Alabama Hill residents look ahead for change

Residents of the Alabama Hill neighborhood voice their concerns and look into updating their neighborhood proposal.

Residents of Alabama Hill are looking at prospective change to be included in an updated neighborhood plan for the area. Alabama Hill is one of five Bellingham neighborhoods that has not updated its neighborhood plan since January of 2005. “We did have a committee working on a rewrite, but never completed it,” said Larry Nicholas, President of the Alabama Hill Association.

Nicholas said that some of the main concerns discussed included: finding alternate routes going in and out of the neighborhood in case of a need for evacuation, adding small pocket parks and attempting to enlarge the boundaries of Alabama Hill.

Richard Maneval, chair of the Association of Bellingham Neighborhoods, expressed his concern about crime safety in the area. “We essentially have criminals that are our neighbors,” he said about an increase in late-night car prowls. Maneval is asking residents to take precautionary measures “Light it up, lock it up, look and listen,” he said.

Traffic safety is another issue within the neighborhood, said Maneval, Alabama Street is a major arterial that acts as a connecting road between Silver Beach and Roosevelt neighborhoods, “More speed bumps would be nice, even though I don’t like them, they slow you down,” said Jason Speek a resident of the area.

The parks of Alabama Hill are another topic consistently addressed. The latest proposal aimed to take care of overpopulation in the parks because of an influx of nonresidents using them.

The future of the parks

Due to the congestion of St. Clair Park specifically, the plan suggested “to refurbish existing parks,” Highland Heights Park is in the midst of said refurbishing. The park began renovation in the first week of March and according to the Bellingham Herald is set to likely be completed by June. The renovation of the park is the biggest change happening in the area now, said Maneval.

Maneval has also said the general upkeep of the area is a major priority, “We are mainly looking for enhancements in the beauty of the streets,” he said.

“I’ve been walking this trail for 70 years,” said Zane Engels, who moved to Alabama Hill in 1937, of the Greenway Railroad Trail “I’m just glad they saved all this, all this green area, it’s just a neat, neat neighborhood.”