Appendix R -- Fairhaven Community Proposal

Fairhaven Community Proposal
February 10, 2009
Helen Danshiell
Mikel Townsley
Kendra Rhodes

Fairhaven Community Proposal

INTRODUCTION
“Fairhaven was one of three pioneer settlements on Bellingham Bay that merged to become the City of Bellingham is 1904” (City of Bellingham, 2008). Fairhaven National Register Historic District, the fact that Fairhaven is on the water and nestled in the Chuckanut Mountains all contributes to the charm that makes this quaint community such an experience. There are 17 registered historic buildings in downtown Fairhaven (City of Bellingham, 2008). Fairhaven is comprised of a variety of homes, condominiums and apartment buildings that house approximately 600 residents (City of Bellingham, 2008).



Fairhaven is offers a number of amenities within its small community. Included in Fairhaven district is, a grocery store, shops (from salons to bookstores), restaurants, Fairhaven Public Library, Fairhaven Village Green, Fairhaven Park, a Marine Park, the Alaskan Ferry, and the Fairhaven Transportation Center (City of Bellingham, 2008).



These are just a few of the things that Fairhaven has to offer.

History
Part of what makes Fairhaven charming, is the rich history within its limits. Daniel Jefferson Harris was the original founder of Fairhaven in 1883 (Dan-Harris, 2007). Dirty Dan Harris (a knick-name originating from his apparent lack in hygiene) had an apparent knack for development and used his claim on Fairhaven to build a booming port town (Dan Harris, 2007). Harris’ hope was to make Fairhaven the “hub city of North Puget Sound” (Dan-Harris, 2007). But in 1893, a severe depression hit and all the fast paced development came to a halt, and soon after, Seattle was dubbed the city of the commerce instead of Fairhaven (Dan-Harris, 2007). Fortunately, In 1903 Whatcom (then a town) and Fairhaven joined forces and became one town, which is now, Bellingham (Whatcom Museum, n.d.). “Today on Bellingham’s south side, the name Fairhaven is still used for the commercial and suburban area” (Whatcom Museum, n.d.)

DEMOGRAPHICS

Physical size/expanse
Fairhaven is located on the south side of Bellingham, right on the water. Its bordering neighborhoods include, Bellingham and South Hills on the north, Happy Valley on the east, Edgemoor on the south and Bellingham Bay on the west side. Fairhaven is not a large neighborhood, but has established a lovely area with great diversity within its limits.

Population
In researching the population of Fairhaven, I found that there are approximately 600 people living within the small community (City of Bellingham, 2008). Comparatively, Edgemoor has approximately 1990 people, South Hills at about 3058 and Happy Valley around 5935 people (city of Bellingham, 2008). According to the City of Bellingham, Fairhaven is the least populated neighborhood within the city (2008).
Business vs. residential
Because Fairhaven is a small community in a historic district, most of the residences are set up in buildings with retail stores on the ground level, and then condos on the upper levels. There are a few houses in Fairhaven area, but most of them have been split up and used for retail shops, or separate apartments units, and sometimes both. Demographically speaking, there is more opportunity for water views, more people can fit into a small space, condo’s are very common.

Diversity of population
Fairhaven is comprised of a lot of high-end condos and retail shops. Living in Fairhaven requires a more upscale income, which creates less diversity in those who live within this small community. Although, because Fairhaven has a hub of retail shops open to anyone, there-in lies a large welcome to the general public.


Median income
According to the City of Bellingham, the median household income as of 2006 is $36, 862 (City of Bellingham, 2008). The median family income is $60, 962 and the per capita income is $21, 848 (City of Bellingham, 2008). At this time, there is no published information regarding income for the neighborhood of Fairhaven.
Median residence prices
Residences in Fairhaven consist of mostly condos within the small historic community. They range in price from about $146,000 for a condo less than 500 square feet, all the way up to $1,565,000 for a two-bedroom condo, downtown, with less than 2100 square feet (Bellingham Real Estate, 2009). Condos that are located on the bay strip are found less expensive than this! Living downtown Fairhaven places its residents in the hub of activity, with a small town charm, right on the water, in a historic district, it is no wonder it draws so much attention.


Cost of living
Taking into consideration the expense of real estate in the Fairhaven location, the cost of living within this community must have some correlation to these high prices. In looking at the neighboring communities, real estate is still fairly expensive. Edgemoor’s real estate ranges from about $450,000 to nearly $2,000,000. Happy Valley neighborhood’s houses range from about $22,000 to nearly $500,000. The South Hills neighborhood is comprised of mostly old Victorian style houses that offer a view of Bellingham Bay and are located close to Fairhaven, Downtown Bellingham and Western Washington University. With all this surrounding Fairhaven, the cost of living downtown Fairhaven seems to be on the higher end.

Asset Map
Finding out what’s right in the community goes a long way in finding out what could be more-right. This asset map was created through the process of finding out what’s right with Fairhaven. And there was no shortage in the search. According to Homan "Once you have established a good general understand of your community, you will probably want more specific information on some particular aspect of it" (pg 122). So we went to talk to some people in Fairhaven to find out what they need.
INTERVIEWS
With businesses
Outline of Interview Questions:
1. How long have you owned this business?
2. Do you live in Fairhaven?
3. How has the economy affected your business?4. About how many of your customers would you say are regulars?
5. What is the turn-over rate (both business/employees)?
6. How would you describe your involvement in the community?7. What do you think the strengths of Fairhaven are?8. Do you know what projects Fairhaven has planned to benefit
the community?9. How would you describe the Fairhaven community?
10. What do you think should happen in Fairhaven to better the
community?

Summary of interviews:
Cheryl Lee, Co-Owner of Good Earth Pottery:
Good Earth pottery has been in business since about 1970 and the turnover rate for owners is high due to burn out or not enough pay. There are currently three owners and no other employees since income roughly breaks even. Cheryl has lived in Fairhaven for 10 years and has seen the change in the community with the deserted buildings turning into local businesses. Economy has been down just slightly since their store sells things at a different rate than retail stores already. About a 1/3 of their customers are regulars, but many are tourists. Strengths in Fairhaven include that businesses are small and local and everyone is supportive of each other’s businesses. In her words, the community has “good spirit.” She believes more family restaurants could benefit Fairhaven and more practical goods be sold. More importantly she believes a parking lot or garage is needed, and claims others feel the same. The city has wanted to put parking meters in the street parking and when Fairhaven does events, parking becomes scarce. There is currently a muddy area just north of Fairhaven that is being used for parking and while it is unclear of who owns it and what their plans are, she thinks it would be a great spot to pave for overload parking.

Penny Ferguson, Owner of A Lot of Flowers.
Penny has owned A Lot of Flowers for 13 years and has seen many turnovers of businesses over the years. She says that they occur “in waves” and mostly on businesses not located on Harris Ave, which is the main street in Fairhaven. About 60-80% of her customers are regulars and she was down about 38% in sales in December. The weather, not the economy, has been the biggest factor in downward sales, as January picked up again. Penny, like Cheryl, agrees that the community is very supportive of the local business and each business supports each other. While she is not involved in the community as an organizer, she is a regular customer of many businesses and is well aware of various events in the area. Penny would like to see more events like the Gallery Walk in which the businesses could partake in and would like to see that particular event occur more.

Danielle, Wild Blueberry employee.
Danielle is a part time employee and full time Western student living in between Western and Fairhaven. She sees Fairhaven as a friendly, touristy place. She has been with the Wild Blueberry since September after low sales called for a cut in employees and then a rehire of employees. She seldom visits Fairhaven, but when she does, she goes to Boulevard park to do homework when the weather is nice. She would like to start buying books at Village books to support the local business. She likes the Village Green and the fact that Fairhaven is not “urban.” She does not participate or attend community events, but may do so this summer if she gets a particular internship. She thinks parking could be improved, especially in the afternoon and weekends. In addition to parking, she would like to see a local visitors’ center.

Sally, owner of Covet.
Covet has been tucked into a back alley of Fairhaven since November. Sally, the owner, has lived in Ferndale for 15 years and enjoyed visiting Fairhaven, which is why she decided on owning a business downtown. Her store is fairly hidden and is in a new building that was only made last year and is the first store to go in. The store next to her is still empty. The entrance to her store is on a street that runs perpendicular to the main street, making it harder for people to know of her store’s existence. She has been told that her business will do better over time when people start finding out she is there and in the summer when tourists from the local ferry visit. She would like to see business’ stay open past 6 so Fairhaven doesn’t seem dead in the evenings when everyone else is off work and wanting to go out. She would also like to see more support from the city. She provided an example of a time when the city advertised Bellingham’s art gallery walk in Fairhaven but not Fairhaven’s in either place. She does agree that parking is scarce and would like to see improvement in that area.

David, manager of Whidbey Island Bank.
David has been with this particular branch for three months, but has worked for another local branch for years. The reason for his relocation was due to market with community groups. This branch has been in Fairhaven for nine years but switched locations two weeks ago to its new location across from Haggen to be closer to the community and get more customers. David feels the strengths of the community is that the residents make higher income, bringing in more money. He sees that having no brand-named stores is a downside to the economy of Fairhaven. Having no brand-named stores was decided on by those who govern the community. He believes a big named place may show up in the near future and cause a chain reaction. To further market the bank, David has made a community room that is closed off from the bank (accessed by a door only able to open with a code.) This room is accessible from the outside by code, has a coffee machine, fridge, and bathroom, and is for meeting usage by anyone in the community 24/7. Requirements only include not selling items and to clean up afterwards. The bank also holds annual BBQ’s in the summer, free to Fairhaven employees. He, too, would like to see more parking in Fairhaven, especially for their customers as it is a complaint of theirs.

Allie, employee, and Robin, co-owner of Toy Garden.
Toy Garden has been in Bellingham for 3.5 years and has three owners. Allie lives in Bellingham but shops in Fairhaven from time to time. Both say everything is in Fairhaven except a hardware store, although one used to be here. Some employees live in Fairhaven, but most live in Bellingham, including one owner, with the other two owners outside of Bellingham. Strengths of the community is that everyone is supportive, social, and environmentally friendly. The Fairhaven Association brings brochures to their business as well as others since there is no immediate visitor center. Like the other stores interviewed, the economy has not hit them too badly. Parking, too, is an issue. There is talks that the parking lot across the street will be made into a tall building that will lose not only parking but the great view of the water.

With association Members
Interview with Nicole Walker:
What are some of the strengths of the Fairhaven community?
The people
What is your opinion on what the Fairhaven community needs? Ralph is working to keep or achieve a local museum to keep
the local history alive.
What is missing in Fairhaven?
Parking
What works well in Fairhaven?
Keeping events and activities alive.
Who has influence over what happens in Fairhaven?
Old Fairhaven Association, local community, businesses
What are the projects that are currently underway in Fairhaven? As the OFA every year...flower pots, holiday lights, new garbage containers, weeding
Is the community of Fairhaven tight knit?
Unfortunately there has been a little split between those
that want development and growth and those who want things to remain the way they are - although they are coming
together more.
Are there community coalitions, or groups working toward projects together in Fairhaven? What are they?
The Old Fairhaven Association,
The Neighborhood Association,
Lady's of the Evening
Who are the key players in decision making for projects/needs in Fairhaven?
OFA (the board)

Interview with Michael Lindquist:What are some of the strengths of the Fairhaven community? Fairhaven has a sense of history and place that is comparatively deep, and this history is carried in the visible reminders of its street, houses, and commercial district. I think this sense of place helps to bind people together through something held in common. More particularly, the place and history are very people friendly. The neighborhoods are walk-able and neighborly, and so is the commercial area. Again, this physical aspect of the neighborhood contributes to the human aspect. In addition, Fairhaven is blessed with several rare public assets, like the historic branch library, the Village Green, a small performing arts center, and a greenways trail to nearby Fairhaven Park.What is your opinion on what the Fairhaven community needs? It needs some assurance that what we have that is prized by locals and the wider community is preserved and hopefully enhanced. Again, I go back to the physical environment. We need development regulations and programs from the City that preserves and extend these physical attributes.What is missing in Fairhaven? Not much. A hardware store! Fairhaven is unusual in that it has residential, commercial, and industrial parts. There are places to live, to work, to shop, to play.Who has influence over what happens in?I'd say that right now, despite efforts, the neighborhood voice has been locked out of many decisions, and complaints to the city go unanswered. Understandably, the commercial land owners have been able to exert more control over the commercial area, and they have been able to build up that area quite well.What are the projects that are currently underway in Fairhaven?Several projects are pending, nothing actually in the works. What is something that the community wished could be done? Update our neighborhood plan. Protect Padden Creek.What is the zoning like in Fairhaven, mostly business? Percentages to residential? 1/3 residential, 1/3 commercial, 1/3 industrial (marine, waterfront, incl. the sewage treatment plant.I don¹t see a lot of chain businesses in Fairhaven, is that an official policy, how is that enforced?Not official, not even a policy, but a very strong preference by locals. No way to enforce it. Chains like low costs and big parking lots, and Fairhaven is the opposite.Is the community of Fairhaven tight knit? Fairly. Depends on which particular stretch of road.Are there community coalitions, or groups working toward projects together in Fairhaven? What are they? Fairhaven Neighbors, which works with other neighborhoodassociations, and has cooperated with the merchants group on a couple events and projects. Actually, the merchants group is far larger (300 businesses), although only a handful are active in association affairs, I think. Who are the key players in decision making for projects/needs in Fairhaven?I think it is fair to say that most property in Fairhaven is privately owned, and land owners tend to make their own decisions.What/who are some of the best resources for Fairhaven?Just lots of individuals, involved in lots of different things. People willing to volunteer their free time.What are the community strengths?Actually, Fairhaven is geographically quite small, and so there is a lot of energy invested in Fairhaven by people who live nearby in other neighborhoods.What are some struggles/challenges for the community of Fairhaven?Some commercial landowners favor more and taller buildings, while the majority of residents and individual shopkeepers strongly prefer to keep the pedestrian-friendly scale of the existing historic district. It's the oldproperty-rights individualist view against the community-centered view. Unfortunately, this had led to some suspicion of between the merchants' group and the neighborhood group.
From community meeting
On Wednesday, February 4th, we attended a community meeting of Fairhaven Neighbors (www.fairhavenneighbors.org). There were 15 attendees and they graciously invited us into the meeting for observation. The atmosphere of the meeting was friendly, and familiar among members. The majority of the attendees had been long-time, regular attendees and knew about current topics. They used a fairly casual yet structured approach for facilitation using motions, seconds, discussion and votes to open and close discussion topics. Fairhaven Neighbors is a long since established community association and the traditional approach to facilitation was withheld.
One of the current issues that the meeting was addressing was a housing development plan that the community members passionately reject. Their reasons are numerous. Firstly, they are concerned for environmental impact that the development would have. The development would eliminate a well established greenbelt. They are also concerned about the longevity of such a project making construction an established part of the community for a span of time. The members are ready to fight for no development and are prepared to do so. They have been well preparing themselves by doing research about the power they have as well as a good lawyer and also getting key players, such as city council, on their side. This is a very big issue in Fairhaven and the community members seemed quite united on their intentions for rejecting the development.
We learned that Fairhaven community has a current docketed neighborhood plan updated from 1980. The new version was written in 2007, has been approved, yet the community is having a challenging time hearing from the city as to when the neighborhood plan will be addressed and worked on. Currently, there has been calls and inquiries made even speculations as to why the plan has yet to be acted upon, but they have yet to receive any answers. Many times in the meeting the relationship between the neighborhood association and the city was referenced. That relationship seems to be quite a frustrating topic to members of the association. There are challenges associated with the timeless of correspondence from the city as well as the quality and quantity of the information they do get.
There are also efforts being put forth through the Mayors Neighborhood Advisory Council (MNAC) that are addressing education toward issues of water in Fairhaven. There are challenges associated with the storm water drainage system as well as natural paths of storm water drainage through the community, ie, Padden Creek.

There are concerns that the general population of Fairhaven do not completely know the problem. They are discussing ways to educate neighborhood individuals. There is money available to make a plan for improving the water levels of and natural flow of Padden Creek, but there is not money for the work to be done. Education efforts are also being focused on water pollution.


The association is presented with and welcomes an opportunity to distribute door hangings. Green issues in the community were taking seriously and regarded as a priority. There was some discussion about extending the invitation to the city for a meeting with the cities “green representative” in March. The consensus of the group noted the need for outreach in this area, not only about storm water/drainage education and planning but also topics like car washing, animal excrement, litter , and its impacts, etc.
One of the speculations as to why the neighborhood plan is not being address is that there are “urban villages popping up all over the place”. There was some discussion as to the concise definition of Urban Villages, but the idea was that of Multi-story mixed-use buildings. The feelings regarding community growth in Fairhaven utilizing the urban village mentality for approval of projects and developments was not unified. Having a clearer understanding of what urban villages are as well as the strengths and weaknesses of this approach would surely help these discussions. Upon consideration of the idea of urban villages it seems as though Fairhaven itself does embody some of those traits already and the expanse of that would be somewhat seamless. It is not clear if the idea of urban villages is the concern of the association, or merely the cities neglect of the current neighborhood plan that had already been docketed.
Another working relationship that the neighborhood association has is the Association of Bellingham Neighborhoods (ABN). This relationship was not referenced as a strong one. Fairhaven neighborhood association does not have a close relationship with the ABN. Also, it is noted that the ABN also struggles to feel heard by the city.
This meeting was also the annual meeting of the Neighborhood association. They had conversations about board members, and dues as well as identifying a large need for outreach from the association. Not only for education to the neighborhood about current issues but also for money and support. One comment made about the Community was that they are okay and not as involved when they don’t know that there are needs. They are okay following along the status quo, but will rise up and pull together when they know that there is a need. It was identified that there was a need for participation in the meetings, in the efforts, as well as education and income. They are hoping that a drive for dues will also bring in more memberships and participation. They can get an outreach grant from the city, but it is only for reimbursement. They need the money in order to do the outreach to get the reimbursement grant. The meeting attendees had confidence in the people of Fairhaven. They felt that they just needed to “put out the flair” for help from the community members. They did not have as much confidence in receiving help from the city when it was needed. They also indicated the need for a good idea on how to bring in involvement and active members of the neighborhood association. There is expressed concern for the fact that they have plenty of outflow of money through events and relationship building activities, but not enough income creating activities.
They referenced a change in the “small and simple grant process”. According to the group, these grants are no longer available for planning projects and only for implementing projects. This is a bit of a challenge and they just need to find different ways to apply and get funds for planning.
Another area that needs help is that the Neighborhood Association needs more opportunities for Public Relations. In many of their discussions there was an undertone of concern as to how they were going to be recognized. They feel that if more people knew what they did, the more support and involvement they would get.
They have continued concern/discussion about the pending neighborhood plan that is in with the city. They began to brainstorm ways to make their plan more manageable or do-able. There are concerns about doing too much of the cities “planning committee’s” job. One member mentions the Samish neighborhood community plan and the action they got from the city and from the neighborhood itself. They would like to know what Samish did right and what is wrong with their docketed plan and how do they fix it now, without stepping on the cities’ planning committee’s toes.
Following, were more discussion of the Urban Village concept. It is stated that Fairhaven is not considered an urban village because it is too small and not self sustaining. There is a movement they are working toward pulling in the “5 south side neighborhoods” into the Urban Village idea for Fairhaven.
Near the end of the meeting there was quick touch on some current projects. There was a guest coming from a Fairhaven based non-profit that is planning the replacement of a community dock. The project is intricate, yet they have done all the work and only needs the approval from the neighborhood association in order to move forward. The dock replacement will bring very much appeal to Fairhaven and more opportunities for visitors as well as a safer and more aesthetically pleasing beachfront. There is a community effort toward building a playground for a Fairhaven school. www.greenplayground.net They are ready for sign-ups for locals to come and build the playground. They also announce reminders for work parties on the upcoming weekend and a tree sale. They also referenced a “coalition for local self reliance” and a rose garden.

Needs Assessment

There are several needs for Fairhaven. According to data collected from various businesses*, more parking spaces need to become available to support them.
According to Homan, “Currently, residents seem to be showing renewed interest in their neighborhood organizations,” (2008, p. 378). Fairhaven has several groups that advocate for the town and its people, the Neighbors Organization being one of them. The Organization meets to discuss what is needed in Fairhaven and proposes plans to the City of Bellingham. Homan adds that “many neighborhood organizations regularly interact with their local governments,” (p. 379). Here is a list of some of the ideas the organization proposed as of November of 2007:

Streets, sidewalk, and parking:
• The Fairhaven Library would like to buy an area next to their building to develop into either parking spaces or playground. This would be beneficial to encourage people to visit the library. If a playground was put in, this would encourage children to come to the library to read, or to go on the playground to socialize, get exercise and have fun. This would be beneficial to children and library goers.
• Businesses are not the only ones concerned about the parking: the organization is, too.

Ideas include paid or time limited parking and parking along the perimeter of town. Paid and time limited parking would encourage people to park less in town and it will allow for more parking.

The perimeter parking would allow for overflow and for those who need to park all day. This may also encourage other sorts of transportation such as carpooling, bus, walking, or biking. As well as car parking, a request for more bike parking has been made. This will encourage more to bike to town and will provide adequate space for bikers to be able to park and shop, thus helping businesses.

• There have been many streets and sidewalks proposed to be updated. There are certain areas where sidewalks do not exist and this is not only a safety hazard but also limits access to nearby areas. There are a few areas where it is difficult for pedestrians to cross and is confusing to drivers. One example includes the 5-way intersection at 12th, Hawthorn Road, Cowgill Ave, Parkridge Road, and Chuckanut Drive. The current design is poor and unsafe.
• It has been suggested to close Mill Ave from 10th to 11th on Wednesdays from 1:00pm-8:00pm to create a safe place for pedestrians to access their weekly Market. Closing the street would perhaps allow for more people to go to the Market.

Miscellaneous:
• The Bellingham Bay is essential to Fairhaven because it is the site for the ferry to dock and plans for the waterfront to be updated are underway. The organization wants to improve boat access and have boats be able to dock for up to a certain period of time in order to be able to visit Fairhaven thus getting more flow into the town.
• It is being requested that the Village Green get a retractable overhead to protect the stage. The Village Green is a key element to Fairhaven as it is a gathering area as well as a place where many events are held.


Having a retractable overhead would prevent the stage from being affected by bad weather which would keep the repair cost low and the events happening.
• Puget Sound Energy needs to update their power lines in Fairhaven. Blackouts cause a loss of business, spoiled food, and damage to electrical equipment. It has been suggested to upgrade their infrastructure and put the power lines underground.

• The organization proposes having wireless internet in schools, the library, parks, and various other places. This would be a convenience to many and important for the library and schools to enhance their education by using the internet as a learning tool.
• An idea was proposed to create a Fairhaven museum. This would allow the city to keep artifacts to the city since Fairhaven is a historic town and is a key asset of the community. In addition, the organization wants to put forth an educational program through the museum that provides materials for self-guided tours to inform people about the history of Fairhaven.
• Several members of the community want a playground for a local elementary school.
Much of what was proposed is to maintain areas to keep up with the population growth and technology as well as keep the environment healthy. This would help keep Fairhaven a place where people would like to live or visit.
*Businesses:• A Lot of Flowers• Good Earth Pottery
• Covet
• Whidbey Island Bank• Wild Blueberries
• The Toy Garden

Recommendations
Fairhaven is on the right track of having an organization that proposes these ideas to the City of Bellingham. Surveys are sent out to the community and meetings are made public to ensure community involvement. It is recommended that the Fairhaven Neighbors Organization focuses on those that are most important to the people and the land and keep pushing these needs to the City of Bellingham. I also recommend the community get involved with completing some of the proposals. Recommendations are as followed.
For the retractable overhead or alternative solution, donations can be made and a portion of ticket sales can be used towards having one put up.
The Whatcom County Historical Society could be requested to buy a building to house the museum and pay for having participating businesses restore parts of their buildings. This way the buildings would stay intact but the parts that were removed can be preserved at the museum. Other artifacts and old pictures can be donated or purchased. Having people who are passionate about preserving Fairhaven’s history are vital to having a museum. Geraldine Thompson, representative of Florida, along with others preserved one of Orlando’s well-known landmarks, the Wells Built Hotel and converted it to a museum in honor of African-American history (Central Florida Channel 13 News, 2009).
If businesses want more parking, they can assist by providing a certain percentage of the funding needed to develop parking spaces. This can be done by donating profit or holding a raffle or by any other means.
In order for Fairhaven to have Puget Sound Energy move all power lines underground, the City would have to pay about $1.9 million per mile for main streets and $500,000 per mile for residential areas (Shepherd, 2006). According to Roe, about half of Seattle’s power lines are underground and 40% is underground in Snohomish County. For both areas, this has taken up a lot of money and ends up tearing the roads for long periods of time. Fairhaven has historical roads especially down 12th and while the Organization wants to fix them anyway, surveys sent out by them show that the residents do not want to change this. A less expensive alternative would be to install “more ‘tree wire,’ a cable with a coating that makes it more resilient during a storm,” (Roe 2007).
Many cities have city-owned wireless, which can be very costly. Some cities such as Burnsville, Minnesota receive wireless in the city a different way. Rather than having city-owned wireless on which residents would pay tax on, a phone company with its regional headquarters located locally decided to provide this service. However, it is not completely free: instead of paying a tax, customers pay a fixed monthly rate and visitors pay depending on usage (Miranda, 2007). In San Francisco, Google and Earthlink have teamed up to bring wireless at no cost to the city (Kopytoff and Kim, 2005). On a positive note, being that Fairhaven is a small town the cost to install wireless would be considerably less than large cities. On a negative note, because Fairhaven services less people and is not as known places such as San Francisco, finding a free supplier will be difficult.
The community members who wish to have a playground for the elementary school have already gone to work signing up people to physically build the playground. It was started by a group of moms a few years ago who wanted a simple area of grass for the children. Over the years, the project expanded by including many more volunteers, a larger area of grass, and a very large playground. Most of the projects Fairhaven wants to better improve their town will need to be approved and funded by the City of Bellingham. It has been reported by two or three of the interviewees that Fairhaven is frustrated that the City of Bellingham providing much financial support. The more the Fairhaven Neighbors Organization advocates on behalf of the community, the more likely it is that the City of Bellingham will understand the community need and will work with Fairhaven to see what can be done. “Positive change results when people who have a good idea also have the power to implement it,” (Homan, 2008, p. 254) and Fairhaven has the power. Most of what Fairhaven requests are upgrades and maintenance to all that is already there. Unfortunately, not all feel that way. There are outsiders who want to come into Fairhaven and make large buildings and this is not what Fairhaven wants. According to the Fairhaven Neighbors Organization there is a company that wants to make a housing development and the community of Fairhaven is fighting against it. Michael Lindquist, an active member of the neighborhood association remarked when asked about the needs in Fairhaven: “Not much. A hardware store! Fairhaven is unusual in that it has residential, commercial, and industrial parts. There are places to live, to work, to shop, to play.” It seems that Fairhaven really does almost have it all.


References
Central Florida Channel 13 News. (2009). Black history in the making: Geraldine thompson. Retrieved February 8, 2009 from http://www.cfnews13.com/Features/BlackHistory/2009/1/29/2009_geraldine_thompson.html

Homan, M. (2008). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world (4th ed. . Belmont, CA: Thompson Higher Education.
Kopytoff, V. & Kim, R. (2005) Google offers S.F. Wi-Fi -- for free. Retrieved February 8, 2009 from http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/10/01/MNGG9F16KG1.DTL
Miranda, M. (2007). Dakota county / burnsville getting wireless network. Retrieved February 8, 2009 from http://www.twincities.com/dakota/ci_7208440?nclick_check=1
Roe, A. (2007). Burying power lines: Is it worth the cost? Retrieved February 8, 2009 from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003515961_underground09e.html
Shepherd, G. (2006). Public service company of oklahoma shares cost of putting power lines underground. Retrieved February 8, 2009 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1407738.html