By Ralph Schwartz
“Make up!”
The Bellingham Planning and Development Commission will start deliberating on Bellingham’s government television channel, BTV10, at its next meeting.
The Planning Commission doesn’t make any binding decisions; rather, it makes recommendations to the City Council. The commission works on the comprehensive plan — the city’s major long-range planning document — and on development projects. A key role they play is to hold public hearings on planning and development issues. The meetings are open to the public (although now you can enjoy them from the comfort of your own home).
Here’s a copy of an email informing the media of the Planning Commission’s move to BTV10, sent by city Planning Secretary Heather Aven:
I just wanted to remind you of the public hearings that will be held on February 14, 2013 regarding the new Economic Development Chapter to the BMC.
I would also like to make you aware of a change that is occurring as a result of request made by Planning Director, Jeff Thomas. Beginning on February 14, 2013 – all Planning Commission public hearings will be broadcast live on BTV10 and on our live stream located here.
These same meetings will be rebroadcast on Sundays at 4PM and Thursdays at 7PM until there is a new meeting or if after one month of playback on BTV10 without a new meeting the old meeting will no longer be played and other programming will run in its place.
These meetings will also be available for up to one year on the BTV10 on-demand website which is located here.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Materials for the Planning Commission meetings are available at least one week before the meeting date.
______________________________
Heather Aven, Planning Secretary
City of Bellingham – Planning and Community Development
Hey Ralph, just curious as I am now back in decent wifi speed country, but still in South Pacific….is there a digital subscription site of your blog separate from the old one I go to? Just surprised at so few comments in past several days. Maybe the minds of hamsters have atrophied due to the cold?
Also Ralph, just been in Palau for a month where 17 Guantanamo detainees have been resettled. The men are mainland Chinese who can’t go back to China but as Palau is closely tied to Taiwan the US gave Palau $200 mill to resettle them there, but the detainees feel they are just in another prison of sorts as they are highly educated and being given minimum wage jobs in Palau where the min wage is $2.50. Interesting story on line. Also sat next to a woman on the plane the other day who is doing a documentary on it. Anyway maybe you’ve seen the stories, but having been there and having Palauan friends gave me an interesting perspective. Later.
@Hank: I too have wondered where some of the commenters have gone. The Herald set up a paywall on Dec. 18, although it was extended to include the blogs several days later. For those who won’t pay $7/month or $70/year for online access, their ability to reach this blog will be hit-and-miss. Non-payers get 15 free articles/blog posts per 30-day period. If they exceed that amount they are blocked, but their count resets to zero at the end of the 30-day period.
In any case, quality is better than quantity in the commenting arena.
@Ralph…I guess conserve or get what you deserve is the message…but frankly Ralph, though I like your posts and all, the back and forth comments it inspires from the community are why I and most read you. Plus the same olds saying the same old in controlled and, because they mostly use their own names, postured and for show statements–is not the level of insight I’m looking for. But now I have used up one of my monthly allotment and though I get the coercion behind why the Herald does it, I find it a pant load and frankly anti Internet interaction and purpose drivel.. Just sayin’.
Hi Hank and Ralph,
I haven’t noticed any difference in my personal ability to read or post on the Herald since the paywall was established.
I don’t comment as much as I have in the past because, well, politics have become more veiled and complicated; and I don’t believe it has become this way by accident.
Hate to say it but sometimes I miss the old Bush days when everything that he and his administration did was horrifically wrong, but clearly black and white.
Now what we read about are the results and objectives of that administration, and 9/11.
Perhaps many of this blog’s participants feel pretty helpless about the world’s state of affairs.
Not trying to be a buzz kill, but when world leaders and the everyman are clearly as unbalanced as we currently are, rationalizing proves difficult.
It’s not you, Ralph; it’s us.