Pet waste fouls Alabama Hill trails

A city-sponsored pet waste disposal station lines the Railroad Trail while dog walkers look on.

Some residents say more of these stations are needed to address the issue of excess pet waste on the trails.

Residents of Alabama Hill and the city are at odds over whose duty it is to clean up pet droppings on neighborhood trails.
 
“It’s terrible,” said Rick Nichols, an Alabama Hill resident who frequently walks his dogs around the neighborhood, adding he often sees people not picking up pet waste. “People have got to be responsible as pet owners.”
 
Dean Haskins, president of the Alabama Hill Neighborhood Association, has heard multiple complaints from residents about this fetid matter. The problem is rooted in a lack of pet waste disposal station and garbage cans on the trail system and throughout the neighborhood, he says.
 
“The lack of stations providing the bags means pet owners don’t clean up after their pets,” said Haskins. “The lack of garbage cans stops people from getting rid of their bags of waste, and so they litter the trails with the bags.”
 
According to city documents, the Alabama Hill neighborhood has three city-sponsored pet waste disposal stations, which provide pet owners with waste bags and information on how to properly dispose of excrement. The furthest distance between stations in the neighborhood, all located on the Railroad Trail, is approximately one mile. There are a total of 13 of these stations in various parks and trails across the city, with some stations in other parts of Bellingham less than one tenth of a mile apart.
 
Marvin Harris, operations manager for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, says the city recognizes the problem yet lacks resources to add more pet waste disposal stations and garbage cans.
 
“Most users are good stewards and pack it in and pack it out, however there are others who do not follow that process,” he said. “With limited resources, staff has located trash cans in areas in activity centers where the trash receptacles can be economically serviced. It is difficult to place trash cans along trails because of the lineal distances and the points on entry.”
 
Haskins is aware that the city is unable to further address this issue so the neighborhood association has taken up the matter itself.  
 
“It’s difficult for the city to commit to any type of proposal that requires city-paid personnel to maintain, such as emptying dog waste cans,” he said, adding the association has paid for a pet waste disposal station near St. Clair Park. “We actually need a garbage can now and we are working on that issue.”  
 
Nichols, the neighborhood resident who walks his dog along the trails, says the city doesn’t needs to get involved in this issue and emphasizes the individual responsibility of pet owners.
 
More pet waste disposal stations “might help, but why should the city have to pay for it?” he asks. “If you have a dog, that’s your responsibility to pick up after it.”
 
According to the Bellingham Municipal Code, failing to remove pet waste from public property can result in a misdemeanor with a maximum $500 fine. City documents warn of health and environmental risks associated with not disposing of pet waste. These include transmission of parasites and bacteria such as Nematode, Giardia and E. coli possibly present in the waste and contamination to local water supply through neighborhood drainage systems.  
 
“In the warmer months, residents say the pet waste on the ground attracts flying insects,” says Haskins, adding that this may be keeping people away from the trails. “They don’t want to come in contact with that.”
 
Harris says the city is aware of the large number of residents who frequent the trails and praises pet owners who are responsible.
 
“The city’s trail system is very popular and many of the users bring their dogs,” he said. “City trails run through many neighborhoods and we have similar problems in those neighborhoods with users not picking up after their dogs or carrying away their waste. We appreciate the assistance from park users and responsible pet owners in picking up and packing away the waste.”
 
According to city documents, the Railroad Trail in Alabama Hill had an average of 2,681 users per week between March and August of this year. The 3.2 mile trail stretches from Memorial Park in the Sunnyland neighborhood to Bloedel Donovan Park in the Silver Beach neighborhood.

Concern over parking safety at neighborhood park in Alabama Hill

 

Highland Heights Park is seen through the vegetation on the side of the curb lining the park.

Some residents say the vegetation causes of safety hazard for those trying to drop-off children at the park.

Residents are concerned with the lack of safe parking at Highland Heights Park, yet the city says it has not heard enough complaints to take action.
 
“The lack of parking keeps people away from the park because it is dangerous to get your children out of a car on the street side,” said Alabama Hill resident Diane Bates, adding that the vegetation lining the curb obstructs potential parking spaces. “I have friends who brought their grandchildren to the park to meet me but found the parking situation too bad to return.”
 
According to city documents, Highland Heights Park is considered a neighborhood park warranting two to 10 parking spaces for the public grounds with the intent of serving mainly neighborhood foot traffic. The park, located on Vining Street in Alabama Hill, stretches approximately 200 feet along the curb, allowing for a potential dozen cars to fit in front of the park. Due to the vegetation, there is room for two average-sized cars to park along the curb without obstruction.
 
“Because neighborhood parks primarily serve the neighborhood and people walk to the park, most of the city’s neighborhood parks do not have drop-off zones or parking lots,” said Marvin Harris, the parks operations manager for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, adding that he’s not aware of concerns regarding parking or a drop-off zone at the park.
 
Dean Haskins, president of the Alabama Hill Neighborhood Association, has heard complaints from residents about the parking situation at the park due to excess vegetation on the curb.
 
“Since the plants between the road and the park were designed to be native or wild, they are tall and invasive and even in to the street a bit,” he said. “This hinders cars being able to pull up to park at the curb and drop off or pickup. It is also difficult to see who or what is on the other side of the vegetation, which is troublesome for many.”
 
Though Harris has talked to a resident who indicated the vegetation decreases visibility into the park, he says the plants in front of the park are not a problem.
 
“The park site is not flat; the property slopes from the back of the park towards the street,” he said. “If you are along the opposite side of the street from the park, you can readily see into the park.”
 
Bates has contacted the city about this issue several times in the last two years, and she says the city denies there is a problem.
 
“Anyone can see there is a problem getting out of a vehicle on the passenger side, where you could safely take a child out of a car,” she said, adding that the Alabama Hill Neighborhood Association supports her on this issue. “Hopefully, through the association, the city may take us seriously and correct the flawed design so that this park can be used more fully and safely.”
 
Haskins says the association has taken this issue up with the city “indirectly” and is “working on [it] now.”
 
According to Harris, the city will consider addressing this issue if complaints about the park are raised to the Parks and Recreation Department.
 
“If this concern is brought forward with details regarding the problems, the staff will review and respond,” he said. “Any park user is welcome to contact the Parks and Recreation Department regarding concerns or problems with parks or service. Staff would want to be sure that a problem exists for park users and if so, develop the best solution possible within constraints of current or future budget cycles in necessary.”
 
In 2010, the city renovated the park using more than $70,000 of funding from the Real Estate Excise Tax. This included rebuilding the playground, painting stripes on the basketball court, and constructing a pathway between the park and nearby Illinois Lane.
 
Haskins says the Alabama Hill Neighborhood Association contributed to the renovation process.
 
“As a neighborhood association, we worked directly with Parks Department in recommendations and purchases for the park,” he said.
 
Highland Heights Park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and includes such amenitites as a basketball court, picnic table, open space, and play equipment.

Roosevelt Elementary combating low test scores through academic programs

Roosevelt Elementary School, which feeds the Roosevelt and Alabama Hill neighborhoods,

has incorporated educational programs to boost test scores and academic performance among students.

Educators at Roosevelt Elementary say that despite the school’s low test scores, students’ academic needs are being addressed through the assistance of various programs.

“Almost every one of the 200 or so students receiving support make solid academic growth annually,” said Steve Morse, Roosevelt’s former principal and the district’s current director of teaching and learning. “However, that doesn’t always show up on the state MSP scores.”

According to the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Roosevelt students scored lower on the MSP exam last year in all grade levels and subject areas than the district averages. The MSP exam is a standardized test given statewide to measure students’ progress in third- through eighth-grades.

Despite these statistics, parents at Roosevelt are satisfied with how the school addresses their children’s needs.

“It’s a nice little school,” says Justin Tatu, a Roosevelt parent who appreciates the small class sizes and quality of educators. “The teachers are younger and not as set in their ways. The location gets a bad rap because parts of [the neighborhood] are kind of gritty.”

Matt Herboth, another parent at Roosevelt, also likes the school yet is aware of the issue of low test scores. “I’ve heard rumors,” he said, referring to the school’s reputation. “I knew it wasn’t a high-end school, but it’s in our neighborhood.”

Morse says the district has implemented various programs at Roosevelt over the past 15 years to address low test scores. The most recent programs are Leveled Literacy Intervention, added four years ago, and Reading Recovery, added six years ago. After school help and community tutoring were also introduced in recent years.

Other programs include full-time kindergarten, preschool partnerships, reading and math specialists, and professional development for teachers.

Among the more recent programs is one that promotes arts education and allows all students to have access to it.

“One of the things that makes Roosevelt unique is our Arts Impact program,” said current principal Tom Gresham, who is in his first year in this position.  

Morse says Roosevelt is the only elementary school north of Seattle with this program, which is run through the Puget Sound Educational Service District.  “It infuses the arts into the core curriculum to enhance and enrich the core curriculum,” he said. “Students and families love the drama, visual art, music and dance opportunities.”

Roosevelt’s music teacher Teri McKee says the program helps expand students’ learning in all subject areas.

“I believe that music, drama, and visual art actively engage students and this active engagement transfers to all areas of learning,” she said, adding that she incorporates all of these artistic elements in her music lessons. “Our job is to give the background knowledge to understand, appreciate and continue to engage in artistic pursuits regardless of [the students’] eventual career path.”

Other educational programs at Roosevelt, including Reading Recovery and Leveled Literacy Intervention, are designed to help students achieve state-level standards in reading and writing.

The school also houses a Head Start program which promotes pre-elementary school education for children of low-income families.

Morse says these programs have assisted in student academic growth as Roosevelt has experienced an increase of students from low-income and non-English speaking families.

“[Test scores] have held fairly close to even over the last 10 to 12 years, even though we went from six percent English Language Learners to 18 percent and from about 37 percent poverty to over 60 percent,” he said, adding that the school and district are confident test scores will rise. “Typically scores would drop significantly with those shifts, but we are holding steady.”

Roosevelt qualifies for federal Title I funding, with nearly 61 percent of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, according to the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. This is significantly higher than the district average of 37.9 percent.

 

Greshamsays the matters of poverty and low test scores haven’t caused many families to transfer to another school.

“The number of kids who go to a different school is generally the same as the number who come in,” he says, adding that he hasn’t yet encountered a situation where a family wanted to transfer from Roosevelt due to its reputation.

Morse says a small number of students transferred during his thirteen years as principal.

“Very few move to a new school unless they are too far away or have no transportation. Most kids and families stay due to the positive culture and the culture of inclusiveness for all,” he said, adding that Roosevelt has almost no staff turnover. “Only one teacher voluntarily transferred out in at least the last 13 years and there have been several requests to transfer in every year.”

Tatu has no concerns about the school and values the education his son is getting in his kindergarten class.

“When I was in kindergarten, it was just all playing. He comes home everyday learning something new,” he said, adding that he is not part of the PTA but wants to become more involved at the school as parent volunteers are integrated into the classroom. “I’m thinking about becoming a parent volunteer.”

PTAPresident Kristi Knopp and Vice President Tiffany McNutt did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The Alabama Hill and Rooseveltneighborhoods feed into the school, which has 422 students according to the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

 

 

Residents take issue with Lake Whatcom development standards

 

Residential houses on Lake Whatcom as seen from Bloedel Donovan Park in Silver

Beach. Homeowners in this area must comply with the city's environmental

regulations when developing on their property.
 

Some homeowners in the Lake Whatcom watershed area are disgruntled with Bellingham’s development regulations, but the city says it must enforce them to meet environmental standards.
 
Silver Beach resident Renay Fredette says she applied for necessary permits when modifying her property, yet the city pushed back.
 
“They treated us as people trying to break the rules,” she said, referring to the city’s strict adherence to environment policies around Lake Whatcom. “I felt upset, demoralized, and anxious.”

Fredette wanted to remove concrete, grass and part of her deck from her yard while adding a new patio. The city considered this new development and told her she was changing her property too much to be allowable under their regulations.
 
Residents in the Lake Whatcom watershed are required to seek approval from the city before making changes to their property that can potentially harm the lake, including adding or replacing lawns, patios, sidewalks, driveways and decks. This is according to the Silver Beach Ordinance, which the Bellingham City Council passed in 2009 and went into effect the following year.
 
“The intention of the regulations is to make sure runoff is reduced to help clean up the lake,” said Eli Mackiewicz, coordinator and engineering technician of the Public Works Department’s Homeowner Incentive Program. The program serves to motivate residents to make environmentally sustainable improvements to their property and offers a total reimbursement of $6,000 in material and labor costs.
 
The city defines runoff as nutrient-based pollution that occurs during development and harms the quality of Lake Whatcom, the main water source for approximately 100,000 residents of Whatcom County. Mackiewicz says the city is complying with state standards requiring 87 percent of runoff to be managed.
 
“I think most people find the process of dealing with the planning and permit office at the city daunting,” said Vale Hartley, Silver Beach’s Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission representative. “Some people are frustrated by the time it takes and by the detailed regulations and expectations while others find the Silver Beach Ordinance restrictions too restrictive.”
 
One of these restrictions requires residents to devout a section of their property to native plant species as mitigation for runoff, with homeowners liable for all costs. For example, if a resident wanted to build a new deck, they would have to allocate an area of their land 10 times the size of the deck to native plant species to offset potential runoff from the new development.

Fredette says she spent $13,000 to meet this requirement in addition to the $12,000 she spent on the permit process. If she had not complied with this regulation, she could have been fined a maximum of $1,500 for this violation, $11,500 less than she spent to put in the mitigation.
 
“Not having these regulations would be so less invasive and less troublesome,” she said, adding that she does not know of a single neighbor who has gone through this process with the city, although many, according to her, have developed their property.
 
“That’s certainly something that is dealt with,” said Mackiewicz, referring to residents who develop without proper permits and run the risk of being fined. “When they do that, generally they are making things worse [for the environment].”
 
Hartley says she understands the issue from a resident’s perspective, yet does not advocate that people ignore regulations due to expenses or complexities.
 
“My husband and I had a frustrating experience in this vein a few years ago,” she said. “It can be frustrating when the homeowner knows that their desired action will not actually have a negative effect on the water quality in Lake Whatcom and might, in fact, be beneficial, but the rules don't permit it.”
 
The Washington State Department of Ecology listed Lake Whatcom as an impaired body of water under the Federal Clean Water Act in 1998 and again in 2004 due to low levels of oxygen and high levels of phosphorous.
 
According to the Silver Beach Ordinance, the lake’s water quality has been deteriorating since 1988 from increased levels of development in the area. The ordinance is in place to reverse this trend.
 
Fredette says she thinks the entire process should be streamlined to aid residents in fulfilling the regulations.
 
“[The city] needs to have a mindset of ‘we’re here to help you,’” she said, adding that her experience with the city has discouraged her from working with them again. “They are really shooting themselves in the foot.”
 
According to Mackiewicz, the permit and oversight process is intentionally complicated to meet regulations.
 
“The city doesn’t think it should be easy to get a permit for something that will harm the lake,” he said. “The process is more streamlined if someone wants to do something good for the lake. If they have the intention of improving the lake, the city will work with them.”

Concern over street safety in Silver Beach

A car drives down a section of Flynn Street in Silver Beach. The lack of sidewalks or

bicycle lanes on the street has prompted some residents to contact the city over

pedestrian and bicycle safety concerns.



Residents of Bellingham’s Silver Beach neighborhood are at odds with the city over the need for sidewalks and bicycle lanes on Flynn Street, and soon the public will have a chance to make their voices heard. 

“Cars can’t see me,” said Jerry Harris, who uses a wheelchair when he walks his dog along Flynn Street. Harris says he “feels especially unsafe when crossing on to Electric Avenue.”

The city’s Silver Beach neighborhood plan describes Flynn Street as a narrow road with several blind corners that is a heavily used bicycle and pedestrian route. There have been three hit-and-run traffic accidents on Flynn Street since 2002, according to Bellingham Police Department records, and city documents indicate one of those involved a pedestrian.

Neighborhood residents agree that Flynn Street is unsafe.

“We walk on that street a lot with our kids,” said Renay Fredette, adding that her husband “bikes to work on that street.

“I have contacted the city, but it doesn’t seem like they are going to do anything,” said Fredette, who stressed the need for sidewalks as she carried a baby in her arms.

The city determines the need for sidewalks or bicycle lanes for streets on a case-by-case basis, according to Rory Routhe, assistant director of Public Works.

“We currently have a pedestrian master plan and are working on a bicycle master plan for city streets,” said Routhe.

Last year, Bellingham established a pedestrian master plan. That plan proposes two sidewalk projects for sections of Flynn Street, yet both have received a low-priority rating from the city.

One involves installing a 927-foot sidewalk along Flynn between Dakin and Kansas streets at an estimated cost of nearly $560,000. The cheaper option, with a cost of approximately $136,250, calls for a 218-foot sidewalk on Flynn between Electric Avenue to Dakin Street.

In the past year and a half, Bellingham conducted two separate citywide surveys of residents as part of developing pedestrian and bicycle master plans.

The first survey, completed in 2012, addressed residents’ opinions of improvements for pedestrians. Results indicated that Silver Beach residents are most concerned by a lack of sidewalks and high traffic volumes and speeds in their neighborhood. Less than a third of the streets in the neighborhood have sidewalks, city records show.

The second survey, conducted in May of this year, focused on bicycle transportation in the city. Respondents reported that their top concerns about bicycling are a lack of bicycle lanes and feeling unsafe around cars and trucks, and that they want the city to spend money developing more bicycle lanes. That survey also found that 85.6 percent of residents supported the idea of a physical separation between cars and bicycles, and 86 percent agreed this would improve pedestrians’ safety.

To create sidewalks or bicycle lanes on Flynn Street, money would need to be included in the city’s annual budget, according to Routhe.

“It depends on how the project is funded,” he said, adding that typically there is no direct affect on neighborhood taxes when sidewalks or bike lanes are developed.  

However, if residents’ taxes were raised to contribute to the installation of sidewalks or bicycle lanes, Harris would be supportive of it.

“Yeah, that’d be alright,” he said, adding he would not mind the inconvenience caused by constructing sidewalks and bicycle lanes on Flynn Street.

“We will listen to any concerns people have,” said Routhe, adding that the city cannot take action unless funding for projects is included in Bellingham’s master plans and annual budgets.

The city is holding a meeting open to residents to discuss the development of the bicycle master plan at 5:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at Whatcom Middle School.

The results of this meeting will guide the city’s judgment of fund distribution for the bicycle master plan. This funding was approved by Bellingham voters in 2010 and is reserved for bicycle and pedestrian projects and improved transit service. For more information, visit the city’s bicycle master planning website at http://www.cob.org/services/planning/transportation/bike-master-planning.aspx.

Welcome to Alabama Hill Headlines

This is a news site focused on the Alabama Hill neighborhood in Bellingham, Wash. The news stories and blog posts on this site will reflect the current issues and events of the Alabama Hill and Silver Beach areas of the city.

Readers are encouraged to comment on stories and contribute information about issues, concerns or happenings taking place in the area.