Guide Meridian/ Cordata Disaster Preparedness
At the Oct. 12 Guide Meridian/ Cordata neighborhood association meeting
Julie Guy, Co-Found of the neighborhood association, announced that the association, along with a group of volunteer community members, would be starting the beginning stages of organizing a disaster preparedness system for the neighborhood.
The association said that they have tried unsuccessfully to put one together in years past. A few neighborhood residents present at the meeting explained that they had already created a system that works within their small retirement community.
A decision was then reached to combine the efforts of the volunteers who created the systems already working in the neighborhood, with that of the neighborhood associations. The plan will involve creating small accountability groups of about 25 families who are responsible for knowing where the other families in their designated group are during a disaster, as well as their physical well being.
Julie Guy said that the association is taking these steps to ensure the safety of the neighborhoods residents because the city has stated that it may take days for them to respond to distressed citizens during the event of a disaster.
For more information visit “The Insider,” the Guide Meridian/ Cordata neighborhood’s official online blog at http://whatcom.blogs.com/insider/
To get involved contact Guide Meridian/ Cordata neighborhood association president by email: adriennelederer@comcast.net.
Guide Meridian/ Cordata Reading Room In The Works
The Guide Meridian/ Cordata neighborhood association is working to bring a community reading room to the neighborhood. At the neighborhood association meeting in October, Co-Founder Julie Guy said that volunteers are currently looking to locate a permanent space for book storage.
The first meeting held by the neighborhood association was to gauge interest and find volunteers for the reading room. The meeting was held in September at the El Dorado Condominium clubhouse on El Dorado Way.
Once there is a designated space and consistent volunteers to run the reading room, collecting books will become the priority. Creating a permanent community library is the eventual goal, said Guy.
For more information visit http://whatcom.blogs.com/insider/, "The Insider," Guide Meridian/ Cordata neighborhood's official blog, written by association volunteer Bob Sanders, or contact association president, Adrienne Lederer.
The Price of a Neighborhood Park
One month from now will be the official opening of the Guide Meridian/ Cordata Neighborhoods first recreational trail. For the first time, the public will be able to access Cordata Park; the neighborhoods only designated park space. This came after a six-year fight from the neighborhood association.
The process to open the park took three years of making a master plan for the park, presenting the plan for approval, finding an affordable company for construction, and completing approved wetlands mitigation.
Construction of the trail alone cost $600,000. Additional funds required for the wetlands mitigation ran the entire project up to $850,000. To complete the Cordata Park master plan, approved in 2008, it will cost the city almost $4 million dollars. Lack of funds makes advancing the project difficult.
Adrienne Lederer, Bob Sanders, and Julie Guy of the Guide Meridian/ Cordata neighborhood association, as well as Leslie Bryson say the money is just not there right now.
The question is, “where does it come from?” Every year a certain amount of money is allocated, by the city, to the Bellingham Parks and Recreation department. It is then divided up among the 24 neighborhoods currently zoned in Bellingham.
This is determined by what the Bellingham City Council believes Bellingham zones need the most.
Bryson said it would be at least three-to-five more years before the park will be completed. The way to make this happen is by getting to the polls in November and voting, Guy said.
For other Information:
The Guide Meridian/ Cordata Neighborhood blog:
http://whatcom.blogs.com/insider/
The City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation:
http://www.cob.org/government/departments/parks/projects/cordata-park.aspx
