The latest design for KeyBank’s planned building at Holly and State streets, across from the downtown YMCA, is a major overhaul after an earlier design was trashed by members of Bellingham’s Design Review Board.

For a peak at the old design, click here.

For a look at the new one, click here.

It’s a big difference.

At the board meeting in March, several members said KeyBank’s glass-heavy design didn’t blend well with the older buildings nearby, and said it resembled something better suited for Meridian Avenue, not a prime corner entering downtown.

In response, the bank’s architectural firm in Cleveland came back with a new design with a more detailed brick exterior, a classic cornice, panes on the upper-story windows, and a canopied entry that provides more shelter for the public.

KeyBank’s architects might have wanted to pull their hair out after the March meeting, but the new design, in my humble opinion, is a much better look for downtown.

What do you think?

The board will review the new design at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, in City Council chambers.

Bellingham officials say a third of the city’s population growth should be handled in new “urban villages,” and the next one on the planning plate is one along Samish Way.

A series of public meetings starts June 5 on the effort to develop a plan, and related development regulations, to encourage high-density residential and commercial development along Samish from Byron Avenue north to Mason Street.

Four meetings, all from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, will be held at Elks Lodge, 710 S. Samish Way. The dates and topics:

June 5: Introduction and character (including transition areas and plan boundaries)

June 12: Public realm: Streets, trails, and plazas

June 19: Development character: Permitted uses, design, and scale

July 10: Summary of input and discussion of alternatives

If the process stays on schedule, the draft master plan and development rules for the urban village should be done by the end of this year, with Planning Commission hearings in July 2009 and City Council consideration a month after that.

For details, contact Darby Galligan at the city planning office, 778-8389 or dgalligan@cob.org.

It doesn’t feel like summer yet, but summer tours start Thursday at Pioneer Park.

From May 15 through Sept. 15, guides in pioneer dress are offering public tours of the historic log cabins at Ferndale’s Pioneer Park, 2004 Cherry St.

People can stroll through the park anytime and look at the cabin’s exteriors. But if you want to see the interiors, and the artifacts inside, you need to pay for a tour.

Tours are available daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The charge is $3 for adults, $2 for kids 6 to 12.

Pioneer Park has 12 log cabins built of massive slabs of Western red cedar by early settlers in the 1800s in various parts of Whatcom County and moved to the park beginning in 1935.

Organizers say it’s the world’s largest collection of the style of early architecture unique to the Pacific Northwest, and I have no reason to doubt them.

For more details, call 384-6461 or click here.

Junius Rochester was one of the guest speakers at the Edward R. Murrow celebration held in Blanchard on April 27.

He also spoke March 1 at the annual conference of the Pacific Northwest Historians Guild. His topic was “Mainstream or Menace: Confederates and Yankees in the Pacific Northwest, 1861-1865.”

Now his interesting talk about Pacific Northwest ties to Civil War politics and personalities is available to all thanks to HistoryLink.org, the online encyclopedia of Washington state history.

To read his presentation, click here.

Back on Oct. 1, 2002, I wrote a story about Civil War connections to Whatcom County. Here’s that story:

Ted Carter’s a chimney sweep and a Civil War buff, so it makes sense that he wanted to clean the gravestones of Civil War veterans buried at Bayview Cemetery.

Then he learned that he’d have to get permission from family members of the buried people, not a simple task considering that many of the old gravestones show little sign of loving attention from living relatives.

Marcia Wazny, the cemetery’s manager, had a solution.

Read more! »

Here’s advice about motherhood from two more mothers in Whatcom County. (For more advice, see my Sunday column.)

From Lane Morgan, Bellingham:

I think the two things that helped me the most were:

Don’t take developmental stages personally. Your sweet baby did not become an oppositional 2-year-old because of you.

and

“Behavior is the language of children.” If you’re trying to figure out what’s going on with a child, what she does is a better clue than what she says.

I asked my daughter, who is a new mom, if any of my advice was worth repeating, and she said the one about “don’t try to do all the housework while the baby is sleeping. Talk a nap yourself.”

From Tashie Zang, Bellingham:

There is no textbook for motherhood, except maybe for changing diapers, baby feeding and other baby activities that you learn from your mother, friends that have had children, or books on motherhood.

As they grow, you have to trust your instincts on what is the appropriate action for the behavior. Whatever your reaction is, it should be with love, patience and nurturing feeling.

If you have more than one child, you should never make comparisons between them in their presence.

One of the most important lessons you should teach your children is respect for the elders, and the magic words, PLEASE and THANK YOU.

From my own personal experience, putting my career (research scientist) on hold was the best decision I ever made. My husband was totally supportive of this difficult decision because it was hard when you have a career you thoroughly enjoy.

My mother was one of the most patient person I knew. She always said, PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE. Patience and kindness will take you everywhere.

Guest speaker Greg Kirsch will discuss “Growth Management for Dummies” at Tuesday’s meeting of the Guide Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Birchwood Presbyterian Church chapel, 400 Meadowbrook Court.

Other neighborhood associations this week include:

Lettered Streets — 7 p.m. Tuesday at Washington Square, at the corner of E Street and Cornwall Avenue. Topics include the proposed bicycle lane on Cornwall.

Puget — 7 p.m. Tuesday at Moles Funeral Home, 2465 Lakeway Drive. Topics include revision of the city’s parks and open space plan.

Some associations are inactive, and some might be having meetings that I’m unaware of. Feel free to send me details on your meetings. Thanks.

The New Whatcom City Hall — now the iconic home of the Whatcom Museum of History & Art — opened for official business 115 years ago.

The New Whatcom’s City Council held its first meeting in the spanking-new building on May 9, 1893.

I knew that city leaders used to meet in the Territorial Courthouse in Old Town, but I didn’t know they met for a while in the Oakland Block.

I also didn’t know that the new City Hall was designed to be on Cornwall Avenue between two streets, and that’s why the building’s front and rear facades are so similar.

For those and other interesting nuggets about the building, see the article at HistoryLink.org, right here.

Next Tuesday, members of Bellingham’s Historic Preservation Commission will tour the remaining buildings on the G-P property, and you can join them if you call ahead.

The tour, hosted by the Port of Bellingham, will start at 4 p.m.

If you are interesting in going, contact Fiona Starr, 788-8300, or Jackie Lynch, 778-8350.

If you’re interested in historic preservation, plan to be at the Bellingham Municipal Court building, 625 Halleck St., from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 12.

That’s when Washington’s Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation will host a public “listening session” on people’s issues, ideas and concerns about historic preservation in the state over the next five years

For more details, click here.

The local folk music benefit for Bruce “U. Utah” Phillips held Saturday, May 3, at Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship raised a bit over $2,000 for the legendary and ailing performer, and the final sum could rise once all ticket sales are tallied.

Utah Phillips is renowned for his songwriting and for his performances blending folk songs and stories.

Now in poor health, he performed in Bellingham several times through the decades and is friends with some local musicians, including several — such as Linda Allen, Marie Eaton and Mike Marker — who performed May 3.

Eugene, Ore., singer Mark Ross, a good friend of Utah’s, drove from a show in Montana the day before so he could perform in Bellingham.

At the start of the benefit, Mayor Dan Pike took the stage to read aloud a city proclamation declaring May 3 “Bruce ‘Utah’ Phillips Day.”

Phillips, who lives in California and no longer tours because of health problems, listened to Pike via a cell phone held up by Linda Allen, and Phillips thanked the more than 200 people in attendance via a loud speaker on the phone.

Here is the text of the city proclamation:

WHEREAS, Bruce “Utah” Phillips will now perform only in his own living room; and

WHEREAS, Utah may be considering a second “public persona” as B. Bellingham Phillips; and

WHEREAS, everyone who has ever heard Utah in concert has come away entertained, informed and moved; and

WHEREAS, Utah has an encyclopedic knowledge of American labor history, famous old hobos and other folk performers; and

WHEREAS, Utah is well known for his unmatched love of sharing conversation and stories with friends and fans alike; and

WHEREAS, many in the City of Bellingham not only consider him an iconic figure but personal friend; and

WHEREAS, we know that Utah in his “retirement” will be kept busy with his podcast, and talking and singing with friends in his home; and

WHEREAS, even beloved public figures must sometime slow down a little; and

WHEREAS, a benefit concert will be held in his honor on May 3, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship;

NOW, THEREFORE, DO I, Dan Pike, Mayor of the City of Bellingham, proclaim Saturday, May 3, 2008 to be

BRUCE “UTAH” PHILLIPS DAY

in the City of Bellingham, Washington.

(In case you missed my April 20 column about the benefit, it’s right here.)

For Utah Phillip’s Web site, click here.

Residents remain concerned about safety and oversight of Little Squalicum Park even though police have said there’s no proof to support a woman’s claim that she was assaulted and raped in the vicinity.

A meeting to discuss problems at Little Squalicum is set for 7 p.m. Monday, May 12, at Bellingham Technical College’s Haskell Center, room 108 A and B.

(Parking will be available in the visitor lot off Nome Street and in the staff lot off Lindberg Avenue. Haskell Center is located along Lindberg Avenue, between Buildings H and F.)

Mayor Dan Pike, City Council member Jack Weiss, and other officials from the city’s parks and police departments, will speak or provide comment, says Edie Norton, president of the Columbia Neighborhood Association and one of the organizers.

“We won’t arrive at solutions that evening,” she said, “but we hope to provide a deeper understanding of the issues and of the jurisdictional problems.”

Parts of the park and surrounding area are owned by the city, the county, the Port of Bellingham, and Burlington Northern Railroad.

People living in the area or visiting the park have reported vandalism, underage drinking, drug use, litter, long-term camping, beach fires, and other persistent problems.

The Birchwood, Columbia, Cornwall and Guide Meridian/Cordata neighborhoods are sponsoring the meeting.

For more information, contact Norton at 527-9101.

Fairhaven Neighbors is circulating this summary of the first of four Bellingham workshops on increasing density in the city while enhancing the character of neighborhoods.

The summary follows:

The first session of the City of Bellingham’s Planning Academy II, an educational and interactive series of four community workshops on urban infill and neighborhood preservation, was held on the evening of April 30, 2008. The more than one hundred attendees included representatives from the City’s twenty-three neighborhood associations, architects, attorneys, realtors, developers, civic leaders and City staff members.

Introductory remarks by Mayor Dan Pike, and Planning Director Tim Stewart, stressed the realization that while we cannot prevent growth we can manage its location and form. They acknowledged that the associated issues are very contentious, very difficult and very challenging.

Read more! »

As I’ve detailed in an earlier blog, Bellingham’s Parks and Recreation Department has issued a formal solicitation for proposals from people who want to remodel the vacant caretaker’s house by the Fairhaven Park rose garden or, in the alternative, move the house elsewhere.

The deadline for proposals is July 2. If no acceptable proposals come in, the house might be demolished.

Two members of the South Neighborhood Association (home to Fairhaven Park) are coordinating a community effort to save the house.

If you want to help them, contact:

Steve Wilson at 671-3380 or swilson1733@gmail.com, or

Mary Mullen at 671-3615 or mmk@clearwire.net.

Their initial discussions have focused on finding a compatible use for the house in conjunction with returning community gardens to the grounds.

The parks department’s call for proposals say renovation of the house at the park must be for “park related uses.”

What does that mean?

Here is the department’s definition: “‘Park related uses’ means that the interior and immediate proximity to the house will accommodate activities that are related to the use, operation, maintenance, enjoyment of the Rose Garden, the public trails and lands within the Padden Creek greenway and other parts of Fairhaven Park. Uses that are merely compatible with park uses will NOT be considered as ‘park related uses.’” (Capitalization in original.)

Silver Beach Neighborhood Association has a full agenda for its meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. at Bloedel Donovan Park. Topics include:

A presentation on efforts to collect household hazardous waste, and on a grant for rain barrels for households in Lake Whatcom watershed.

Discussion of a neighborhood survey.

A presentation on the new Bellingham Public Library branch at Barkley Village.

A talk by City Councilman Stan Snapp on the recent Department of Ecology findings on lake pollution, and on urban infill, Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District, and his first five months on the council.

It will soon be a lot easier to find the historic Pickett house.

City of Bellingham crews are making and will soon install several signs pointing the way to the historic house near Bancroft and F streets. The work should be done in perhaps three weeks.

The house was built in 1856 by George Pickett, the U.S. Army figure who built and commanded Fort Bellingham.

Pickett also was a leading figure in the Pig War standoff with British forces in the San Juan Is-lands, and will be long remembered for his role in Pickett’s Charge, the failed Confederate offensive on the last day of the Battle at Gettysburg.

Sharon Susdorf and other local residents working to preserve and promote the house recently talked to Justin Taylor, a transportation technician with the city, about posting signs to help the public find the house.

In response, the city plans to install two brown-and-white historic site directional signs on F Street, each about half a block from the Pickett house. The signs will include a photograph of the house.

In addition, the city will install a stop sign and a “Bancroft Street” sign on the Pickett side of F Street. Right now, the east side of the F/Bancroft intersection resembles a parking lot, and no city sign clearly marks the crossing.

At that location, Bancroft east of F Street travels a very short distance before ending, and has parking on both sides – making it look like nothing more than a parking lot.

Also, the city plans to install a sign at each end of the Dupont Street bridge, near the Prospect Street post office, showing the bridge’s proper name — Pickett Bridge — and some historic infor-mation about Pickett.

The bridge also has a plaque about Pickett, but the plaque is low to the ground and not readily visible.