"The Danger Zone" is still frustrating Roosevelt neighbors

An area off of Alabama Street known as “The Danger Zone” is a cause for concern amongst local neighbors.

Texas Street resident Charles Shaw is adamant about placing a crosswalk in between Woburn Street and Pacific Street.

“There is no marked pedestrian crosswalk in the area where there are eight bus stops, a child center, and a community park a short distance away,” said Shaw. “As traffic travels exceeding speeds of 35 mph, you are on your own.”

One child has already been hit in this area.

A boy was struck by a car while crossing Alabama Street on the evening of Dec. 20, 2010. The boy was crossing the street with his mother at about 5:20 p.m. after they got off a Whatcom Transportation Authority bus on the south side of Alabama, according to a police report. The boy was not injured but was taken to the hospital.

Pam Davis is the director at Kids Korner, a childcare center located on the corner of Alabama and Undine Street, directly in the middle of “The Danger Zone.”

“That boy was the older sibling of one of our kids,” said Davis. “He was walking here [Kids Korner] with his mom. She let go of him for a second and he got hit.”

“A lot of our families take the bus to get here and it’s not efficient or realistic for them to cross at Woburn three blocks away,” she said. “I see all sorts of people running across four lanes of busy traffic every day.”

Davis said this only reemphasized the dire need for a crosswalk.

“It has been a problem for years and the city isn’t doing anything about it,” said Davis. “My manager’s husband has called the city about it several times but they obviously have other priorities.” 

Davis found it interesting that none of the concerned neighbors had come to talk to her about the issue considering the location of the childcare center.

            Multiple Roosevelt neighbors attended the February City Council meeting and spoke about the need for a crosswalk, but no action has been taken yet.

“According to a traffic blog on the Bellingham Herald, 622 pedestrians have been killed in traffic crashes in the state since 2000,” said Shaw at the meeting. “State law says vehicles must stop for pedestrians crossing roads both in marked and unmarked crosswalks. It seems someone forgot to tell that to the evening commute on Alabama Street.”

Roosevelt Community Church pastor Kurt Ingram also took the stand.

“One of the central things we want to address is the need to cross safely across Alabama specifically between Pacific and Woburn,” Ingram said. “There are no lights, no crosswalk and lots of business and pedestrians. Plenty of parents are crossing four lanes of traffic to get to the childcare center.”

Bellingham City Council could not be reached for comment. 

“We’re not asking for a stop light, just a simple flashing crosswalk like the one at Fred Meyer,” said Davis. “Hopefully the city will come around and realize what is important to Bellingham citizens.” 

The Whatcom Dream, making positive changes for Roosevelt neighborhood

            The Whatcom Dream will be hosting its Annual FUN-raiser on March 18, 6 p.m. at Northlake Church in Bellingham. Food, live gospel choir entertainment and a silent auction will take place.

            Trudy Shuravloff, Executive Director, is in charge of the event.

            “It’s always a lot of fun,” Shuravloff said. “It’s a great way for people to get involved in their community and learn more about The Whatcom Dream.”

            The Whatcom Dream is a Christian based non-profit organization that has worked with individuals and families in the Roosevelt, Ferndale, Lynden, North Bellingham and Happy Valley communities since 2000.

            According to their mission statement, “The Whatcom Dream is a community-based organization committed to helping people reach their dreams through financial literacy. Our mission is to lower the poverty rate in Whatcom County, Washington.”

            Students learn how to manage their finances in a 12-week course, as well as complete a financial goals worksheet, make a true core values model and create a realistic budget.

            “We pride ourselves on being a values-based learning course in that we teach our students to create and live by a budget based on their core values,” said Shuravloff.

            The Whatcom Dream also provides courses at the Whatcom County Jail where inmates learn from a customized design that helps them successfully venture back into mainstream society upon release.

            “We help people discover the principals of budgeting, basic financial management, debt repayment, credit, personal and financial assets, and goal setting,” Shuravloff said. “Our mentors walk alongside our students as they adopt these principles and skills into their own lives.”

            Shuravloff graduated from Western Washington University in 2004 and is currently attending Bakke Graduate School in pursuit of a master’s degree in Social and Civic Entrepreneurship.

            “I’ve always had a passion for volunteer work and working with non-profits,” she said. “And plus I love Bellingham so wanting to get involved and help just comes naturally for me.”

            Shuravloff is also an active member of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association along with the Roosevelt Community Church.

            “Roosevelt neighborhood used to have one of the highest crime rates in Bellingham,” she said. “But this has significantly decreased in the last couple years and lowering neighborhood crime rates is one of our main objectives at The Whatcom Dream.” 

Neighbors speak out at City Council meeting

            Multiple neighbors took the stand Monday, Feb. 28 at the City Council meeting to push for a crosswalk to be placed on Alabama Street. 

            Charles Shaw, who lives on Texas Street, has been fighting for this crosswalk for months now.

            When Shaw took the stand, he shared statistics that illustrated the dangers of not having proper crossing.

            “According to a national survey, one out of three people admit to jay walking,” Shaw said. “With eight bus stops, one child care center, and a community park a few miles away, there is absolutely no excuse to have no proper crossing on Alabama Street.”

            Shaw also spoke of “The Danger Zone,” which neighbors refer to as the streets between Pacific Street and Woburn Street. 

            Kurt Ingram and Trudy Shuravloff are other Roosevelt neighbors fighting for this cause.

            When Ingram took the stand, he spoke of more reasons for a crosswalk.

            “There is a need for the ability to cross safely across Alabama,” Ingram said. “With the projected growth of Barkley Village, there is going to be more traffic and therefore a greater need for some clear signage.”

            Shuravloff also spoke, but mentioned more than just the cross walk.

            “We live in a beautiful neighborhood and there is a beautiful park that hardly gets used,” said Shuravloff. “That is because there is a huge divide in our neighborhood due to no easily accessible crossing.”

            While nothing was decided at the meeting, the neighbors feel their presence was felt.

            “Sooner or later, they’re going to listen to us,” said Shaw. “Hopefully at the next meeting we will have a lot more members to show them how serious we are.”

            The next City Council meeting will be held on Monday, March 14 at 7 p.m. in Bellingham City Hall.

            “We are going to keep coming back, and in forces,” Shuravloff said. “We’re fighting for what’s right.” 

Exciting events to take place in Roosevelt neighborhood

A neighborhood clean up day is in the works for Roosevelt neighborhood.

Pastor of Roosevelt Community Church, Kurt Ingram, said his church already has a day like this on April 17 known as a “spring cleaning day”.

“We could combine forces and get the whole neighborhood involved,” Ingram said. “The kids could help out by doing things like yard work and we could have a potluck afterwards in the park.”

Also being discussed among neighbors is the upcoming Ski to Sea Parade scheduled for May 28.

Trudy Shuravloff, executive director of The Whatcom Dream, spoke about having a “Love on Roosevelt Campaign." 

“We are the only neighborhood involved in the parade so far,” said Shuravloff. “This is our opportunity to show Bellingham how diverse and amazing our neighborhood really is.”

Plans to make a float are in the works as well as possible neighborhood T-shirts. 

Roosevelt neighbors discuss need for crosswalk at February's meeting

             Neighborhood Association President David Dopps led Roosevelt's monthly meeting last Wednesday, Feb. 16. The meeting started at 6:30 p.m. and lasted over two hours. 

             The most discussed issue was about a proposed crosswalk to be placed on Undine Street that is perpendicular to Alabama Street. Neighbors refer to this area as “The Danger Zone." 

According to Charles Shaw, who lives on Texas Street, there is no proper crosswalk in this area and there are multiple bus stops on the street along with a childcare center.

“I’ve seen women getting off the bus stop with their children and risking their lives as they run across four lanes of traffic,” Shaw said.

Shaw says he has taken this up with City Council three times but has not yet gotten a response.

The neighbors decided to round up the neighbors in order to get support for the next City Council meeting on Feb. 28.

“Getting signatures for a petition isn’t going to work,” said Shaw. “We need human support and physical bodies there to make an impact.”

Considering the new movie theatre being built in Barkley Village, the Roosevelt neighbors agreed there will be an increased amount of traffic and therefore even more of a need for crosswalks.
The next meeting will be on March 16 at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are held every third Wednesday of the month at the neighborhood's resource center located at 2302 Moore Street. For more information visit their website at rooseveltneighborhood.weebly.com.  

Upcoming events at Whatcom County Boys and Girls Club

            The Boys and Girls Club of Whatcom County, located in the Roosevelt neighborhood, is having multiple upcoming events.

            Program Director Rhonda Shaffer is in charge of most of these events.

            On Feb. 23 there will be a Family Fun Night from 5 – 7 p.m.

            Shaffer said parents don’t always get a chance to take time out of their day and spend quality time with their children.

            “This is a time where parents of the members can choose to come in and play with their kids,” Shaffer said. “We have tons of activities set up and we usually get a great turnout.”

            Family Fun Nights happen the fourth Wednesday of every month.

            Another upcoming event is the Teen Lock-In taking place on Feb. 25 from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. This is hosted at the Ferndale Boys and Girls Club and is a fun packed night where teens are required to stay the night.

            “The kids have a blast,” said Shaffer. “We have more stuff for them to do then you could even imagine.”

            As basketball season is ending at the club, baseball season is just getting started.

            “We’re starting to get teams together for baseball and fast pitch right now,” Shaffer said.

There is also have a day in June where kids and their families can go to a Mariner’s game for a discounted price.

Stay tuned to see what’s next for the Boys and Girls Club of Whatcom County. Or visit their website at http://whatcomclubs.ezsitelaunch.com/default.aspx.  

Roosevelt's bad reputation is improving according to neighbors

            Roosevelt neighborhood, once regarded the most dangerous neighborhood in Bellingham, is making steps toward improvement according to neighbors.

            Matthew Hart, 32, has been a Roosevelt neighbor since 1991. Most recently he has been living on Texas Street.

            “My apartment complex has had a fair amount of drug dealers in it,” Hart said. “It wasn’t until a couple years ago when the police did a sweep and kicked everyone out who was involved with drugs.”

            Hart said the rent was also raised $100, which helped get rid of residents who weren’t contributing to the Roosevelt area.

            “After that, the area became safer,” Hart said.

            Kristin Reese, 22, is a Western student who shared some of the same feelings about the neighborhood.

            “I know there is a lot of crime,” said Reese. “I only go out at night to go to my car. I wouldn’t feel safe doing anything else.”

            Reese has lived on Illinois Street for a year. She said that her roommates have noticed graffiti and other signs of gang activity when walking through Roosevelt.

            “I know they built a Boys and Girls Club to reduce gang activity,” Reese said. “I think that has made a big difference.”

            While Reese said she wouldn’t roam the neighborhood alone, she likes that fact that she lives next to families and that she is walking distance from local businesses.

            Linda Tyler, Branch Director of the Boys and Girls Club located in Roosevelt, had something to say about the positive effect the club has had.

            “We built our club here in 2001 specifically because of the need in this neighborhood,” said Tyler. “It’s somewhat strategically located in order to serve a very underserved population and provide kids with a positive outlook, caring adults and a great facility that they can use for years and years.”

            Tyler said feedback from parents has been positive as well.

            “We have a really strong relationship with a lot of our families because by serving the kids, we in turn serve the families too,” she said. “A lot of families we know through Family Fun Night and through dropping the kids off. And overwhelmingly there is a sense of gratitude from the families in the neighborhood for us being here and what we provide for their kids.”

            Tobias Schwindler, 22, is a Roosevelt neighbor and a Boys and Girls Club volunteer who has volunteered more than 50 hours there.

            “I thought the program with sports and getting kids in the community to play on teams is the best thing a neighborhood can do for its youth,” Schwindler said. “The neighborhood has a bad reputation, but the families that live there are making an effort to make it better.”