Article: Residents Encouraged to Attend the Second Alabama Corridor Project Open House

The second open house meeting regarding the Alabama Corridor Project is tentatively scheduled for June, after Bellingham’s Public Works Department has concluded its technical analysis on the corridor.

            This meeting is open to the public and residents are invited to attend in order to have their questions and concerns addressed.

“Resident concerns are absolutely critical in this process and they are exactly why we are going through the technical analysis,” Chris Comeau, transportation planner at Bellingham’s Public Works Department, said. Comeau added that the purpose of the analysis is to find out the cause and effect of accidents on the corridor using various measures. The analysis will help the city to better understand what’s at the core of this issue and once concluded will enable the city to come up with the best possible solution that will reduce collisions for all users on Alabama Corridor.

A number of projected alternatives for the Alabama Corridor have been brought forward, but what the city will ultimately choose to do is undecided. The uncertainty is beginning to cause surrounding residents to wonder how this construction will affect them.

“People in Barkley neighborhood are worried that drivers will avoid the Alabama Corridor and cause more traffic congestion along many of Barkely’s through streets leading to the freeway,” Bob Putich, president of the Barkley Neighborhood Association, said.

After a completed technical analysis is presented to the public the city still must meet a number of requirements before any construction can begin.

“The goal of the project is to reduce vehicle collisions while increasing safety for all other traffic, including pedestrians, bikers and transit. Whatever we decide is the best solution, it must meet this goal,” Comeau said. Adding that in order for the city to move forward with a solution and use the grant money they were awarded they must demonstrate to the state and federal government how and why it makes sense. 

            Though this project has been an ongoing process for almost two years many people in the community are unaware of the cities intentions.

            “I don’t think the average citizen feels they have a voice in this process, but the city is becoming more forward thinking and trying to get neighborhoods involved,” President of the Barkley Neighborhood Association, Bob Putich said.

            The first open house that covered the topic of the Alabama Corridor Project was held Tuesday Feb. 12.

            “The city has done all they can do in terms of getting information out, is it perfect? No, but can it be? No. It’s up to the people to come out and their voices heard,” Jim Brennan, Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission rep. for the Barkley Neighborhood Association said.

            Brennan has lived in Barkley neighborhood for 12 years and has always taken his civic duty seriously; he trusts in the process and understands that the city has rigorous procedures to follow.

            After a projected solution has been brought to the public, it must then be accepted by the transportation commission, then the City Council and they direct the Public Works Department on how to move forward, Comeau said.

Back in May 2012 the city of Bellingham received $1.4 million from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) “Target Zero Highway Safety Program” grant.  The purpose of awarding this grant is to mitigate safety issues on the Alabama Street Corridor.

The WSDOT selected Bellingham as one of 50 cities to apply for this grant because of the high amount of vehicle collisions on the Alabama Corridor over the past 9 years. Since 2004 there have been 94 injury-related collisions. This amount exceeds the state and federal government’s threshold of acceptable and makes the corridor eligible for these funds, Comeau said.

            Check the City of Bellingham website in the coming months in order to keep updated on the status of this project and to find out when the second open house will be.                                  

Article: Barkley Gets to know BPD Anti-Crime Team

In an effort to create greater community awareness the Bellingham Police Department Anti-Crime Team has begun sporadically attending neighborhood association meetings.

Officer Harper, who has been on the Anti-Crime Team for two months, said that attending neighborhood association meetings will help them to better understand neighborhood-specific issues on a more personal level.

The Anti-Crime Team attended Barkley Neighborhood Association’s meeting on Feb. 22 and briefly presented on the background and mission of the team.

 “They have not attended a meeting before and I know people within the neighborhood don’t know about them,” Bob Putich, Barkley Neighborhood Association president said.

Putich has been a Barkley resident for 12 years and was re-elected at the Feb. 22 meeting for a second two-year term as president.

The Anti-Crime Team works at the neighborhood level along side residents, neighborhood associations and government agencies to target neighborhood-related issues and track trends in reports.

            “A big issue for Barkley residents is car prowls and graffiti, and this team has given the Police Department an avenue to deal with these types of small crimes,” Putich said. 

            In 2012 the Barkley Neighborhood had 21 reported incidents of car prowls, Officer Harper said in an e-mail, which was lower than the city average of 29.

The Anti-Crime Team formed in 2009, but with recent community outreach efforts hope to make their presence known with neighborhood residents.

“I think anytime that police are in neighborhoods and making themselves known and available it’s a good thing,” Penny Wise, Barkley resident since 2004, said.

            The Anti-Crime Team encourages reporting all crimes, even if they seem minor.

            “No call is too small,” Sgt. Almer, head of the team, said during their presentation at the Barkley Neighborhood Association meeting.

            Sgt. Almer also pointed out that a primary purpose for the team is to act as a “spearhead” for transmitting information to the appropriate departments.

            “When we get a call we can facilitate and get that information to different units that will assist in a better manner,” Officer Harper said.

Sgt. Almer used an example of an issue at a stop sign to describe what he meant by “spearhead.”

If there is a particular stop sign in a neighborhood that is continuously being ran through, causing dangerous driving conditions for other people on the road, call the Anti-Crime Team and we will be able to get that information to the proper people. Potentially working with the Bellingham Public Works Department to get a camera set up near the stop sign or a tracking device that would allow officers to better understand a neighborhood-specific issue.

This is a unique element to the Anti-Crime Team.

Often time when a call comes into the general 911 dispatch that information just goes to the one or two officers on duty covering that particular location. That officer will fill out a report, file it and potentially forget about until the next time a similar incident occurs. The Anti-Crime Team grabs the miscellaneous reports that might otherwise fall through the cracks and tracks that information. This takes a lot of burden off of patrol units, Officer Harper said.

Putich feels that he can really see his tax dollars going to work with this team.

“An average person can live their whole lives and never really be involved with the police, this team allows them to do some good for a larger group of the population for very little expense,” Putich said.

Attending neighborhood association meetings is only one way the Anti-Crime Team is conducting community outreach.

As the President of the Barkley Neighborhood Association, Putich plans to assist the team in creating greater community awareness.

“A large portion of our neighborhood is the business district, so educating merchants and patrons about this team will be a positive thing. People like to shop where it’s safe,” Putich said.

Also in the works is a social gathering for neighborhood residents, like a picnic when the weather gets nicer.

“That’ll be a great time to get a couple of the guys from the team to come and have some casual conversation with residents and answer questions they may have in a comfortable environment,” Putich said.   

The potential date of the picnic is still unknown, but the Barkley Neighborhood Association website will be updated as it is decided.

Article: Parents See Benefits of IB Program

                Parents are beginning to see the benefits of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program that was implemented at Northern Heights Elementary School a year and a half ago.

                The International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme is an inclusive program that requires involvement of all students. The program was implemented at Northern Heights Elementary in 2011, and at Bellingham’s Wade King Elementary in 2010. Currently these are the only two elementary schools with the IB Primary Years Program World School status in Washington state, as stated on the IB website.

                “The IB Program embraces internationalism,” Wendy Barrett, principle at Northern Heights said.

                Northern Heights has a high number of ethnically diverse families; 19 different languages are spoken in the homes of Northern Heights Elementary students.

                “We wanted to celebrate that and engage that as an asset in our school community,” Barrett said.

                Implementing the IB Program did not come without its costs; the school has to pool money from multiple sources to fund the project.  

                The elementary school was forced to prioritize exciting funds in their budget, teacher's allocated money from the professional development portions of their salary and the Bellingham School District helped by financially supporting the Roseta Stone Spanish Language Program. Additionally, the PTA put significant dollars toward to the IB Program budget line, Barrett said. There is a staffing cost to the program as well.  

                When the school first implemented the IB Program they put a great effort toward parent education. Barrett said the school sent home information in their newsletters as well as surveyed parents and received overwhelming positive feedback. There were only a handful of families that responded negatively and Barrett addressed their questions and worked through their concerns.

                A focus of the IB Program is on critical inquiry.  This involves the synthesis, analysis and manipulation of knowledge and means as part of their curriculum students are required to look deeper into a problem.

                “Take water for example. Student’s don’t just look at this issue on a personal or community level, but as a global concern; they understand that access to water is not the same around the world and they understand there are political ramifications around this resource,” Barrett said.

                Inquiry is one of the fundamental approaches to the IB Primary Years Programme and allows for students to take an active role in their learning. There are eight concepts used in the Primary Years Programme that guide the student’s line of inquiry, form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective, responsibility and reflection, according to Barrett.

                “I like the way they question things in their inquiries, especially in the older grades,” Cristin Scheer said, who has a daughter in first grader at Northern Heights.

                Encouraging students to question their world and what shapes it is only one part of the program.

                The IB Learner Profile is a part of the Primary Years Program that acts as a guide for teachers in their educational practices and for students in learning.

                There are 10 characteristics of the IB Learner Profile that teachers and students are to aspire to embody: to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective.

                “They live and model all of the Learner Profile attributes and we have embedded them in our entire school community,” Barrett said.

                The IB Primary Years Program views bilingualism as being an increasingly important part of growing up in the 21^st century and has emphasizes this in the program.             

                 At Wade King Elementary School the Rosetta Stone program is used to teach its students Mandarin Chinese. At Northern Heights Elementary School Spanish is the second language learned, according to Barrett.

                “Having the Spanish unit now is different than when I went to school, but I believe it’s been very beneficial,” Sarah Montioni, mother of a first grader at Northern Heights, said. 

                Each school offers online access to these programs so students can continue their learning online.

                Northern Heights soon may not be only one of two elementary schools to offer this program in the state.

                “Other schools are getting on board, but it’s not a short process. There is a school in Tacoma area that is two thirds the way there and other schools are visiting to learn more about the program,” Barrett said, adding that she sees a shift as finances get better.

Article: City Decides to Referee Landlord-Tenant Disputes

The Bellingham Planning and Community Development Committee decided Monday, Feb. 11, to move forward to move forward with a rental registration pilot program. Ultimately, the Committee hopes ease tensions between landlords and tenants in the city.

                “On-and-off for nearly a decade the Planning and Community Development Committee has been hearing issues between tenants and landlords, and it’s at the point where the Committee has decided to move forward,” Committee member and 2^nd Ward City Council representative Gene Knutson said.

                How the city will conduct the registration, inspection, education and enforcement elements of this pilot program has yet to be decided. A report has been ordered by the Committee to survey rental property standards throughout Bellingham before the pilot program is officially adopted. The results of the report will provide committee members a clearer framework of landlord tenant issues.

                The goals of the report for the Committee are to understand how to strengthen current laws and identify how to move forward, Knutson said, adding that the report will be conducted by City Staff and results will be reported to the Committee mid-March.

                Bellingham Mayor, Kelli Linville, and Committee member’s Gene Knutson, Jack Weiss and Michael Lilliquest agreed Monday that there are current barriers between renters and knowledge of their rights covered under Washington State Landlord Tenant law.

                Josh Moore, Western student and Barkley neighborhood renter, said he is not very aware of his rights as a tenant and believes this is common among renters.

                “I just go with the flow and call my landlord when I need something replaced,” Moore said, admitting that if his landlord did not live up to her responsibilities he doesn’t know of any available resources he could contact.

                Lack of knowledge among renters is only part of the reason current landlord tenant laws aren’t working.

                Weiss acknowledged Monday that the city won’t be able to understand fully what the barriers are until they understand the issues surrounding landlord tenant disputes, and in order to do that a pilot program needs to be implemented.

                At Monday’s meeting Knutson brought forward a three-year “pilot inspection program for residential rental properties” that will assist the Committee in understanding these issues on a deeper. This pilot program will require all landlords in Bellingham to register their rental properties with the city so they can be professionally inspected and reported upon, allowing the Committee to find out exactly where the problems lie.

                Property registration and inspection will not be the only elements of the pilot program. 

                “There is educational outreach and enforcement that needs to be done,” Linville said during Monday’s meeting.                 

                Barkley renter Josh Moore believes implementing a registration program would be beneficial in a city like Bellingham.

                “There is so much student housing that landlords might think they can pull something over on us,” Moore said.

                The student renter population is only a subset of renters in Bellingham and Weiss made it clear during Monday’s meeting that the pilot program will be designed to encompass all renters in Bellingham.

                Bellingham is not the only city that has refereed disputes between landlords and tenants. A worksheet was available at Monday’s meeting that compared rental property registration programs among six cities along the West Coast: Sacramento and Santa Cruz, Calif., Gresham, Ore., Pasco, Prosser and Seattle.

                Seattle adopted a “Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance” program that will be implemented January 2014. The purpose of Seattle’s program is to “ensure that all rental housing in the city meets specific minimum life safety and fire safety standards,” as stated on the worksheet, taken from the Seattle Department of Planning and Development website.

                Planning and Community Development Committee member Lilliquest agreed with the goals Seattle’s stated purpose and moved to amend Bellingham’s 2013 Work Plan to incorporate it. The Committee passed the motion 3-0.

                Linville agreed that adopting Seattle’s goal statement will help to guide the Committee as they move forward with this issue.

                “Once the Committee receives the report back from city staff and evaluates the data, it will take about year after adoption before the pilot program is implemented,” Knutson said. 

Article: New Theater, New Restaurants?

The new brightly painted Regal Cinema sticks out from a sea of brick building on Barkley Boulevard. Harder to notice are the three smaller commercial properties available for lease attached to the theater. The businesses that will develop in these properties will add to the neighborhood in a way that is still unknown to local residence.  

            “It has already affected the nightlife in the area,” The Barkley Company’s Sales and Project Development Manager Jeff Kochman said of the new movie theater. With the majority of movies playing at the Regal Cinema between the hours of 6 and 10 p.m. the area has become an entertainment destination for people all over Whatcom County.

            Kochman has made it clear that the Barkley Company is looking to fill the available commercial properties with restaurants or other food establishments, making getting dinner and a movie a one-stop shop for local daters.

            Barkley Village is a multi-use development that has grown to a 250-acre urban village in which people can live, work and recreate.

            The urban village recently opened the doors to two new businesses, Regal Cinema and Wood’s Coffee, located south of Barkley Boulevard and west of Woburn Street. With the opening of the theater, the addition of Howe Street and a new streetlight on Barkley Boulevard this area is expanding.      

            One of the available properties attached to the theater has been leased to Zen Sushi and Bar, a conveyer built sushi restaurant, Kochman said. This is the first conveyer built sushi establishment in Barkley Village, though Little Tokyo, a conventional sushi restaurant has been in the urban village for 15 years.

            Chu Kim, owner of Little Tokyo, isn’t too worried about the soon to be competition. “If the theater draws in the big crowds all the restaurants will be okay,” Kim said. Kim does have tentative plans to change the atmosphere of Little Tokyo to adapt to the updating area.     

            The only other building permit request submitted to the city is from Subway, Kurt Nabbefeld Senior Planner at the City of Bellingham said in an email.

            Ron Glazier, a Barkley neighborhood resident who frequents the village, noted that there are already many chain restaurants in the area and said he would like to see support for a new venture.

            “I would like to see something that would offer variety, a little more ethnic, maybe Italian or Greek,” Glazier said.

            The Barkley Company takes many things into consideration when processing an applicant. Kochman said a sound business plan, along with previous business experience and who the applicant is all play an important role in the application process. If the applicant has other businesses in the area or is just looking to move locations to Barkley Village it is easier for the Barkley Company to access the likelihood of its success.

            That does not cancel out the opportunity for a startup business to put up-shop in the urban village. Kochman said the Barkley Company is accepting applications from all types of food establishments.

            It is undetermined when future restaurants will open their doors, but Zen Sushi and Bar is expected to open in the next three to four weeks.

            What’s next for Barkley Village? Construction on “Phase 2” of the Barkley Company’s development plan will start “when market conditions are more favorable,” Kochman said. When that will be is still unknown. Currently under development is a 121-unit apartment building that will be built on East Newmarket Street, across from the Drake Building where Scotty Brown’s is located.

        Whichever restaurants ultimately become part of Barkley Village it will be important for The Barkley Company to consider the “feel” of the neighborhood.

            “I know some people think the movie theater is a little too flashy,” Glazier said,” but I think it’s nice to see the development in the city, it shows that the economy might be more prosperous and is creating more jobs – it’s a positive effect.”