City of Bellingham Transportation Commission

**Community Street Program Implementation** Riley Grant detailed the engagement strategy for the Community Street Program's first year, targeting the north Bellingham area (shown in green on the presentation map). The program aims to systematically address residential street concerns through a four-year rotation across the city. Key features include an interactive online map similar to the city's landmark tree protection system, where residents can submit concerns and track project status. The program emphasizes equitable engagement with focused outreach to elderly residents, youth, people with limited English proficiency, low-income residents, and people with disabilities. Grant explained that submitted projects will be categorized into four buckets: capital projects requiring future funding, checklist actions for maintenance operations, community/neighborhood DIY projects, and location studies requiring technical analysis. The program deliberately avoids popularity-contest dynamics by not allowing "thumbs up" voting on submitted concerns, instead focusing on safety and technical merit. **Transportation Grant Strategy and Pipeline** Dylan presented the city's systematic approach to securing transportation funding, emphasizing that projects should drive funding strategy rather than funding opportunities creating projects. The presentation revealed that Bellingham regularly competes in multipl…

**Riley Grant (Public Works Communications Manager)** advocated for comprehensive, equitable community engagement in the Community Street Program, emphasizing the need to reach underserved populations through targeted outreach rather than general publicity. She stressed the importance of transparency and follow-up communication with residents who submit concerns. **Transportation Commissioners** expressed strong support for the engagement strategy while raising practical questions about implementation. They suggested adding examples of past successful projects, creating tutorial videos for the online submission system, and developing communication strategies for neighborhood groups. Several commissioners emphasized the importance of clear guidance to prevent residents from submitting ineligible arterial street concerns. **Dylan (…

**Aaron Miller, introducing himself:** "I'm delighted to be a part of what I have seen Bellingham doing around town in the last, in the time that I've been here, which is like an enormous number of pedestrian, friendly projects that are encouraging people to use some more transportation other than a car." **Riley Grant, on equitable engagement:** "We want to create opportunities for everyone to contribute. And then we also want to put some additional focused effort on some of our underserved …

The Community Street Program moved from framework development to implementation readiness, with staff finalizing the online submission system, community engagement strategy, and project evaluation process. The program represents a significant shift from reactive to proactive community engagement on residential street issues. The Transportation Commission lost its chair with Keith Moore's retirement announcement, creating two vacant positions on the nine-member body. This triggers discussions about optimal commission size and recruitment strategies. The c…

## Meeting Overview The Bellingham Transportation Commission met on March 11, 2025, with commissioners and city staff present. The meeting focused on two major presentations: the Community Streets Program engagement strategy and the city's transportation grant strategy, while also acknowledging the departure of longtime Commissioner Keith Moore. ## Key Terms and Concepts **Community Streets Program:** A new 4-year rotational program designed to gather resident concerns about transportation issues on residential streets (not arterials) and develop collaborative solutions. The program will move through different sections of the city each year. **Transportation Improvement Program (TIP):** A prioritized list of transportation projects that the city plans to implement over a multi-year period, serving as the primary source for grant applications. **Grant Bundling:** The practice of combining multiple related projects (like safety improvements with pavement overlays) into a single grant application to make it more competitive and hit multiple funding criteria. **Transportation Improvement Board (TIB):** A Washington State agency that provides funding for local transportation projects, offering both urban arterial and complete streets programs. **Safe Routes to School Program:** A Washington State DOT funding program that occurs every other year on even-numbered years, specifically targeting pedestrian and bicycle improvements near schools. **Arterials vs. Local Streets:** Arterials are major roadways that carry higher traffic volumes and are not eligible for the Community Streets Program, while local residential streets are the program's focus. **National Highway System (NHS):** A federal classification of important roadways (like Samish Way) that are eligible for certain federal funding programs emphasizing pavement condition and safety. **Location Studies:** Technical analysis conducted by city staff on submitted transportation concerns to evaluate data and develop recommendations for the Transportation Commission. ## Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Addie Candide | Transportation Commission Chair | | Aaron Miller | New Transportation Commissioner | | Tim Wilder | Transportation Commissioner | | David Augustine | Transportation Commissioner | | Betty Sanchez | Transportation Commissioner | | Jackie Flynn | Transportation Commissioner | | Keith Moore | Transportation Commissioner (departing) | | Riley Grant | Communications Outreach Manager, Public Works | | Bill Casper | City Staff | | Mike Wilson | City Staff | | Elena Dixon | City Staff | | Dylan (last name not provided) | Grant writer, City Staff | | Joel (last name not provided) | City Staff | ## Background Context The Community Streets Program represents a significant evolution in how Bellingham addresses neighborhood transporta…