http://alabamahillasswwwociation.com/

July 20, 2010Volume 3, Issue 3

Alabama Hill

Special Interest Articles:

• May Neighborhoodmeeting• Highland HeightsPark Update

Individual Highlights:

MNAC ReportCity InfoAHA Membership Form

Association

Newsletter

Meet us at St. Clair Park on

Tuesday

August 3rd at 6 PM

for our AnnualPicnic. We supply the Salmon, HotDogs, burgers and drinks! All you needto bring is your table service (plate andsilverware) and a salad or dessert itemis you wish.Linda Stewart, CityNeighborhoodServices Coordinator, will be on handto give us an update of the WaterfrontDevelopment Project – a presentationyou won’t want to miss.We also hope to have a speaker from theBellingham Police to talk about theirannual crime awareness campaign,National Night Out Against Crime

Enjoy the great company of fellowneighbors. Certainly our most popularmeeting of the year – come over andenjoy the evening out with friends.Volunteers are needed to help set up at5pm and breakdown around 8pmFor more information call Doug Bestle orJeff Braimes (733-3014)

☺

Chairman:

Larry Nicholas647-2315

Vice Chair:

Dean Haskins733-2800

Secretary:

- vacant -

Treasurer:

Jim McLeod734-5127

Past Chairman:

Doug Bestle734-2272

MNAC Rep:

Jimmy Kelsey715-3053

AHA Area A (NW) Rep

Brian Walker671-8258

AHA Area B (NE) Rep

Michael Eisenberg734-3615

AHA Area C (SW) Rep

Steve Potvin734-5384

AHA Area D (SE) Rep

Nancy Allen922-0256

Next AHA QtlyMeeting is TuesAugust 3

6 PM St. ClairPark

Annual Picnic Bar-B-Que Meeting

Tuesday – August 3rd 2010

–

St. Clair Park - 6PM

alabamahillassociation.com

Kids cut the ribbon at

Highland Heights Park Grand Opening

– June 6th

Many of the Alabama Hill neighbors celebrated the grand re-opening of the newly completedHighland Heights Park playground renovation in early June. We had about 100 folks attendthe event and enjoy a picnic lunch. All the kids helped with the ribbon cutting ceremony toofficially open the new playground.City Parks did a great job in providing new playground equipment with something for kids of allages, including new swings, slides, climbing structures, and a lot more. The basketball courtgot an update with new stripping, and the additional of a four-square court, hop scotch, and amarble ring. There is now a sidewalk providing an accessible route connecting the park toIllinois lane.If you have not already done so, please stop by and enjoy our new park. I hope to see you outthere. Brian Walker - AHA NW Area Rep.

More pictures on Pae 2

6 June 2010 Park Playground Grand Re-Opening More pics…

Alabama Hill Association

Page 2

This upgrade of playground equipment is the first sincethe park was originally installed in the 1970’s. This parkwas built right at the time the City Council wasconsidering requiring developers to set aside sections for“pocket parks” and was gratiously donated to the city bythe Highland Heights building developer

Page 3 of 4

City+ Beat

City officials encourage residents to limit outdoorwatering each year June 1 through September 15to help reduce stress on our water supply during thewarm, dry summer months.Although June was cool and moist, the averagedaily water consumption often doubles during Julyand August when outdoor water use is highest.Residents are asked to limit watering to thefollowing schedule:

•

Odd numbered street addresses water only onWednesdays, Fridays, or Sundays

•

Even numbered street addresses water only onTuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays

•

No outdoor watering on Mondays in order toallow the water supply to recharge.Lawn watering and other outdoor water use canaccount for up to 30% of residential waterconsumption. If residents choose to water lawns,we remind them that most grasses only need oneinch of water per week to stay green.

MNAC News Last Meeting held 6/9/10 – Jimmy Kelsey, our Rep

This report starts with my apology for missing the June meetingof MNAC. The news I pass on comes from the meeting minutesrather than through personal observation of proceedings.Greg Aucutt, Senior Planner, Bellingham Planning & CommunityDevelopment Department presented information on the City’sComprehensive Plan Update Process. The current Plan, adoptedin June 2006 is available online athttp://www.cob.org/services/neighborhoods/community-planning/comprehensive-plan.aspx Neighborhood Plans are part of the Comprehensive Plan andthere are specific rules in Bellingham Municipal Code (BMC)regarding changes to those plans. Interested parties may find thedetails as shown in the following from the City website:To apply for an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan orNeighborhood Plans, applicants must follow the rules outlined inBMC 21.10.040 and BMC 21.10.150. Criteria for approval iscontained in BMC 20.20.060. Contact thePlanning Divisionformore information.There was much discussion at the June 16

MNAC meeting onfees for Neighborhood Plan changes. The South Hill Associationhad been told they would be charged about $14,000 for staff timerequired to review the zoning change in their neighborhood planamendment. Greg Aucutt advised there had been a policychange but that he would research the change and adviseMNAC. Members expressed concern about fees for rezoneproposals and their expected dramatic effects on the smallbudgets of neighborhood associations. A motion was approvedurging the Mayor and Interim Planning Director to rescind thepaying of fees by neighborhood associations.The subject fees were considered large enough to effectivelydeter any future neighborhood proposals, the opposite of thepurpose of neighborhood participation in land use planning.There were a number of emails over the days following theMNAC meeting on that perceived impact and how it discourageneighborhood association involvement in the planning process.Good news arrived in a message from Linda Stewart saying thePlanning Department had advised that there will be “no changeto past policy, meaning no fees will be charged to recognizedBellingham neighborhood associations for code change orrezone proposals” (Quote from email message sent by LindaStewart,Neighborhoods & Special Projects Coordinator

Mayor'sOffice, City of Bellingham to Neighborhood AssociationPresidents and MNAC Representatives).Other discussion from the June meeting included review of twodifferent Guide Meridian/Cordata neighborhood plan changes.One is for a property along north side of Bakerview West nearNorthwest Avenue to change from industrial to mixed commercialand industrial, a designation more consistent with surroundingarea. The other is more comprehensive addressing a number ofboundary changes and three housing projects now indevelopment phase. Both proposals will be considered togetherand MNAC