2nd Annual Ladies' Night Out

A City Council work session to discuss downtown noise issues, and potential changes to the noise ordinance, is scheduled for May 24.  The meeting is open to the public and will take place in Council Chambers.  The session starts at 1pm and the discussion will take place during the Planning and Community Development Committee portion of the agenda. Anyone interested in learning more about this issue or in voicing their opinion is encouraged to attend.

Issues covered are likely to include possibilities for a more objective, measurable approach to that contained n the current noise ordinance, the possibility of creating zones within the city with different noise standards and soundproofing assistance or standards for venues and new construction. 

Occuption: CEO, DIS Corporation      
 
Favorite Downtown Activity:
Bob and his wife bought a home on the edge of downtown 10 years ago.  It's an easy walk to work along the Boulevard Park trail on nice days.   One of their favorite activities in downtown Bellingham is the Farmers Market on Saturdays. They visit it most every weekend. 

Statement:
Bob has worked in downtown Bellingham for 18 years and has enjoyed every minute of it.  His company, DIS started in the office parks on the edge of the city but chose to move downtown because it offered so many amenities for its staff.  There are so many great restaurants and shops within a few blocks of the office.  DIS is a vertical software company servicing the farm and construction equipment market throughout North America.  Most of its work is done over the phone so it could locate anywhere but downtown Bellingham has a real sense of community. Bob says he sees many of the same people every week that work, live or shop downtown, they smile or say hi.  It's a great place to be. 
 
Bob grew up in Whatcom County, got his undergraduate degree at Western.  He and his wife lived in the LA area and San Diego when he worked for the Navy.  He has traveled to most cities in the US and Canada for his company and has visited many countries in the world since one of his hobbies is traveling.  But he is always glad to come home to Bellingham.  


George Dyson

Occupation:
Boat builder, designer, and historian of technology
 
Favorite Downtown Activity:
Late breakfasts at the Old Town Cafe. We trade parking for food--and both parties think that's the best deal in town.
 



Statement:
George Dyson has lived in Bellingham for 20 years. He purchased the former Dick's Tavern property at Holly and Central Avenues at the mouth of Whatcom Creek in 1989, and has been an active proponent of waterfront redevelopment ever since. Dyson divides his time between building kayaks and writing books. Having worked on commercial vessels throughout British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, he noted, upon the closure of the Central Avenue visitor's moorage in 1990, that Bellingham was now unique among Pacific Northwest coastal communities in having no direct maritime access to its downtown. A charter member of the Downtown Renaissance Network (now DBP), Dyson believes that a thriving waterfront (and this means a working waterfront) will return some of the character and prosperity to Downtown Bellingham that was so abundantly evident in the times when Whatcom Waterway connected us directly to the vibrant maritime community that is Puget Sound.

Chris Gerston


John Thompson

Occupation:
Marketing Manager and Assistant Director of the Office of University Communications, WWU
 
Favorite Downtown Activity:
Dinners at Nimbus with my wife; going to the Railroad Museum on a rainy weekend day with my kids or taking them window-shopping for tropical fish at Clark Feed and Seed; sampling bonbons at Sweet Art.
 
Statement:
John moved to Bellingham 14 years ago with his wife Carolyn Nielsen, after she got a job at the Bellingham Herald and he got a job as a reporter at The Bellingham Business Journal. Soon after, he became editor and then editor and publisher of the BBJ. He stayed there for 10 great years before coming to WWU in 2007, where his wife also now works as a Journalism professor. John became heavily involved in downtown revitalization efforts while he was at the BBJ, and advocated strongly for a stronger and more vibrant downtown core for years. In 2008, he was offered a position on the DBP (then still known as the Downtown Renaissance Network) board and leapt at the chance to serve as an advocate for the downtown's business owners.

Calling all WWU Alumni