Construction on the Corner of Woburn and Alabama Streets

The construction on the north-east, right-hand turn off of Alabama Street onto Woburn Street has just finished removing the sidewalk, and is currently constructing a new curb, gutter, and sidewalk, according to Shane Oden, City of Bellingham’s project engineer.

            The City approved this construction in order to make it a safer street to turn onto for trucks, buses, and other cars that have difficulty turning, according to Oden.

            “The goal of the project is to increase the size or the curb return radius (corner) so that buses and trucks can make safe turning movements,” Oden said.

            In order to accomplish this, the right lane at that intersection has been closed down, and the traffic signal, storm water system, light pole, and crosswalks will all need to be rearranged to better suit the new street corner and increase safety for drivers turning onto Woburn Street, according to city data.

            Some residents of Alabama Hill are grateful that this project is happening due to how difficult it is to turn onto Woburn from Alabama Street, according to Ashley Zuck, a resident of Alabama Hill.

“You have to go out, and then turn. If you kind of miss it, you go into the other lane,” Zuck said.

The north-east corner of Alabama Street and Woburn Street is so small, which is the main cause of difficult turning on that corner, according to Zuck.

However, not all residents even noticed it to be a problem, and would have rather seen construction on other key areas of the city.

            “I never thought it was a problem,” Tracy Jackson said. “I’m sure they probably could have used construction on other roads somewhere else.”

            There are other roads that need more attention than this particular corner, and the City could have used the money to fix holes or other things like that, according to Jackson.

            Traffic has also been a minor issue with the construction due to the fact that the right lane has and will be closed down for the remainder of the construction, according to Oden.

            The traffic has been very minimal, and the flaggers aren’t need regularly, according to Oden.

            However, other citizens have been finding their daily commute to take a little longer when travelling down Alabama Street.

            “It just takes a little longer to get through,” Zuck said of her daily commute down Alabama Street.

            .Once the sidewalk is complete there will be a 30 day delay in construction in order to receive a new light pole, according to Oden.

Once the new light pole is received it will only take about a day to install and complete the remainder of the construction. No specific date has been given for the finish of the construction, according to Oden.

The project in total is going to cost $148,442.25, according to city data.

The funding for this project is being pulled from the City’s Transportation Benefit District (TBD) fund, according to Oden.

The TBD fund collects local tax dollars from a levy passed back in 2010 meant for non-motorized, Whatcom Transportation Authority, and street overlay improvements such as this current project, according to Oden.

            Construction on the corner of the Alabama and Woburn streets began on November 18, 2013, according to city data.

            The contract to construct this area was awarded to the contractor Sail Electric and a notice to proceed with the construction was issued on November 12, 2013, according to city data.

The construction contract awarded to the project is for 15 days, but it may have to be extended due to holidays and weather situations, according to Oden.

The issue was brought to the City’s attention by Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA), whose buses were having trouble safely turning the corner, according to Oden.

            “The issue that prompted this project was an inadequate curb return radius on the NE corner.  In other words, the corner was too small and WTA busses have always had a hard time making a right hand turn and staying in their lane,” Oden said.

            Oden’s team has so far completed two parts of the project: they have removed the old sidewalk and have fixed the underground electrical work, according to Oden.          

            So far the project has had no hiccups in the road, and they are expecting no major hiccups to occur for the remainder of the project, according to Oden.

Bloedel Donovan Park Master Plan and Improvement Projects

            The Parks and Recreation Department has recently begun designing two future improvements to be made to Bloedel Donovan Park in 2014, according to city data.

            The changes that are being designed include shoreline, storm water, and boathouse improvements, according to city data.

            These changes are both amendments that were made to the Park Renovation Plan that began in 1980; the updated version is called the Bloedel Master Plan Amendment, according to city data.

The Bloedel Master Plan Amendment was approved by City Council on July 2, 2012 and has recently received funding for two of about seven future improvements, according to city data.

 “I am generally in-favor of the proposed updates to the park,” Jeff Braimes, a resident of Alabama Hill, said.

One of the two projects that were recently funded is the storm water infiltration improvement project, according to city data.

The storm water infiltration improvements are meant to alleviate the water’s run-off from the open lawn area while also making sure the public can access the shoreline, according to city data.

In order to make these storm water improvements possible, below ground improvements may have to be made, according to city data.

Construction may go as far as removing the sand that has voids in them in order to treat and infiltrate storm water through sand barriers, according to city data.

In addition to the storm water infiltration, there is also an issue with the shoreline, according to city data.

The issue with the shoreline is the concrete bulkhead that is breaking apart and crumbling into Lake Whatcom, which contaminates the water source, according to city data.

The plan is to have the sand barrier take away the run-off and prevent bacteria from entering Lake Whatcom, according to city data.

With the sand acting as a barrier, the crumbling concrete can be removed, and the shoreline can be molded to have a more natural shape, according to city data.

With storm water improvements there will be a less run-off water, the grass on the open lawns will be in better condition, and there will be more chances to capture additional storm water run-off from other areas of the park, such as the community building and the walkways, that have yet to be mitigated, according to city data.

As of October 10, 2013, the City of Bellingham Water Fund has granted storm water improvements $384,000 while the Department of Ecology Statewide Stormwater Grant Program gave $128,000 to fix the storm water issue.

For shoreline improvements, the City of Bellingham Water Fund has given the project $150,000 and the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office Aquatic Land Enhancement Account Grant have also given the project $150,000 as of Oct 10, 2013, according to city data.

The design process has only recently begun and construction for this part of the amendment plan is expected to take place during the summer of 2014, according to city data.

The second project to recently receive funding was the new boathouse that is to be installed on Electric Avenue, according to city data.

The idea for a new boathouse was brought to City Council by the Whatcom Rowing Association, according to city data.

The Association has been leasing space at the park since 2011, and has been hosting a rowing program for youths and adults since then, according to city data.

The proposed boathouse is for storage of non-motorized boating equipment, and is planned to be privately funded through a donation made by the Whatcom Rowing Association, according to city data.

The boathouse is to be located on the west end of the park near Electric Avenue, according to city data.

While this boathouse might be in the favor of the Whatcom Rowing Association, not everyone is in favor of having a new boathouse installed at the park, according to Mollie Faulkner.

“Putting a boathouse on the grass just does not make sense. It will drastically cut down swimming and picnic areas and leave a large area where there can be no vegetation,” Faulkner said.

The boathouse was initially taken out of the 2012 master plan, but was put back into the amendment plan in order to avoid conflict with pedestrian access to non-motorized boating equipment, according to city data.

The boathouse only recently received funding and is currently in the design process. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2014, according to city data.

The Bloedel Master Plan Amendment came about due to the City Council’s concern for Lake Whatcom, according to Leslie Bryson, Design and Development Manager of the City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department.

Lake Whatcom is a major supply of drinking water in Bellingham, so the lake is one if the City’s highest priorities, Bryson said.

 “Council requested staff look at ways to reduce runoff into Lake Whatcom.   A work plan for Bloedel Donovan Park was presented to Council in 2011, resulting in Public Works and Parks collaborating on storm water infiltration and beach restoration projects.  Around the same time, the Whatcom Rowing Association brought forward a proposal to construct a non-motorized boathouse,” Bryson said.

Since both of these projects were brought to the attention of City Council, the council decided to amend the park plan for Bloedel Donovan Park, according to Bryson.

Currently, Bloedel Donovan Park is a recreational area that is very well used by visitors who enjoy fishing, letting their dogs off of their leashes, and boating, according to city data.

The park currently has two sand volleyball court, a community building, a park building, a pavilion rental building, open lawn, public restrooms, paths, parking lot, and docks, according to city data.

Future improvements in the Bloedel Master Plan Amendment to be made to the park are non-motorized boathouse, enhanced planting, beach enhancement, native planting mitigation, and a loop trail that was proposed in the original plan in 1980.

The amendments are meant to address an outline of immediate and long-range facility and site-improvements, according to city data.

Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan 2014 Update

With a plan to fix parks in the works, residents of Alabama Hill wish to see improvements made to overgrown vegetation at parks, trail signage, and trail safety.

The 2014 draft of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan for the City of Bellingham is currently being reviewed by the Planning Commission after nine months of preparation, Leslie Bryson, City of Bellingham’s Parks and Recreation Department’s Design and Development Planner, said.

Funding for this project overall is expected to cost around $93 million in 2013 money if all of the recommended changes were implemented, according to city data.

One of the recent issues that residents of Alabama Hill wish to see addressed is the vegetation in the parking area of Highland Heights Park, according to Diane Bates.

After the playground remodel of the park in 2010, the vegetation by the parking lot began to grow out of control and has now made it unsafe to drop children off at the park, according to Bates.

The vegetation is out to the curb, so now people have to park at the beginning or the end of the street in order to safely drop off their children since the passenger door is blocked by the vegetation, Bates said.

As to why this problem is still continuing, Dean Haskins, Chairman of the Alabama Hill Neighborhood Association, says “I don’t think it’s maintenance; it’s a design flaw.”

The growing vegetation also plays an unsafe role since parents can’t see through it when approaching the park through the parking area, according to Haskins.

Attempts have been made to fix the vegetation issue in order to make the parking area safe, but the city has only trimmed the vegetation slightly, according to Bates.

“You can trim them down, but they’re still there,” Bates said.

Another issue that residents of Alabama Hill would like to see improvements made on is on the Railroad trails, according to Richard Maneval, Volunteer Assistant Coordinator National Night Out at Bloedel Donovan Park.

While the trails are plentiful in Alabama Hill, residents would like to see an improvement of signage on the trails, Maneval, who is involved with the actions in Parks and Rec, said.

“I walk on the trails and I’m seeing people get lost,” Maneval said. “I met a mayor from a French city. He and his wife got lost but they were enjoying themselves.”

Forty-five percent of Bellingham residents regularly use the trails around the city, according to city data.

One of the goals of improving the trails is to ensure the safety of the residents who use them, according to city data.

Another issue residents would like to see fixed on the trails would be the drainage that saturates the dirt trails and the invasive species growing on the trails, according to Maneval.

The vegetation has been growing a lot recently, and a lot of invasive species, such as Himalayan Blackberries, are growing more prominent, Maneval said.

While no specific plan has been made by the neighborhood on how to address this issue, Maneval and other Alabama Hill residents would like to see them removed.

Another issue that residents would like addressed about the trails would be the trash that is becoming more prominent as of recently, according to Jeff Braimes, a resident of Alabama Hill.

People who walk their dogs scoop up the fecal matter and put it into dog bags. However, instead of throwing them away, the owners leave them on the ground thinking that they’ll pick it up on their way back, Maneval said.

Currently, the majority of the maintenance being performed is the clean up being done by Bellingham residents who are regular users of the trails, according to Maneval.

One of the ideas being explored in the parks plan is to have designated trails for dogs to be off of their leashes, according to city data.

Forty-eight percent of Bellingham residents are strongly for initiating this plan on the trails, according to city data.

The general safety of the trails is also questionable at times when it gets dark out and people are walking on the trails by themselves, according to Maneval.

While some feel that the trails can be dangerous to walk alone at times, others feel differently about the issue of safety.

“The trails used to be a lot more primitive so it’s kind of a luxury to have them as they are now,” Haskins said, adding later that he would like to see the money spent on other improvement projects.

If the city would even fund to have a few more strategically placed trash cans on the trails, then that would make a difference in the amount of trash being left behind, Braimes said.

The first official draft of the parks plan with the official mission statement of, “Support a healthy community by promoting high quality parks and recreation services,” was completed and submitted to the official City of Bellingham website on Oct. 25 2013, according to city data.

Once the Planning Commission wraps up their review of the draft, their comments will be passed onto City Council, who will then begin viewing the draft in January of 2014, according to Bryson.

Neighborhood parks within the city limits are a target on the parks plan, and the City’s goal for these parks is to create equal access for all residents to be able to use it, according to city data.

One option currently being explored in the draft is supplying a sufficient amount of trash cans to the trails, according to city data.

Neighborhood parks would account for $10 million being spent while open space and trail construction and improvement would total $58 million, according to city data.

The funding for the parks plan comes from many different pots, such as the general fund (which consists of taxes, fees, permits, etc.), special revenues, and debt service funds, according to city data.

The city is also drawing from its ability to receive $1 million annually for five years in grants from Washington Recreation and Conservation Office grant programs, federal Transport and Enhancement grants, and Department of Ecology grants, according to city data.

While the plan may have many recommendations on how to improve parks, trails, and open space, not all of the changes being listed will neither be made nor funded, according to city data.

“Approval of the plan is not approval for funding of any projects. Council approves a capital improvement plan each year as part of the budget and only those project included in the budget have authority to proceed,” Bryson said.

The parks plan was last updated in 2008, according to city data.

The 2014 parks plan draft began in February 2013 and is updated every six years in order to allow the City to keep receiving funding from Wildlife and Recreation Program, according to city data.

Word on the Hill (3)

The Mount Baker Rock and Gem Club will be having its monthly meeting on November 18,Tracy Jackson, a director at large and lapidary instructor for the club.

The meeting will take place in the Lapidary Room of the community building at Bloedel Donovan Park at 7 p.m.

The meeting will feature a talk about volcanoes and the dangers of eruption by Doug McKeever, professor of geology department at Whatcom Community College.

The meeting is open to everyone who wishes to attend, and is not limited to current members.

The club also offers lapidary classes for a course of seven weeks at a time. They occur on Tuesdays and teach students to work with many different types of rocks.

“We teach you how to take a rock and make a cabochon,” Jackson said.

A cabochon, or a cab, is a rock that is cut and polished to be placed into the form of jewelry.

The rocks can also be used to make other accessories, such as small knives (image below).

The lapidary classes mainly focus on teaching students on how to work with the loud equipment used to cut and shape rocks, according to Jackson.

The types of rocks studied by the club vary from anything from Jasper to Stilpnomelane, and everything in between.

“By the end of the first night, you should be able to make a cabochon. It may not be perfect, but the others after that will get better,” Jackson said.

Every week, the class focuses on a different type of rock, and by the end the students should know how to deal with the majority of the rocks they will encounter, Jackson said.

The club also creates field trips where they take their students to sights to find different types of rocks.

The upcoming field trip is on Nov. 16th at 9 a.m. and will take place at Blanchard Hill where students will be specifically searching for Stilpnomelane.

Membership forms can be found on their official website and costs 15 dollars annually.

The Mount Baker Rock and Gem Club meet the third Wednesday of every month (except August and December) at 7 p.m. at Bloedel Donovan Park.

Word on the Hill (2)

Currently, Bellingham is undergoing the process of creating a Pedestrian Master Plan (pg. 29).  The goals for this program are meant to promote safety, health, and proper use of open land. Due to its collision history and it being a popular road for pedestrians, Alabama Street is being researched as to the whether or not a “road-diet” should be implemented in order to help the street be safer for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. The “road diet” would remove two driving lanes travelling in either direction and add in bike lanes, left-turn lanes, and sidewalks.

However, if the plan for this “road diet” is rejected or found to be unsatisfactory to safety needs of Alabama Street, then the back-up option (pgs.12-13) will be implemented. Instead of reconstructing the entire road, the city’s effort would be put entirely into crosswalks (and, possibly, sidewalks).

Crosswalks are limited on Alabama Street. Not only are there few proper crosswalks, but the crosswalks that are already in place are in need to being enhanced. Sometimes it is difficult to cross the street since the crosswalks are limited and the amount of traffic can be a bit excessive at times since people are always gaining speed from the hill on Alabama Street, according to Ashley Zuck, a resident of Alabama Hill.

The specifics of the alternative to the “road diet” are to build HAWK signals on the existing crosswalks, which means that signs will be placed high above the street to give cars enough warning to stop for the pedestrian waiting to cross the road. The city also hopes to install flashing lights for pedestrian crosswalks, add in curb extensions, improve the lack of visibility for both cars and pedestrians, improve signs, and relocate the bus stops to safer locations (pg.13).

The city also wishes to focus more on the crosswalks and safety of the walkways and crosswalks located directly by schools in order to keep school zones as safe as they can.

Bloedel Donovan Boat Inspections

In September 2011, the Aquatic Invasive Species action plan for boat inspections for entrance into the lakes was released after finding traces of Asian clams in the lake, according to official city data.

On May 21, 2012, Bellingham was awarded a grant of $164,000 from the Puget Sound Partnership in order to help prevent aquatic invasive species from further contaminating Lake Whatcom, according to official city data.

The current boat inspections at Bloedel Donovan Park are a result of this grant and are meant to keep aquatic invasive species out of Lake Whatcom and Lake Samish, which are two sources of drinking water in Bellingham, according to official city data.

            When Whatcom County announced that motorized-boat owners would have to pay $20 or $50 for an inspection pass to keep non-native plants and pathogens out of the lakes that are a drinking source for the city, some boat owners were irritated with the new policy.

            Some feel as if the fee for the clean, drain, dry inspection is unreasonable, and that if boat inspections are wanted by the county, the county should not charge boaters separately for the inspection, according to Ross Mattson, a local who lives near Bloedel Donovan Park.

            “They should incorporate that into the boat licensing fee for anybody in Whatcom County rather than have a whole other revenue collector agency for that alone,” Mattson said.

            The fees being charged for boat inspections are only a portion of the money being used to fund the overall invasive species prevention program, according to official city data.

            The Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District gave the Lake Whatcom program $50,000 to use to help keep the lake from getting more contaminated than it already is, Patrick Sorensen, Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District’s general manager, said.

While the fees do play a major factor in the annoyance of boat inspection process, not many view the actual process as problematic. Some feel that while the entire process is not a hassle, the fees are the most draining part of the entire situation, Bryan Morris, a local motor-boat owner, said.

“It’s not a hassle. The only thing is I got this-,” Morris said, gesturing to his boat, “-plus two jet skis. That’s $150. Plus I have to pay for registration and maintenance, which is a given. It’s to the point where I don’t even know if it’s worth it.”

            However, others held a different view about the fees and the inspection itself, viewing the lakes as a drinking supply for the city of Bellingham rather than just as lakes that could be contaminated by foreign bacteria.

            Dan Colacurcio, a man whose son owns a motorized boat near Bloedel Donovan Park, feels that some boaters are not responsible enough to take care of their own boats, and that since the lakes are a supply of drinking water for the city, the boat inspections are a necessary step to preserve the lakes even if the county must charge each boater individually per boat.

            While it might seem outrageous to some people to make patrons pay to have their own boats inspected every time they enter the lake, it’s a task that benefits everybody to keep the lake clean. If the boats are bringing in harmful bacteria, then it needs to be done, according to Ken Gregory.

            The Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District approves of the boat inspections that are occurring as Lake Whatcom is a drinking water source for the city and needs to not be contaminated, said Sorensen.

            While some may feel that boaters are not completely responsible to take care of their own boats, others disagree.            “I’m a pretty responsible boater,” Morris said. “It’s almost like I have to pay to blow my own nose.”

It is also pondered about how effective the inspection process is at all. It would be helpful to compare what is happening with these boat inspections at these lakes to lakes that do not have boat inspections, and noticing how in danger the lakes actually are, Morris said.        

Whether or not it’s worth it is also a question going through people’s minds. Mattson pondered as to whether the lakes are even worth saving at this point as Lake Whatcom is already contaminated

“This is the end of the line, right? It’s already infected here. I think it’s a noble effort, I appreciate it… but I think they’re too late,” Mattson said.

New Zealand Mudsnail, Euarasian Milfoil, and Asian Clam have already breached into Washington state with the latter two having already made their way into Lake Whatcom, according to city data.

While opinions differ on how the boat inspection is handled financially and physically, it is well agreed upon that patrons of Whatcom County would just like to be able to use their boats freely in the lakes, and be able to enjoy the lakes as they are now.

“It was amazing being able taking a ride on the lake today to see how beautiful God made it,” Colacurcio said.

            Boat inspections at Bloedel Donovan Park began on April 1^st of this year and are still open for purchasing annual or multi-day inspection passes, according to city data. #

Word on the Hill (1)

Bloedel Donovan Park has been undergoing boat inspections since April 1st of this year and they are still continuing on. The boat inspections came about after experts found groups of Asian clams forming in portions of Lake Whatcom. While this is the one of two major invasive aquatic species (the other being Eurasian Watermilfoil) that have already made its way into the lake, there are still many other invasive species (pages 6-11 of this document) the City of Bellingham are worried about. Invasive species such as fresh water clams and crabs have already made their way into lakes in Washington, and Bellingham is trying to keep the lake from becoming anymore contaminated. There are at least seven other invasive species that have been exposed in other lakes in other states, and these boat inspections are meant to keep travelling boats from being in harmful invasive species that may have gotten caught in a part of the boat. The list of invasive species that have been labelled as "Lake Whatcom's Most Unwanted Species List"  and its nearest found location are as follows: 

• Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) found in the Great Lakes
• New Zealand Mudsnail  found in Thornton Creek, Seattle, and Olympia
• Asian Clam found in Lake Washington, Aberdeen Lake, WA, Hood Canal, Columbia River, Snake River, Chehalis River, and Willapa River
• Zebra Mussel found in Utah and California
• Quagga Mussel found in Nevada, California, Arizona, and Colorado
• Chinese Mitten Crab found in the Columbia River at Port of Ilwaco, WA
• Asian Carp found in Sunset Park Pond (in Las Vegas, Nevada) and the Mississippi River
• Hydrilla found in Lake Lucerne and Pipe Lake, WA
• Garden Loosestrife found in Lake Whatcom
• Purple Loosestrife found in Lake Whatcom
• Eurasian Watermilfoil found in Lake Whatcom

How can you help? Whatcom Boat Inspections is following a slogan of, “Clean, Drain, Dry your boat” in order to help promote quick and easy boat inspections. Basically, the people at the boat inspection go through a process of asking you questions about your boats whereabouts and then physically search your boat for any invasive species that may have tacked themselves onto the boat. By cleaning the boat, draining it, and allowing the boat a sufficient amount of time to dry can help make the inspection process go by faster and make things more convenient for both the boater and the inspector. They also have many more tips for boaters on which cleaners to avoid and how to properly care for your boat in order to help preserve the lake.

All information used in this blog post is sourced from Lake Whatcom's official county webpage (http://lakewhatcom.whatcomcounty.org).