32nd Annual Dumpster Day Cleans Up York

With the smell of yard clippings, gasoline and rusty metal hanging in the morning air, York neighborhood residents converge on an empty dumpster. In the parking lot of Nelson’s Market on Potter Street sits the 22-foot long, 8-foot wide container. Some Yorkers arrive carrying broken desks and futons, others hold rotted wood, one rolls up a decrepit lawnmower. The dumpster cannot stay empty for long.

            On June 4, the York Neighborhood Association hosted the 32^nd annual Dumpster Day at Nelson’s Market. Starting at 8:30 a.m., residents could bring all kinds of trash, scrap, debris and litter. The event serviced about three or four dozen households, said Carolyn Mulder, a York resident for 23 years who has organized the event for six years. She said the dumpster usually reaches capacity in about two hours. “People bring everything – old furniture, carpeting, defunked bikes, garden furniture, some construction debris,” she said. “People will show up with the yuckiest things.”

Volunteers crammed several futons into the dumpster alongside tables, chairs, scrap metal, barbeques and a crushed robot Halloween costume. Trucks, hatchbacks and wheelbarrows carried in everything from concrete blocks to a kitchen sink. No electronic devices, machinery or large appliances were permitted. This year the dumpster filled in only an hour and a half.

Lisa Ezrre, a York resident for 28 years, brought a truck bed full of garbage bags and a broken futon. She said Dumpster Day definitely helps clean the neighborhood up. “I let everyone in the neighborhood throw stuff in my truck,” she said. Ezrre said she likes that Nelson’s Market is much closer to her house than the city dump.

            Dumpster Day is a great alternative to a dump because it is free and convenient, Mulder said. Volunteers also go pick up trash if residents are incapable of coming themselves, she said. Residents make note of places with garbage, such as alleys, and bring it along with their own. “People scouting usually come back with good stuff,” Mulder said. She also said if an item is brought that is useful, people make trades or just give it to others who have a use for it.

Scott Sanders took advantage of this and obtained an old smoker barbeque. The smoker fit neatly into his truck after emptying it of three lawnmowers, a vacuum cleaner, table and ironing board. Sanders said he also threw out debris stacked next to his house and litter scattered throughout his alley.

Sanders moved to the York neighborhood three months ago and said he thinks Dumpster Day is a great thing. “It encourages people to be clean,” he said. “I like this neighborhood.” Sanders said he plans to barbeque a lot this summer.

Anne Mackie, a York Neighborhood Association board member, said Dumpster Day gets successively better each year. She has been involved with the event since it began 32 years ago. “There was a whole neighborhood movement about 30 years ago to establish pride of neighborhood and historic past,” Mackie said. “The first year, the Air National Guard was here going up and down the streets.”

Mackie said that while Dumpster Day cleans up portions of the neighborhood, trash and litter are a serious issue in the York district, mainly due to the student residents. “There is a habit of being a student renter and throwing crap in the yard,” she said. “There is no respect.”

            Ezrre said trash is a problem and that she finds it in her front yard. She said there is not enough garbage pick up in the York neighborhood. “Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who throws their stuff away,” she said.

            Sanders said that students predominantly contribute to the amount of litter. “It’s an older neighborhood with lots of college kids,” he said. “They just leave trash because they live here temporarily.”

            Alyson Fritz, a Western senior, disagrees with the messy student stereotype. The three-year York resident said not all students are so careless. “We’re responsible and recycle and compost at my house,” she said.

Fritz said she is really glad the neighborhood association provides this cleanup opportunity. “This is very beneficial,” she said. “It’s an incentive to throw away junk.” Fritz brought a dresser, desk and futon. “Three of my roommates moved out and left all their stuff,” she said. “We would have to go to the dump otherwise.” 

Mulder said trash and litter can be a serious problem in the York district, but that she thinks people make an effort to keep it under control. “I am amazed at how much garbage you can see,” she said. “By doing [Dumpster Day], the neighborhood is cleaner. It is an aesthetic improvement, a better quality of life for York residents.”

Improvements to York Section of Whatcom Creek Trail Approved

Beginning this summer, York neighborhood residents will be able to enjoy direct access to the Whatcom Creek Trail. A pedestrian bridge, new pavement and revamped trailheads along Meador Avenue constitute one of the final street portions of the three-mile trail. Whatcom Creek Trail extends from Bloedel Donovan Park at Lake Whatcom to Maritime Heritage Park near downtown Bellingham.

On May 23, the Bellingham City Council voted 7-0 to authorize the trail improvements. The $853,000 bid from Larry Brown Construction was the lowest of the seven that the council considered.

The principle addition in the project is an 80-foot pedestrian bridge along Meador Avenue. The new bridge will span over Whatcom Creek, connecting Meador Avenue to Kansas and North State Streets. Larry Brown Construction will also repave Meador Avenue between State and James streets, allowing for the installation of a bike lane.

A multi-use trail will be installed along Meador Avenue and Kansas and Ellis Streets. This allows pedestrians, runners, cyclists and skateboarders access to a larger portion of the Whatcom Creek Trail. The project involves substantial tree planting and installing structures to treat storm water, such as pervious pavement and rain gardens.

Carolyn Mulder, a 23-year resident of the York neighborhood, said the project is great news for both Yorkers and all trail users. “I was worried this wouldn’t happen at all, so I am glad to see it is still a priority of the city’s,” she said. “I believe the city is trying to finish projects as quickly as possible.”

Mulder, who jogs on the trail several times a month, said this construction project is a very important way of creating links in the trail. “There are open ditches, gravel and no signs or sidewalks in certain places,” Mulder said. “It’s a little confusing.”

Mulder said she considers the trail a well-used resource and that she consistently sees other people on it. “All the other sections are used heavily,” she said. “People will start using the new portion regularly.”

Per Miller, a Western senior, has lived in the York neighborhood for almost a year and said he likes to use the trail whenever it is warm outside. “My roommates and I do something on the trail ­– biking, running, scootering – three or four times a week,” he said. “People commute to work on it, go for walks and bike rides, or just use it to get from one end of town to the other.”

Miller said trails like the one along Whatcom Creek are a benefit to the community because they are public use areas. “It promotes a safe atmosphere and makes you feel better than walking in a concrete jungle,” he said. “This is exactly what tax money is for, providing a service to the public.”

            Heather Higgins-Aanes, a Bellingham Public Works spokeswoman, said this is one of the final links in an idea that began many years ago. “This particular section will follow city street, thus it falls under the Public Works Department,” she said. “Much of the trail construction has been done through the Parks Department.”

Tim Wahl of the City of Bellingham Parks Department has been involved with the Whatcom Creek Trail for 40 years. He said the current “Kansas greenstreet” project does not specifically affect the trail, as it is mainly installing street trees, travel lanes and a sidepath. Wahl said it must be clarified that this is not the last link in the trail. “Several key links in the creek trail, or providing access to it, are pending,” he said. “Parks is actively working on three of them and another five or six very exciting components are yet to come.”

Mulder said the new section will mean a lot to York neighborhood residents. “I think I will be living in York for a long time,” she said. “So I will continue to use this great resource.”

York Pottery Studio Recieves Arts Award

            Ené and Eugene Lewis, owners of Indian Street Pottery, received the 32^nd annual Mayor’s Arts Award this year for education in pottery. Mayor Dan Pike announced the seven winners Feb. 27 and a ceremony was held April 13 at the Whatcom Museum.

“We knew nothing about it before we received the award,” Ené said. “It was definitely a surprise.”

Ené and Eugene founded Indian Street Pottery in 1980, shortly after arriving in Bellingham from New York state. Both have been teaching art classes at Whatcom Community College for 14 years. “We love Bellingham,” Ené said. “We feel extremely lucky to have landed here.”

            Ené teaches beginning ceramics at WCC, and all levels during summer quarter. She has also taught art and painting. Eugene teaches wheel throwing – using a potter’s wheel to shape round ceramics. Prior to being adjunct professors, the couple did mainly studio work, Ené said. “We make a big variety of clay,” she said. “It’s fun to make stuff all the time. Gene likes to do wood carving too.”

The pottery’s studio, located at 1309 Indian St., features samples of the couples’ various skills hanging on walls and sitting on shelves. Ceramic masks with long snouts and red cheeks, clay pots of varying sizes and wood carvings of boats and animals are exhibited in the windows. The back room hosts two potter’s wheels, assorted paints and tools to mold and engrave the clay.

Ené said it is very humbling to win the award. “There was all kinds of people writing all kinds of nice things about us,” she said.

Lynn Peterson nominated Ené and Eugene on behalf of the Whatcom Community College Studio Potters Program. She said she did not give the couple any clue about the nomination. “I think it was a complete surprise to them to win,” she said. “I interviewed about 15 people and then wrote and edited their remarks.”

Peterson said that Ené and Eugene continue to give long-lasting and significant contributions through their teaching and community involvement to the entire Bellingham art movement. “More so, they have also shared their personal selves and spirit with those of us privileged to know and to have spent time with them,” she said.

The Lewis’ willingly offer their talent and energy, knowledge and skill, Peterson said. “We can't wait to see what is next on their creative lists,” she said. “It is no wonder that they continue to produce such fine, sought-after and high quality art pieces.”

             Shannon Taysi, the program’s manager in the city’s Planning and Community Development Department, said submissions are accepted from January until the end of the year, usually from colleagues or organizations of the nominees. The Bellingham Arts Commission reviews the nominations and the mayor makes the final decision.

“There were several nominations for Indian Street Pottery by people I believe they have touched,” Taysi said. She said there were 20 nominees this year.  

            In a press release, Mayor Dan Pike said he is happy for another year of strong nominees. “The continued enthusiasm for the Mayor’s Arts Awards makes me proud of our community’s diverse and flourishing artists and cultural organizations,” he said.

The Bellingham arts community has a range of directions, Eugene said. “We’re involved with poets, musicians, sculptures and artists,” said Ené. “They are out there and visible – it’s fabulous. We’ve even hosted them in our living room.”

Taysi said the Mayor’s Arts Award promotes a strong sense of community. “This is a great program,” she said. “It’s something everyone looks forward to each year.”

Eugene said their goal is to keep developing new ideas and creations. “If we have a particular focus we work on that,” he said. “Otherwise we try to disperse our energy between creating and teaching.” At the WCC pottery studio, the couple teaches current and former students, as well as community members. “They move up to independent status, have access to the studio and some become pretty proficient. Some are taught here on Indian Street,” he said.

            Ené said not all schools have programs like that. “It’s quite wonderful when students say they didn’t know they could do that,” she said.

The Lewis’ met at Alfred University in New York and opened their first studio in Brooklyn. They have two adult children and said they are thankful they also had time to raise a family.

Ené said she believes Bellingham is a terrific community and York is a nice neighborhood. “Our goal is to do as much here at the studio and out there,” she said. “You can’t do everything in one life, but you can try. There’s only so many hours in a day.”

Excess Traffic an Ongoing Issue in York

Non-residential traffic is an on-going problem in the York neighborhood, according to Yorkers and police statistics. Most recently, a man driving a stolen car hit three parked cars and a street light on Franklin Street.

Sean Graves, a 22-year-old Western senior, sat in his living room on April 2 when a loud crunch sounded in front of his house. Coming outside to investigate, Graves found the front fender of his car smashed in, his roommate’s car severely dented, and scratches on a third. The driver responsible continued on Franklin Street at around 50 mph until colliding with a street lamp. He then left the car rolling down the street and evaded the trailing police.

Graves said this is the first time he’s heard of such a severe accident in the York neighborhood. “It’s all street parking,” he said. “I’m not surprised he hit our cars. I think he was drunk.”

            Kirsti Charlton, president of the York Neighborhood Association, said the issue in the York district centers around too much traffic. “It’s mostly non-residents trying to get away or get through,” Charlton said. She said that though this incident is exceptional, there is a constant disregard for the 25 mph speed limit.

            According to the Bellingham Police Department crime statistics, the third most commonly reported incidents in York are traffic offenses and accidents. Service calls and public order maintenance hold the first and second rankings respectively.

In 2010, an average of 10 traffic offenses occurred each month in York. The average was 12 per month in 2008 and 2009. This year, the statistics are comparable, with April having six incidents for the past three years straight.

            Graves said he believes the statistics are accurate. “We’ve recently had to call the police twice to complain about parked cars left for a long time,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of parking and there are lots of college kids with cars on Franklin Street and in the York district.”

            Charlton said the situation is worsened by the high number of streets with no sidewalks or curbs. “Humboldt and James Streets are two of the hardest hit streets,” she said. “My observation is that drivers disregard stop signs. They run straight through James Street at the three-way stop sign at the corner of Meador and James.”

Charlton said the neighborhood association formed a Transportation Committee to work on issues such as traffic, signs and speed bumps. “For years we have tried to get speed bumps installed in certain locations but to no avail,” she said.

            The installation of speed bumps could make people more frustrated with the already narrow streets, or cause more accidents if drivers ignore them, Graves said.

Max London, a four-year resident of the York neighborhood, said the streets are narrow, especially with cars parked on both sides. “I’m sure speed bumps would help a little,” he said. “But drivers learn where they are and will speed up and slow down anyway.”

            London said the disruptions are not caused by people that live in York, but other drivers who don’t know the neighborhood.

            “People don’t think of it as a residential area because it is so close to Lakeway Drive and downtown,” London said. “People are really disrespectful of stop signs.”

London said he believes since York is an older neighborhood, there are a lot of shrubs and trees that block signs and so drivers either don’t see them or pay attention to them. “The signs need to be more apparent,” he said.

Graves said people like to park on Franklin Street for long periods of time. “Our neighborhood is hit hard because there lots of people living in one house,” he said. “When at least five people live in each house, there are usually five cars parked out front.” Graves said a solution to this is probably unattainable. “Maybe you could regulate the number of cars per house,” he said.

The speed limits in Bellingham are reasonably slow, said London. “Since there are too many cars on the side of the road, the York is definitely not an ideal place to be driving fast.”

            Overall, Graves said the people in York are friendly and aware. “My advice to non-residents is park the right direction and give adequate space.”

Something New at a York Classic

A York neighborhood staple is bringing a whole new ingredient to the table this spring, literally. Nelson’s Market will begin serving dinner at its breakfast-oriented Marlin’s Café, starting Friday, April 22.

Burgers, french fries and chicken strips are just some of the dishes joining the menu, along with, “whatever else goes with burgers,” said store manager Paul Ostby. He said the new dinner menu has been a long-awaited addition to the café. Opened inside Nelson’s four years ago, Marlin’s Café serves breakfast Wednesday through Sunday. Now the café will stay open much later, a goal the staff has had for over a year, Ostby said.

             “It’s always been the plan to have dinner,” he said. “We just took it step by step.”

Ostby said the first step to overcome, and one of the main reasons dinner has not been served, was the acquisition of a liquor license. Providing beer became an essential part of Nelson’s expansion, and their new dinner menu. After a long wait, the license was approved two months ago and the taps were swiftly installed. “People want beer with their dinner,” Ostby said. “We had to get the liquor license.”

            Josh Adams, an employee at Nelson’s for over a year, said the new food will be a great complement to the existing menu. “A lot of people in here are excited for it,” he said. Adams said the food is relatively inexpensive – around six dollars a meal – and that the patrons enjoy promoting local business. “People usually go downtown for beer and a burger, but now they can come here and support their neighborhood,” he said.  

            Large dinner rushes are not expected, said Otsby, as most of the customers live in the York neighborhood. “People come in and out slowly,” he said. “The whole place is a well-kept secret.” Ostby said he likes that the market and café have kept a quiet atmosphere over the years. “We also don’t advertise,” he said, “except in The Yorker.” The York Neighborhood Association publishes The Yorker newsletter on a monthly basis.

With its turn-of-the-century style and baseball-themed decor, Nelson’s maintains a unique mixture old and new. Pictures of the market spanning more than 100 years hang next to baseball gloves and a large mounted marlin. The smell of sizzling bacon wafts through the kitchen’s window as local Yorkers sit down at one of the café’s six tables.

            Colleen Milton lives across the street from Nelson’s Market and said she comes in regularly for the food, atmosphere and fellowship. “I love the breakfast here,” she said. “I will definitely be coming in for a burger.” Milton said she frequents Nelson’s often, usually with other Humboldt and Potter Street neighbors. “My favorite thing to do is drink beer and play Scrabble with my friends. The food is sort of greasy spoon, but it’s delicious.”

Marlin’s Café will serve local, grass-fed beef, Otsby said. Raised in Whatcom County, two co-op farms process the all-natural meat in Bow and Lynden. Jon Ostby, Nelson’s Market owner and Paul’s father, developed the dinner menu. According to grassfedbeefwashington.com, grass fed beef promotes better meat and eliminates the need for antibiotics and hormones. No pesticides or herbicides are used on the land and the staggered grazing of the herd keeps grasses nutritious.

Built in 1895 at 514 Potter St., the market resides at the center of one of Bellingham’s oldest neighborhoods. As one of several stores in the York district, including a meat market across the street, Nelson’s became a grocery store in 1916. As each of these closed, Nelson’s remained the chief neighborhood mart. It has been family owned and operated by the Otsby’s for more than 25 years.

            As the weather warms in the spring, Nelson’s opens its outdoor seating area for patrons, diners and beer drinkers. Small tables line the Humboldt Street side of the building, shaded by wide umbrellas and bordered by an ivy-covered fence. The patio is Adams’ favorite part about Nelson’s, apart from the biscuits and gravy. He said he really likes the direction Jon and Paul are taking the market. “We’ll have great new food, and coupled with the patio out there, it’s going to be sweet,” Adams said.

First story coming soon

Tomorrow is the big day! The first story and blog of the quarter will be posted by 4 pm. Keep an eye out.