tax Status: Nothing new to report.
Good Neighbor/Business Award: Nothing new to report.
New Business: Newsletter articles are due end of July, approved by mid August, sent to printer by end of August in time for Annual Meeting on September 12. We talked about newsletter cost, of $1,300 per year. City used to give us $1,000; now we get $500. We discussed goal of going paperless by 2014? We could send post cards announcing new format.
Neighborhood Trash collection sponsored by WWU and COB is at the Park and Ride at Lincoln Creek , Laurel Park, Sehome Hill next to Armory, and Happy Valley (26th and Douglas).
Meeting Adjourned
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 3:57 PM. Add a comment
Samish Neighborhood Association
May 11, 2010 Meeting Minutes
Public Comment: None
President’s Announcements: None
April Meeting Minutes: no amendments, approved
Treasure’s report: approved, attached, balance $1,964.83
MNAC report: See MNAC minutes submitted to President. (1) City website has useful links re green infrastructure; (2) city is moving forward with plan amendments/votes; (3) the planning dept (Greg Aucult) is working on the comprehensive plan review; (4) there is progress and development on the waterfront master plan (see website); (5) Post Point Treatment Plant update (details on city website); discussion of “Smart Growth” (city contact person: Jackie Lynch).
Good Neighbor/Business: Award Update – good progress, see written material supplied by Trinn
New Business: Significant discussion re budget/membership dues. Motion passed to increase annual dues to $15/household, $12 for seniors, effective immediately.
URL: Samish.org is available, SNA.org and SNA.us are not available
Development updated postponed
Review of BPD Citizen Academy by Gary V. Excellent 12 week program, highly recommended for participation
FTGOTN: WWU low rider show, Water Meter Status
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 3:54 PM. Add a comment
Samish Neighborhood Association (SNA)
Board of Directors Meeting
April 13th, 2010
Call to order: President Greg McCracken called the meeting to order: BOD present is Greg McCracken, Shirley Forslof, Joe Carpenter, Dick Conoboy, April Markiewicz, Tim Wynn, Eric Weight, Trinn Murray, David Gilbertson, Emily Pacheco, and Christopher Morrison. Absent were Steve Abel, Tom Roehl, and Gary Vodopich. Absent members informed Greg of the absence and are thus excused. Neighborhood residents attending were Alexis Miller.
Public Comments: No public comments were made.
Election of Officers: Greg was nominated for another term as President and approved unanimously. Tom was nominated for another term as Vice President and approved unanimously. Joe was nominated for another term as Secretary and approved unanimously. Tim was nominated for his first term as Treasurer and approved unanimously.
Old Business
President’s Announcement: Greg did a head count of 75 attendees at our March 2010 General meeting. Our guest speakers were great, especially Andy Day from the Fire Department regarding Disaster Preparedness. Greg informed us that he has already reserved the ‘Shelter’ at Lake Padden for our General Meeting this summer. The date and time are Saturday September 12th from 12-3PM. This is the first weekend after Labor Day.
Approval of February/March Minutes: The minutes for February were approved following the correction requested by April regarding the current status of SNA’s tax request via WA Secretary of State. No March minutes were taken or approved due to it being our General Meeting.
Treasurer’s report: April reported we have a total balance of $1,872. 83. We received $500 reimbursement from the City of Bellingham (COB) for our ‘Neighborhood Services Grant’ and $373.00 in membership dues. April noted in 2009 we were given $1000.00 by COB and for 2010 only $500. We do not yet know what, if anything we will receive come 2011. This being the case we may need to consider an increase in membership dues to $15 per year. The BOD discussed options for doing a membership drive like calling, letters, or events like ‘Easter Egg Hunts’, ect.
MNAC Report: Greg has nothing to report due to the MNAC meeting being held on the same day and time as our March General Meeting thus preventing him from attending.
SNA Tax Status: April reported that in order for us to change our status from a 501c(4) to a 501c(3) we need to change our ‘Articles of Incorporation’. The main detail that needs to be addressed in our new articles is that a “substantial” part of our activity cannot have the goal of influencing legislation. April will work with a sub-committee consisting of Eric, Tim, and herself to draft our new articles and report back to the BOD.
Good Neighbor/Business Award: Trinn reported the concept of the “Samish Select’s” concept. This would be an award to a neighbor in recognition for the unique actions they perform to make our neighborhood a better place. Thus, a person who ‘exemplifies’ a ‘good neighbor’. We could then find a business to sponsor this award with a gift certificate and or plaque. Trinn will come up with a form for us to use to nominate those individuals.
New Business:
SNA meeting signs will be redistributed to Christopher and Trinn for placement in the neighborhood. We also discussed creating a database for different neighborhood covenants in our neighborhood. Shirley noted that many of these, if recently filed, are online at the Auditors website. She also noted to be careful to try and find them first and thus avoid the cost of having them printed at the Auditor’s office itself.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 3:48 PM. Add a comment
Samish Neighborhood Association (SNA)
Board of Directors Meeting
February 9, 2010
Call to order: President Greg McCracken called the meeting to order: BOD present is Greg McCracken, Steve Hood, Joe Carpenter, Dick Conoboy, Tom Roehl, April Markiewicz, Tim Wynn, Eric Weight, and Trinn Murray. Absent were Shirley Forslof, Gary Vodopich, Ned Hannah, and David Gilbertson. Neighborhood residents attending were Barry Alsos, Beth Fryback, Julia Howard, and Bob Wallin.
Public Comments: No public comments were made.
Old Business
President’s Announcement: Greg informed BOD of Planning Director (Tim Stewart) is considering providing a 2 year extension for development and land use permits.
Approval of January 2009 Minutes: A motion was made and approved unanimously to approve the January minutes.
Treasurer’s Report: April reported we have a total balance of $1,240.38 $65.21 of which is in savings, $10 petty cash, and the remaining $1,165.17 in checking. $600 expenditure requested for the SNA Newsletter, motion made and passed unanimously to approve newsletter cost. The Treasurer’s report was approved unanimously.
MNAC Report: Greg reported that Block Watch and Disaster Preparedness is the focus for 2010. He also noted a WWU club, Viking Commons Builders Club that has a quarterly trash pick-up plan. BOD discussed if consideration should be made to WWU students to be represented on BOD. Nicole in planning department updated the MNAC by saying the 2010 Planning agenda is getting shorter, the Barkley and Meridian Neighborhoods are being divided, and planners are taking on additional duties to plan urban villages. Linda Stewart is back in City Hall, but not working on Waterfront.
SNA Tax Status: April has reviewed the SNA’s Articles of Incorporation and sent the request for change in tax status to the Secretary of State.
Good Neighbor/Business Award: Trinn discussed looking for both businesses and community groups that contribute to a strong neighborhood. Ask the question, ‘How do businesses and or groups add or detract from the value of the neighborhood. i.e. Zoom, Zoom Coffee, not in neighborhood but do they add to quality of life. BOD noted that Haggen donates to our General Meeting’s every year. We discussed how we could leverage our relationship with us and they could leverage theirs too.
New Business
Newsletter: Pauline provided BOD with Newsletter Draft for Review.
Plan For General Meeting: General meeting in march moved back to March 17 too accommodate schedule conflict at Elks Lodge. We expect guest speakers like Assistant Fire Chief Andy Day to have a Disaster Preparedness table. University Relations VP Steve Swan will present too.
For the Good of the Neighborhood: Nothing to report.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 3:44 PM. Add a comment
Samish Neighborhood Association (SNA)
Board of Directors Meeting
January 12, 2010 7PM
Call to order: President Greg McCracken called the meeting to order: BOD present is Greg McCracken, Steve Hood, Joe Carpenter, David Gilbertson, Dick Conoboy, Garey Vodopich, Ned Hannah, April Markiewicz, and Tom Roehl. Absent were Tim Wynn, Shirley Forslof, Eric Weight and Trinn Murray. Neighborhood residents attending were Pauline Palmer and Don Hale.
Public Comments: No public comments were made.
Old Business
President’s Announcement: Nothing to report from MNAC. We continue to prepare for our SNA General Meeting on March 10. Greg thanked Steve for November’s Minutes and asked if there were any comments on them.
Approval of November 2009 Minutes: A motion was made and approved unanimously to approve the November minutes.
Treasurer’s Report: April reported we have a total balance of $1,250.38. $65.21 of which is in savings, $10 petty cash, and the remaining $1,175.17 in checking. Outflows were for Sec. of State non-profit renewal, and meeting room rental. The Treasurer’s report was approved unanimously.
MNAC Report: Greg reported the COB budget continues to face scrutiny. Thus neighborhood associations like ours will have the financial support from the COB reduced from $1000.00 per year to $500. There will also not be any ‘Small and Simple Grants’ this year. Greg also reported that we will have a US Census Representative at the next general meeting to explain to residents what to expect when they encounter a Census worker. There is also a new program from the city that utilizes a computer based simulation on storm water runoff. The program is voluntary and the city is looking for volunteers. The city has a budget of $50K. This program is similar to ones provided in cities like Portland OR, and Boston MA.
SNA Tax Status: No discussion at this time.
Good Neighbor/Business Award: Trin was expected to report on this idea. The BOD discussed the problem of not having very many businesses in the neighborhood boundaries.
New Business
Pauline reported that the Newsletter deadline is the end of January. Our annual meeting is scheduled for March 10. Thus we will need to get the draft to the printer by February 9th.
Plan for General Meeting in March: Greg asked for volunteers for the BOD nomination committee. Steve and Ned said they will not run for reelection. Steve, Ned, Joe, April, will be on committee and look for geographic representation. Tom Chisolm should be approached to run again. Parkhurst should be looked in to given they do not have any representation on BOD. April reported the last membership drive worked well and she expects more membership renewals at our next general meeting. BOD agreed that our focus at this meeting should be SNA’s new website. Greg asked if we should consider a retreat for BOD to focus on issues like bylaws, structure of SNA, ect. Invited guest at the next general meeting are Mayor, Steve Swan from WWU University Relations, New Councilman Mike Lilliquist, our Neighborhoods Anti-Crime Unit Officer Sergeant Keith Johnson, and Andy Day from the Bellingham Fire Department. We plan to have tables set up for Membership. Consider table for Disaster Preparedness. We’ll need to bring maps as usual. Greg will invite Seth Fleetwood and April will contact Kathy Bell on Land Use. Greg will also invite a representative from Puget and Sehome Neighborhood too.
For the Good of the Neighborhood: Dick C. noted the website needs some updating to reflect new City Council members, County too. There is a Citizen Transportation Forum on Jan. 30th at Fountain Community Church from 10-12. Steve inquired as to the status of the development at the end of 33rd. Greenways is considering buying the Chuckanut Ridge area. April noted the Small and Simple grant presentation will be at an upcoming MNAC meeting. April and Greg will do presentation together on February 17th at 7PM in the Mayor’s Boardroom. Joe asked if he could plant a Flowering Crabapple Tree at the Samish and Elwood neighborhood sign. BOD agreed that was fine.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 3:40 PM. Add a comment
(Editor’s note: This is a copy of the proposed revision of our association’s articles of incorporation)
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
OF
SAMISH NEIGHBORHOOD, ASSOCIATION
A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION
We, the undersigned, all of whom are citizens of the United States and residents of the State of Washington, being of full age and having associated ourselves for the purposes specified herein, and desiring that we be incorporated and that a charter be issued to ourselves, our associates and successors pursuant to Title 24 of the Revised Code of Washington, do hereby Certify and set forth:
ARTICLE I: NAME
NAME. The name of the Corporation corporation shall be SAMISH NEIGHBORHOOD, ASSOCIATION.
ARTICLE II: REGISTERED OFFICE/AGENT
The corporation’s registered office is located at P.O. Box 1551, Bellingham, WA 98227-1551, USA. The name of the registered agent of the Corporation at such address shall be April J. Markiewicz.
ARTICLE III: DURATION
DURATION. The period of duration of the association corporation shall be perpetual.
ARTICLE IIIV: PURPOSES AND POWERS
Section 1. Purposes. PURPOSES. The main purposes for which this non-profit corporation is being formed are exclusively for charitable, civic, and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as now enacted or hereafter amended, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that also qualify as Section 501(c)(3) exempt organizations. To this end, the corporation shall:
A.; t Represent and protect the civic and neighborhood interests of the o organize residents living within the boundaries of the area within the City of Bellingham commonly known as the Samish Neighborhood; to s
B. Serve as the public voice for the residents living within the Samish Neighborhood and as a means of internal organization for discussion of by which neighbors can come together to discuss concerning matters of neighborhood and City wide concern; to b
C. Oe a active entity for the protection of neighborhood interests; to obtain and disseminate information of a public nature to residents of the neighborhood on issues that directly or indirectly affect the neighborhood and the City of Bellingham; to p
ublish a periodic newsletter to be disseminated to residents within the Samish Neighborhood as well as the City of Bellingham and to collect monies for association projects and to disburse said monies for said projects.[AJM1]
D. To pPromote the interest of the Samish Neighborhood in matters of land use, zoning and other laws, regulations, rules and ordinances which directly or indirectly affect the quality of life, neighborhood amenities, character of the neighborhood, inter-relationship of the neighbors and safety and convenient use of public and private land and activities within the neighborhood and the City of Bellingham;
E. Collect and disseminate information by publishing and mailing a periodic newsletter to all households and businesses within the Samish Neighborhood area, as well as by maintaining a website on the World Wide Web accessible to everyone; and
F. Collect monies for association projects and to disburse said monies for said projects.
to collect and disseminate information of this type valuable to residential owners and tenants; to promote the comfort, protection, convenience and interests and rights of the members of the association and residents of the Samish Neighborhood and to facilitate the cooperation of its members to their mutual advantage and protection in matters relating to the use and occupancy and ownership of real property within the Samish Neighborhood. [AJM2]
All funds, whether income or principal, and whether acquired by gift or contribution or otherwise, shall be devoted to said purposes.
Section 2. Powers. In general, and subject to such limitations and conditions as are or may be prescribed by law, or in the corporation’s Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, the corporation shall have all the powers which are now or hereafter are conferred by law upon a corporation organized for the purposes set forth above, or are necessary or incidental to the powers so conferred, or are conducive to the attainment of the corporation’s purposes.
ARTICLE IV
REGISTERED AGENT AND REGISTERED OFFICE. The name and address of the initial registered agent and office of the association is as follows:
Name: ROBERT E. BEATY
Street Address: 1200 Dupont Street, Suite I-D
City: Bellingham, Washington
County: Whatcom
ARTICLE V: LIMITATIONS
At all times the following shall operate as conditions restricting the operations and activities of the corporation:
1. No part of the net earnings of the corporation shall inure to any member of the corporation not qualifying as exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as now enacted or hereafter amended, nor to any Director or officer of the corporation, nor to any other private persons, excepting solely such reasonable compensation that the corporation shall pay for services actually rendered to the corporation, or allowed by the corporation as a reasonable allowance for authorized expenditures incurred on behalf of the corporation;
2. No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall constitute the carrying on of propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, or any initiative or referendum before the public, and the corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including by publication or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office; and
3. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the corporation shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by a corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
4. The corporation shall not lend any of its assets to any officer or director of this corporation or guarantee to any person the payment of a loan by an officer or director of this corporation.
ARTICLE VI: DIRECTORS/MEMBERS
The corporation shall have a voting membership as defined in the corporation’s bylaws. The management and affairs of the corporation shall be at all times under the direction of a Board of Directors, whose operations in governing the corporation shall be defined by statute and by the corporation’s bylaws. No member or Director shall have any right, title, or interest in or to any property of the corporation.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The number of directors constituting the initial Board of Directors shall be twelve (12), and the names and addresses of the persons are as follows:
0. Ruby Bloomgren 1204 40th Street Bellingham, WA 982250. Cathy Beaty 3704 Taylor Avenue Bellingham, WA 982250. Merrill Kelly 1505 38th Street Bellingham, WA 982250. Janet Porkopowich 1203 37th Street Bellingham, WA 982250. Phil Seldomridge 1117 38th Street Bellingham, WA 982250. Bill Stoever 410 40th Street Bellingham, WA 982250. Tom Harmon 2216 37th Street Bellingham, WA 982250. Gary Sansom 824 Samish Way Bellingham, WA 982250. Shirley Hayes 1111 40th Street Bellingham, WA 982250. Bill Frederick 715 36th Street Bellingham, WA 982250. Nancy Tisdall 807 Bennett Court Bellingham, WA 982250. Camille Rhone 1911 Samish Way Bellingham, WA 98225
The number of Directors constituting the Board of Directors shall be fifteen (15) effective January 1, 1981.
ARTICLE VI
MEMBERSHIP. This will be a membership non-profit Corporation.
ARTICLE VII
INCORPORATORS. The names and addresses of all the incorporators are
0. Cathy Beaty 3704 Taylor Avenue Bellingham, WA 98225
ARTICLE VIII
POWERS. The association shall have all the powers granted non-profit corporations under the laws of the State of Washington. However, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the corporation shall exercise only such powers as are in furtherance of the exempt purposes of the organization set forth in the subsection of section 501 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 under which the corporation chooses to qualify for exemption, as the same now exists, or as it may be amended from time to time.
ARTICLE VII: DEBT OBLIGATIONS AND PERSONAL LIABILITY
No member, officer or Director of this corporation shall be personally liable for the debts or obligations of this corporation of any nature whatsoever, nor shall any of the property of the members, officers or Directors be subject to the payment of the debts or obligations of this corporation.
ARTICLE IXVIII: DISSOLUTION
DISTRIBUTION OR DISSOLUTION.
Upon the dissolution of the organization, the Board of Directors shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all of the liabilities of the organization, distribute all of the assets of the corporation exclusively for charitable, civic, and educational purposes to a qualified organization within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. Any of such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the organization is then located, exclusively for the aforesaid purposes of the corporation, or to such qualified organization or organizations as said court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
In the event of the dissolution of the association, no member shall be entitled to any distribution or division of its’ remaining property or its’ proceeds, and the balance of all money and other property received by the association from any source, after the payment of all debts and obligations of the association, shall be used or distributed exclusively for purposes within the intent of section 501 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code as the same now exists or as it may be amended from time to time. The duly elected corporate treasurer shall hold in trust, as a fiduciary, any net assets which are to be distributed in the event the corporation is dissolved.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and verify that I have read and foregoing, understand its’ contents, and adopt it as my own.
DATED this __24th_ day of __November_ 1980.
CATHY L. BEATY
[AJM1]See E and F below.
[AJM2]Stated in D.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 3:26 PM. Add a comment
The Public Works Department wishes to inform the public that the following roads will have traffic limitations during the week of August 9-13 to accommodate construction and repair.
Flynn Street
HB Hansen Construction, under contract with the City of Bellingham, will begin stormwater improvements along Flynn Street from Electric to Lakeside Avenues. Work this week will include installing erosion control and some excavation. Flaggers will direct traffic through lane closures in the construction zones. For more information about this project visit the city’s website http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pw/projects/Flynn-Street-Water-Quality-EV-0071.aspx or contact Freeman Anthony, Project Engineer at fanthony@cob.org or 778-7924.
Lakeway Drive
Eastbound traffic on Lakeway Drive will be reduced to a single lane from the Best Western Lakeway Inn driveway to King Street for paving over a new fire line. Access to the hotel and shopping center will remain open. Whatcom Builders, under contract with City of Bellingham will work from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday-Wednesday. Flaggers will direct traffic through the lane closures in the construction zone. For more information, call the Bellingham Public Works Department at 778-7700.
Meridian Street
Grand Avenue
Traffic on Meridian Street will be reduced to single lane while Granite Construction, under contract with the City of Bellingham, planes and resurfaces Meridian Street from Birchwood Avenue to Mcleod Road. Work hours are from 5:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Along Grand Avenue, crews will plane the road from 7:00 a.m.to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Flaggers will direct traffic through lane closures in both construction zones. Drivers are requested to use caution and avoid the areas if possible. For more information about this project, visit the city’s website http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pw/projects/2010-overlay-resurfacing-program.aspx or contact Mark Handzlik, Project Engineer at mhandzlik@cob.org or 778-7920.
12th Street
Cowgill Avenue
RAM Construction, under contract with the City of Bellingham, continues work on water main replacement along 12th Street from McKenzie Avenue south to the bridge over Padden Creek. Crews will move to Cowgill Avenue from 10th to 12th Streets. Flaggers will direct traffic through single lane closures in the construction zone. Drivers can expect delays along 12th Street and are requested to use caution. For more information about this project, visit the city’s website http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pw/projects/2009-2010-Water-Replacement-Program.aspx or contact Mark Handzlik, Project Engineer at mhandzlik@cob.org or 778-7920.
Northwest Avenue
Crews continue landscape restoration along Northwest Avenue from Sterling Drive south to the southbound I-5 off-ramp causing temporary single lane closures and possible minor delays. Interwest Construction, under contract with the City of Bellingham, will continue work on the pedestrian improvements and roundabout at the Interstate 5 on-ramp. Flaggers will direct traffic through the construction zone as needed. Drivers are requested to use caution. For more information about this project, visit the city’s websitehttp://www.cob.org/government/departments/pw/projects/Northwest-Avenue-Pedestrian-Improvements.aspx or contact Mark Handzlik, Project Engineer at mhandzlik@cob.org or 778-7922.
Bill McDonald Parkway and 25th Street
Traffic will be limited to one lane on Bill McDonald Parkway as crews continue work on a new traffic signal at 25th Street. The work is scheduled Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Motorists can expect delays while flaggers direct traffic through an alternating, single lane. Drivers are encouraged to plan alternate routes and avoid the area if possible. Oceanside Construction Inc. under contract with the City of Bellingham, is installing the new signal improving safety for pedestrians, motorists, bicyclists, and transit. Additional information about this project is available on the City website. http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pw/projects/bill-mcdonald-and-25th-signalization.aspx or contact Sam Shipp, Project Engineer at sshipp@cob.org or 778-7942.
West Illinois/ Timpson Way
Interwest Construction, under contract with the City of Bellingham, will continue site restoration and road striping on the extension of West Illinois Street through the Timpson Way right-of-way to Marine Drive. Traffic on West Illinois may be limited to one lane west of Nome Street causing some delays. Park users will find the Little Squalicum Park parking lot closed and a temporary lot signed and available adjacent to the project on Marine Drive. Bay to Baker trail users are advised that the trail crossing at West Illinois Street and the access to the trail from West Illinois is closed for retaining wall construction. A signed detour directs trail users along Lindbergh Avenue and Patton Street. For more information about this project visit the city’s website http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pw/projects/West-Illinois-Street-Extension.aspx or contact Freeman Anthony, Project Engineer at fanthony@cob.org or 778-7924.
Hannegan Road
Granite Construction, under contract with the City of Bellingham will grind and pave along Hannegan Road south to Sunset Drive as part of the 2009 Resurfacing – Stimulus project. Work on Tuesday, August 10 will include grinding in the morning and paving at night. Thursday and Friday, August 12-13 striping my cause land closures. Flaggers will direct traffic through lane closures in the construction zone. For more information about this project, visit the city’s website http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pw/projects/2009-Resurfacing-Stimulus-ES-414.aspx or contact Dave Mohler, Project Engineer at dmohler@kbacm.com or 778-7900.
The City of Bellingham Public Works Department provides this information as a public service. It is based on currently available information. Motorists are reminded that weather and road conditions can change rapidly and should plan accordingly. When traveling through a construction area, drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians are asked to be patient, proceed with caution and obey flaggers at all times. Planned road closures and restrictions are necessary to allow for a variety of work including resurfacing, sidewalk construction, water and sewer main work, and utility cuts. Dates, times and work locations are subject to change due to inclement weather or last-minute changes in work schedules.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 3:17 PM. Add a comment
The city has opened a pretty cool website to the public that allows users to see maps of land parcels in town. Check it out at this link.
Posted 1 year, 8 months ago at 4:32 PM. Add a comment
Spring 2010
Neighborhood News
SAMISH NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 1551
Bellingham, WA 98227
www.samishneighborhood.org
Annual Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, March 17
Elks Lodge
710 S. Samish Way
6:00 Registration/Social Hour
Everyone is encouraged to come early, complete their registration, check out our information
tables, and visit with neighbors, board members and City officials during our social hour. Coffee, tea
and refreshments provided.
7:00 Call to Order and Welcome
• President’s
announcements
• Treasurer’s report
• Election of 2010-12
SNA Board members
7:30 Guest Speakers
• Assistant Fire Chief
Andy Day
• Mayor Dan Pike
• WWU Vice President of
University Relations
Steve Swan
8:30 Public comment period and neighborhood networking time
9:00 Adjourn
President’s Report
If I could remove two words from this year’s vocabulary, we would never hear the phrase “budget crisis” again. But nobody asked me.
Despite setbacks, the Samish Neighborhood Association (SNA) Board continues to represent our neighborhood consistently and efficiently. For this, we
need your continued support through participation and membership dues.
So, as we enter 2010, there is good news and the same old bad news. I’ll start at the bottom and work up.
• The City of Bellingham cut in half the amount it gives neighborhood associations. This year the SNA will receive $500 for its operating expenses. This includes websites and newsletters.
• The City’s Small and Simple grants are no longer available for neighborhoods. In the past, we have used such monies to pay for our signs and our website development.
• For the second year, the City is not accepting neighborhood proposals for transportation improvements. Until recently, neighborhoods could submit ideas for improving roads or making them safer. Budget woes have cut this service for the foreseeable future.
• Because the Planning Department is short-staffed, proposed amendments to neighborhood comprehensive plans are backed up “pending staff resources” or “pending staff review.” Development and construction is down, and SNA amendments that were submitted for the Planning Department’s schedule in 2008 were removed from the proposal list because of lack of action by property owners.
Now for the good news:
• SNA’s membership is up from the summer’s enrollment of 164 to 200 households. This means that our resources to protect and advocate for Samish Neighborhood are in pretty good shape. The SNA Board continues to monitor planned housing developments and changes to traffic patterns. We provide a constant link between the City administration and our residents. Our general meetings give you an opportunity to hear from and to speak to officials from the City, Port and University. This fall, we sent a letter encouraging the City Council to take a definitive stance toward regulating the business of rental houses in an effort to control overcrowded and unsafe conditions. We also addressed increased complaints about latenight parties, illegal parking and littering. We believe the City should make these code violations civil rather than criminal infractions to simplify enforcement.
Our website has been online since September. This is a relatively fast and cheap way to get out information to our members as well as provide a forum for discussions of topics relevant to our part of town.
This year, I hope to establish a disaster preparedness program and block watches where they are called for in our neighborhood.
Please continue supporting the Samish Neighborhood Association so we can continue to support you.
Greg McCracken, President
SNA Board of Directors
Samish Neighborhood News is published twice yearly by the Samish Neighborhood Association, P.O. Box 1551 Bellingham, WA 98227-1551 Editor: Pauline Palmer Assistant Editor: Ginny Davidson Meetings: 7 p.m, Community Baptist Church, 810 Samish Way, second Tuesday of the month, except March (annual meeting) and September (annual picnic). To sign up at our Web site: Include your email address on your membership form and go to www.samishneighborhood.org
Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission
The purpose of the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission is to provide a forum for communications between the neighborhoods and the City. Well, that and to review proposed amendments to comprehensive plans. Most of our work this fall has been in communications, some good and some bad.
Fortunately, we can pass all of this information on to you, quickly and easily, with our website, http://www.samishneighborhood.org It’s no secret that along with the rest of the country, Bellingham is confronted with a budget crunch. And, of course, those shortfalls are eventually felt at the neighborhood level. The City no longer will offer its Small and Simple Grant program, and operating funds to neighborhoods were cut in half to $500. Once again this year, the City is not accepting proposals for traffic and safety improvements.
Of more immediacy to Samish Neighborhood, our comprehensive plan once again is not complete or, to be specific, the land-use section of the plan is hung up. The comprehensive plan was submitted several years ago, but we were told to wait on the land-use section because the City wanted to hold off its approval until a study was completed on the Governor Road corridor. The study is done (and available at our website), but there is no money to complete the road to connect with San Juan Boulevard (at an estimated cost of more than $10 million). So the hang-up now is that the Planning Department removed our submission “due to lack of action by the property owners.” Placing us, therefore, firmly between bureaucracy and a lousy economy. We will work on that situation during 2010. MNAC, however, has been a good conduit for useful information which gets posted on our neighborhood website. We have received updates from the Mayor on the waterfront development and on City services, on public health issues from the County’s taskforce, and on crime prevention from the Bellingham Police Department.
For more information, check out MNAC’s website, http://www.cob.org/ government/public/boards-commissions/neighborhood
Status of Rental Housing Licensing in Bellingham
The licensing of rental housing would bring the last of Bellingham’s “businesses” under the control of the City for reasons having to do
primarily with the health and welfare of renters. Single-family home rental properties are not currently required to be registered, licensed or
inspected. The most recent City Council meeting on rental housing licensing was on December 7, 2009 — over a year after the Council’s staff study on the subject was available in draft form.
At the December meeting, the City Council decided to ask its legislative policy analyst to look into the development of a rental licensing law which would include self-certification by landlords and a possibility of inspection on a complaint-only basis.
Given the City Council’s workload in the early part of 2010, further consideration of a licensing law will likely not take place until March at the earliest.
Samish Neighborhood is Online
Looking for the latest on neighborhood news? Want to voice your opinion on trails, roads, recipes and more? Now you can at: www.samishneighborhood.org The Samish Neighborhood Association website went online in September,
hanks to a City grant to help neighborhood communications. You’ll find recent news from the City and our neighborhood association, links to government representatives, comprehensive plans, photos and documents like the recent draft of City’s Governor Road Alignment Study. What’s more exciting is a forum where enrolled members can exchange ideas and information.
To access the website, go to http://www.samishneighborhood.org or search for Samish Neighborhood online. Clicking on photos on the top bar will take you to News & Events, SNA, Links, Photos or the Forum. On the left column of the page are hotlinks to email SNA, sign up for the newsletter, search the website or go immediately to recent posts. Photos can be submitted by emailing the webmaster at info@samishneighborhood.org
The forum is open to anyone, but to post comments on the forum, you must be a registered member. To receive a password or to sign in, click on the “Not signed in (Sign In)” link on the upper right-hand corner of the page. You will then be asked to enter your username and password or to apply for membership. A password will be emailed to you within a day.
Please check out our website and take advantage of this great resource.
Get to Know Your Neighbors
By Kincaid Davidson, Samish Neighborhood Resident
Here on Samish Hill, we are blessed with having a large population of the most fierce night-time predators known, the Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus. These birds are about 22 inches long and can weigh as much as five pounds. Like most owls, they eat their prey whole or in pieces and then regurgitate unwanted parts in the form of pellets. By studying the pellets, scientists can determine the diet of the owls. The diet of the Great Horned Owl consists mostly of small mammals such as squirrels, rabbits, rats, mice and, yes, even skunks. They will also eat snakes, lizards and even other birds.
The Great Horned Owl is easy to identify as they are so big, have piercing yellow eyes and two tufts of feathers on their heads which look like horns. They are very vocal and during January and February, their mating season, they can be heard hooting back and forth to each other. Right now, in early morning or early evening, you can hear them in most parts of our neighborhood. From our deck, Ginny and I have seen as many as five Great Horned Owls at the same time. When flying, they make no noise and their prey usually has no idea what is about to happen. Great Horned Owls can be found all over North and South America. They adapt easily and can be found in forests, farmland, cliffs and low mountain areas. On Samish Hill, as development occurs, the owls appear to move more into the forested areas. Perhaps this explains why we see more Great Horned Owls recently than when we first moved here. If you haven’t heard the Great Horned Owls living in our neighborhood, drive up to 40th St., park south of Mill St. around 4 pm., walk along 40th St. and listen.
SNA Board Nominations
Needed for 2010-12 Term
Yes, it’s that time of year again when we look to our fellow Samish Neighborhood residents for good-natured, hard-working and energetic volunteers to serve on the Samish Neighborhood Association Board of Directors.
There will be at least two vacancies that need to be filled, so there are twice the opportunities to be elected. Terms of office are two years, but they fly by due to the behind-the-scenes camaraderie, teamwork and collaboration that minimize the workload for everyone.
We meet at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at the Community Baptist Church at 810 S. Samish Way next to the Elks Lodge.
Here is your opportunity to work with enthusiastic colleagues and be involved in helping plan the future growth in our neighborhood, as well as addressing neighborhood issues to ensure we maintain the quality of life we have now and for future generations. We work collaboratively with developers, city planners and property owners in ensuring that your interests are represented. Please consider nominating yourself or a neighbor (with her/his permission, of course!) and contact April Markiewicz at apriljm@comcast.net or call 734-4498. Elections will be held at our annual meeting on March 17 at the Elks Lodge at 710 S. Samish Way.
Nominations from the floor, with consent of nominee, will be accepted prior to the vote.
April Markiewicz, Steve Hood,
Joe Carpenter
Membership Benefits
Your dues maintain our ability to host our March annual meeting and the September annual picnic. These two events provide you with the opportunity to meet other interested neighbors, get an update on what is being proposed in the neighborhood, and provide feedback to the SNA Board on any issues of concern to you. Your dues also enable us to provide informative newsletters to you by postal mail twice a year. You can also sign up at our Web site to check out the latest SNA news, meeting minutes and neighborhood forum discussions. Your email is not required and is used only for SNA-related matters.
Please feel free to contact April Markiewicz at apriljm@comcast.net or 734-4498 if you have any questions or to confirm your membership status.
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