The Bellingham Herald from Bellingham, Washington • 3

Bellingham Wash Herald Tues July 20 1976 3 whATCOM-skAqihr geotge boyntonnorthwest by george About angles on Chuckanut lic works department The gully is on private property and could not be filled The street is being widened Wilder Construction is contractor for the project expected to be completed by Oct 1 (Herald photo) Work is under way on street improvement in the lettered streets neighborhood under a federal Community Block Grant This portion of Street in front of the Bellingham Theatre Guild is curved because of a gully on the side of the road according to Larry Leicht of the city pub it is one of the worst the slide which closed Chuckanut Drive this year is not exactly a new occurrence along that scenic route Fifty years ago someone asked engineer Bert Hun toon when Chuckanut would stop sliding and he replied as soon as the mountain reached angle of Webster defines that as the angle of maximum slope at which a heap of any loose solid material will stand without sliding which is a heck of a way to describe Chuckanut The problem goes back millions of years when alternate layers of shale and sandstone were formed and then folded and heaved up as low mountain ridges Water and ice grease the cracks between the layers and down comes a slide The same geological formation along Interstate 5 between Bellingham and Lake Samish has cost the state Department of Highways more than a million dollars in slide control and repair work The present repair job on Chuckanut Drive which involves driving bolts into the hillside to anchor a retaining wall and rebuilding 250 feet of highway will cost more than $225000 The original emergency contract let in May was for $178000 and the job was to have been done in mid-August Now the highway expected to be open before Labor Day and the cost is up another $50000 COMPARED TO THE $35000-a-mile it cost to build the original paved stretch of highway in 1920 the cost of fixing up 250 feet is pretty high these days But then what Lottie Roeder Roth in her "History of Whatcom says Chuckanut Drive required more persistent promotion than any other of Whatcom highways When the Pacific Highway was established in 1913 it was designed to include the waterfront route Charles I Roth a legislator at the time said in a speech in support of the measure: highway ought to be called not for the reason that had it not been for the untiring efforts and skillful labor of Huntoon the Whatcom County delegation would not have been able to achieve this result To him the credit Perhaps in his untiring efforts Huntoon stress the shale-sandstone problem if he knew about it before construction started HUNTOON WAS EXTREMELY ACTIVE in the community After graduation from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York he returned to the Pacific Coast He did engineering on railroad construction for Donovan and in 1896 was elected county engineer In 1899 he became engineer for Pacific American Fisheries and in 1923 took on the job of general manager of Mount Baker Development Co Huntoon was influential in development of Mount Baker National Forest and Mount Baker lodge SOMEWHAT AHEAD OF HIS TIME Huntoon not only pushed Chuckanut Drive through but also had some landscaping done to soften the construction scars along the scenic route The story goes that he was at a dinner party some time later when Mrs Deming wife of the president of PAF told of seeing so many beautiful flowers" while motoring along Chuckanut Drive and having her chauffeur stop and dig some for her garden on Forest Lane apparently included knowing when to keep his mouth shut Vacant lots ordinance is approved Southside residents show displeasure over zoning request Advisory unit gets first OK Mayor Ken revised proposal for a new advisory committee got the city preliminary approval Monday Two weeks ago the council had rejected a similiar proposal because it felt the role was too vague According to the revised version the advisory job would be to work on updating the comprehensive plan Members will be appointed to the committee from various neighborhood organizations in the city Hertz is having Tim Douglas a city council candidate last year organize those neighborhood groups A council vote on final approval will be in two weeks The council Monday night gave final approval to: An ordinance rezoning property bounded by Maple Newell and Jersey streets and Sehome Hill from residential medium-density (RM) and residential low-density two (RL-2) to the more restrictive residential low-density one (RL-1) Property owners in the area requested the zone change to preserve the single-family residence nature of the neighborhood An ordinance approving the assessment role for the local improvement district created to finance about 10 per cent of the cost of improving Lakeway Drive between Yew Street and Electric Avenue Public Works Director Jack Gamer said he has worked out problems raised by citizens at a public hearing several weeks ago The council gave preliminary approval to ordinances: Changing zoning for property bounded by Highland Heights subdivision and Alabama Fir and Academy streets from suburban to RL-1 The council also accepted the preliminary plat known as "Swanson's Plat" which is a housing development Clarifying membership on the police pension board Seven members are supposed to be on the board but because of government reorganization with the change in the city charter only six are on it The seventh member will be a city council member Changing zoning from RL-2 to neighborhood business for property located on the north side of Alabama Street adjacent to King Street Council member Roma Jones was the only member voting against Vacating a 10-foot strip of Adams Avenue in the 1700 block The council passed resolutions: Accepting the preliminary plat of Edgemont Heights Division 2 by a split vote Members Fred Veroske and Roma Jones voted against Accepting the preliminary plat of Post Pointe Veroske was the only member against The planning department said the city is negotiating with the developer for public access to tidelands adjacent to the south side housing development In other business the council: Tabled a request by Neil Lath-rop to remove restrictive con-venants from property located at a a Drive and Humboldt Street Currently the property which is in a residential zone is restricted to an insurance and real estate business The proposed change in the ordinance was tabled so the council could review a number of letters submitted in opposition Held a public hearing but no vote taken on the preliminary plat of "Bell-Vue Division located at the south end of Toledo Street on the Lakeway hill Some residents from along Puget Street objected to the increase in traffic the development would bring to Puget They also asked the city to improve the street Anacortes gives OK to LID unit ANACORTES Anacortes City Council Monday night passed a resolution giving notice of intent to form a local improvement district to pave a section of Island View Place Property owners within the proposed LID will have a chance to state any objections before the project is actually approved The council will hold a public hearing Aug 16 to consider a request by Norman Woods to rezone property he owns in the west side of town He is asking a zoning change from R-l to R-3 South side Bellingham residents turned out in force Monday night to speak in favor of amending the city zoning ordinance to eliminate apartments from residential low-density zones The city council is considering the amendment which was recommended for approval by the planning commission A vote is scheduled in two weeks The council held a hearing on it Monday night Currently apartments can be constructed in residential low-density two (RL-2) zones with a conditional-use permit Outright uses in RL-2 zones are single-family residences duplexes and parks The Board of Adjustment rules on conditional-use permits and the board itself was the center of much of the complaints at the council session been to several Board of Adjustment said Darleen Page a south side resident "I hear a lot of and very few Other residents charged that the Board of Adjustment has granted conditional-use permits for apartments next door to each other Bill Wood to seek commissioner post Council shifts money to revenue sharing fund An ordinance regulating vacant lots in the central business district has been given final approval by the Bellingham City Council The law was requested by Mayor Ken Hertz and written by Paul Rushing city-county building administrator The vote to approve was unanimous Rushing said the ordinance will regulate the types of fences allowed around holes where buildings have been demolished It also places time limits on how long the hole can stay as it is before it must be brought up to ground level Hertz prompted the ordinance because of what he called a hazard created by vacant lots on State Street where the Alaska Building and the Columbia Hotel once stood Other cities including Seattle have similiar ordinances prohibiting long-term excavated sites Wilder gets street contract Wilder Construction has been awarded a contract for improving Ellis Street between Magnolia and Maple streets Wilder's bid of $307612 was the lowest of three The project involves widening and improving intersections installing new sidewalks and street lighting Other bidders were Henifin Associates and Whatcom Builders Other contracts awarded by the city council Monday went to: Sahlberg Equipment Seattle for a truck with a sewer cleaning machine at $27676 Sunset Northwest Bellevue for two three-wheel vehicles used by parking control officers at $6982 Stephenson Tractor Implement Seattle for a tractor-loader and backhoe unit at $12710 Stephenson Tractor Implement Mount Vernon for a tractor-loader at $5761 Lynden Christian board names three LYNDEN Fred Bierlink Jerry Faber and John Hoksbergen were elected Monday to four-year terms on the Lynden Christian School board There were 99 votes cast After the election an organizational meeting for the 12-member board was held during which officers for the coming school year were chosen They include Hilbert Visser president Rube Bode vice president Faber secretary and Ivan Groen treasurer seem pretty excited about it" he remarked Other fund-raising activites include a dance tentatively scheduled for early August which will feature singer Claudette Dykstra a local entertainer who recently made' a recording in Nashville Tenn selling quite well there Bowen said Another activity planned for late August is a fundraising dinner Community fund-raising drives have not developed in the Ferndale and Mount Baker school districts scenes of other levy failures At Ferndale the community has not yet been informed as to the financial situation of the district Supt Dennis Peterson said The matter will be on the agenda of the school board meeting Monday niht Mount Baker Supt Bill Boulton said he was approached by one concerned resident about fund-raising possibilities but so far nothing has "Crackerbox apartments" one resident said According to the planning department most of the construction in RL-2 zones is apartment buildings The intent of the zone was for mostly single-family residences and duplexes with a few apartments buildings let in by exception Mike Burke was one of few speaking against the amendment He noted several cases where he said he feels apartment buildings are compatible with residences and added that all buildings should not be judged the same Fifth Ward Councilman Fred Veroske a former member of the Board of Adjustment said the amendment would usurp the power of the board There will also be an increase in the number of rezone requests he claimed If the council adopts the amendment existing apartments in RL-2 zones would become non-conforming uses That would mean the owners would not be able to expand or rebuild if more than half the building is destroyed by fire for example held because of a state report that the amount of money was spent illeoally The $28500 was given to the Whatcom Council on Aging in 1973 It was cited by the auditor in 1975 as being illegal because there was no contract for services The federal government got a copy of the report Revenue sharing money must be spent according to state law on municipal budgeting By paying the revenue-sharing fund back $28500 the city gets out of trouble with the federal office But the state exception remains "Although passage of the ordinance can in no way be interpreted as a solution to the problem suggested by the report" city attorney Pat Brock told the council is believed that it will likely satisfy the Office of Revenue Sharing thus insuring our receipt of the full entitlement" The city has not attempted to recover the money from the Council on Aging dents and merchants asking for $25 contributions Among the recipients of the letters were students in grades seven through ten who will be eligible to participate in junior level athletics Those sports were to be dropped from the program The point of the letter is to tell students that if they want the programs reinstated they have to work for them said Howard Bowen president of the Pioneer Athletic Club He added that this would give the students more incentive to take good care of the equipment and might cut down on vandalism to school property and equipment The Nooksack Valley goal is to raise $6508 to pay for coaches salaries and transportation to and officials for athletic events The letters were sent last week and it will be a few weeks before contributions will be totaled Bowen said heard students talking on street comers or in stores and they handling of the strike by crews of the ferries serving Lummi Island and Guemes Island in Skagit County The conflict should have been handled in its infancy stage Wood said Advocated expansion and more use of the Bellingham Chamber of consumer protection service to take over the duties of the Whatcom County Consumer Bureau which recently had its funds cut off by the county commissioners "The Chamber of bureau would be more effective and more acceptable by the populace and businessmen" Wood said "Better economy and in county government is to be a major theme in the campaign of construction contractor and developer Bill Wood who announced today his intention to run for the position of Whatcom County commissioner from District 1 Wood who was joined by former Bellingham mayor Reg Williams at a press conference will be challenging Commissioner Larry McIntyre Wood said McIntyre has not kept tight enough control on "the proliferation and expansion of government services" Mr McIntyre came into office in 1973 the growth of expenditures has almost doubled" Wood said "Not all of this can be attributed to inflation" The 54-year-old candidate for the Republican nomination from the county's First District emphasized his business management background During his 20 years in the Air Force Wood was an installations engineer for the development of an air base complex He has also spent three years on the city of Municipal Appeals and Code Review Board One way to save money is the possible use of Wood said The concept calls for each government agency to justify all of its expenditures at budget-making time On other issues Wood: Criticized the commissioners' County ROY TANAKA -Herald Staff Reporter Residents of the Lynden Meridian and Nooksack Valley school districts are engaged ir fund-raising drives to bolster district budgets reinstate programs dropped as result of levy failures last April Numerous projects have been going on at Lynden where nearly $16800 of the $30000 goal has been raised reports Wayne Jones Lynden High School Alumni Club president are so many projects going on that I be surprised if there were some I know about been a true community he said The alumni club raised $508 through a pancake feed held on the day of the Farmers Day parade A garage sale sponsored by the United Methodist Church raised $1000 two weeks ago The Jaycees held a beef raffle won bv Lvnden resident Sam Olson Bellingham City Council has given preliminary approval to an ordinance shiftihg $28500 from the general fund to the revenue-sharing fund The move is being made to avoid losing the money from this revenue-sharing allotment Mayor Ken Hertz got a letter from the federal Office of Revenue Sharing saying the money may be with- Detour on f-5 starts Wednesday Interstate 5 construction between Bellingham and Femdale will result in a detour for freeway traffic at Slater Road beginning Wednesday The crossing at Slater Road is being relocated some 2000 feet to the north at Sunset Avenue The detour will be in effect several months until traffic can be placed on the interchange structures to be built at the site The work is part of the $4 5-million reconstruction of 1-5 between the Bakerview Road interchange and Axton Road superintendent and they should know best how the money should be Boyd said But some donations have been earmarked by contributors for specific programs he added The Meridian drive begun July 1 has raised about $8500 Boyd reported hoping to reach our goal by August 5 so we can give the school district the money and they will know how to plan their Boyd is optimistic about chances to reach their goal a real community effort and sure everyone is doing the best they "I think the levy failed be-cause people are against the schools" he commented just that there is an uncertainty about taxes I think the levy would have passed if it were not for the raised property assesments" In the Nooksack Valley district the six-member fund-raising committee tried a different method -thev sent about 700 letters to resi residents fight to save school programs Olson a -border patrolman donated the beef back to the Jaycees so they could hold another raffle during the Northwest Washington Fair The Jaycees raised about $800 In the school system itself the Associated Student Body held a bike-a-thon on the last day of school and the music department is holding concerts and other projects during the summer The proceeds from the bike-a-thon are still being collected Jones said A special project according to Jones was a collection of bicentennial essays written by eighth graders in Mrs Melvin class The essays were published and the collection is on sale in most stores in Lynden AH proceeds go to the school district Jones said Plans are also under way for a car raffle at the fair next month Jones said it would be a cooperative effort the Jaycees Future Farmers of America the Associated Student Body and the Alumni Club They have already received tentative bids from two Lynden auto dealers who will provide a vehicle at cost Other contributions not of a fundraising nature include the donation of manpower by residents for projects such as reroofing the school auditorium The fund-raising at Lynden was initiated by Julian Lewis and A1 Smit getting close to our goal ami I want to emphasize the support we received from Jones said The Lynden drive ends Aug 23 after which the fair fund-raising events begin Meridian district residents set their goal at $20000 and most of that money will be presented to the school district to use as it sees fit reports Sterling Boyd co-chairman of the fund drive along with Charles Flora feel that we elect our school board members who in turn select a A.