The Yorker Online

The Yorker Newsletter

Revised 2024-08-05 1930

The Yorker is published roughly quarterly, and hard copies are freely available at Nelson’s Market. A print run of 1,200 copies is also distributed to the residences and business of the neighborhood by our friendly YNA Board and volunteers like you!

Current Issue


Back Issues Click on an issue listing to see a summary of its contents

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  • Sehome/York Spring Social & Information Fair on May 16
  • President’s Corner
  • York Farm updates
  • Home maintenance for spring
  • Rock Hill Park Refresh under way
  • Interactive Walking Tour progress
  • Local business spotlight: the Dahlia
  • Calendar of events


  • 17th Annual Christmas Caroling Party
  • President’s Corner
  • Summer’s last shout—York’s Annual Picnic!
  • Urban Forestry Management Plan update
  • Brace yourself for bridge closures
  • Changes coming to York’s parks
  • Follow-ups from recent Yorkers
  • Word jumble
  • Focus on York business: Five Columns
  • The York interactive walking tour is under way
  • Calendar of events

  • Bulletin boards are coming to our parks!
  • President’s Corner
  • Come help out at Rock Hill Park!
  • Local biz with global reach—Alphabet Studios
  • Help the York Community Farm with their survey and community forum
  • Happenings at Nelson’s Market
  • WTDW…the York Yard Crawl?
  • 45th Annual Dumpster Day—June 24!
  • Longtime neighbor Anne Mackie leaves York
  • Digging through the archives / The couches of shame
  • Calendar of events

  • Join the YNA Board of Directors; General Meeting February 22
  • President’s Corner
  • New play library pops up near York
  • Word hunt
  • Return of the winter party
  • Know this mystery house?
  • Nelson’s Market changes hands
  • Harriet Spanel Park work party
  • Remembering Jon Ostby
  • Calendar of events


  • Annual Holiday Party December 10
  • President’s Corner
  • Way Station homeless support
  • Local business spotlight: Chris Shreve Art
  • Stores of historic York
  • Parks Director says Rock Hill Park’s next
  • Annual picnic a blast
  • What’s Tenants Revolt, anyhow?
  • Calendar of events

  • York Neighborhood Annual Picnic
  • Become a Student Representative!
  • President’s Corner
  • Local business spotlight: Bellingham Music
  • Sidewalk vegetation control
  • Safety Committee updates
    with a pair of “Two Weeks Ready” brochures produced by the state’s Emergency Management Division
  • Dumpster Day thanks
  • Harriet Spanel Park history
  • Rock Hill Park plans in the works
  • Calendar of events

  • York Neighborhood General Membership Meeting—May 25
  • Seen our Little Libraries?
  • President’s Corner
  • Spring Rock Hunt
  • Local business spotlight: Slice of Heaven
  • Updates on Samish Commons Urban Village
  • Rock Hill Park pollinator garden thank-yous
  • Harriet Spanel work party—June 11
  • Garden Club gathering—May 19
  • Moving out the right way
  • York “Buy Nothing” group
  • Join the History and Preservation Committee
  • Dumpster Day!
  • Calendar of events

  • York Neighborhood Annual General Membership Meeting
  • York Board elections
  • Use the City’s SeeClickFix app
  • Local business spotlight: Plantas Nativa
  • Rock Hill Park improvements
    Amy Brown moving on
    Parks Work Party report
  • Scarecrow contest results
  • Garden Street church departs
  • Calendar of events


  • York Neighborhood Annual General Membership Meeting
  • Join the Wine and Roses Garden Club
  • News from the ’hood
  • Parking and 911 tips
  • New signs brighten up York
  • New projects move forward for Samish Way Urban Village
  • Student activities and off-campus resources
  • Delivery volunteers needed!
  • 15th Annual Holiday Caroling Party Thank-Yous
  • We’re recruiting members—all a-Board!
  • Calendar of events


  • York Annual Picnic, August 17
  • Voluntary watering schedule
  • News from the ’hood
  • Bus service changes
  • Rock Hill Park cleanup report
  • Trees of Harriet Spanel Park
  • Keeping junk off our streets
  • Let us know what to tell local candidates
  • Protecting Whatcom Creek through York’s neighborhood plan

  • York Annual Meeting and Community Soup Supper, February 13
  • News from the ’hood
  • Delivery volunteers needed
  • The bus-barn struggle
  • Samish Way Urban Village updates
  • York’s heritage trees
  • Parks report
  • WWU’s Community Ambassador Network
  • Meet our new Board members


  • York General Meeting and Community Soup Supper, October 10
  • News from the ’hood
  • Come join the York Board!
  • Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission
  • York’s 40th Annual Dumpster Day a huge success
  • Livability and laws in York—know about your rights and responsibilities
  • Parks work parties
  • Two York artists join annual studio tour
  • “Stewards of Children” trainings available at the Brigid Collins Family Support Center
  • A HAWK to land in York

  • York General Meeting and Community Pizza Potluck, May 9
  • Get ready for the 40th Annual Dumpster Day! (June 23)

  • New members of York’s Board
  • Giving York a voice
  • Rock Hill Park cleanup
  • Faces of York: Erin Crosby
  • Life in historic York
  • Kids: free ice-cream cone!


  • Campus Community Coalition “Do Good in Your Neighborhood” work party at Harriet Spanel Park—September 30
  • Welcome to new York students
  • Land-use zoning in York
  • Zoning matters
  • 1995: neo-Nazis in York
  • Annual Picnic report
  • WWU student reps move on

  • Annual Picnic announcement
  • Campus Community Coalition “Do Good in Your Neighborhood” events
  • report from June meeting
  • report on 39th Annual Dumpster Day

  • General Meeting announcement (topics: survey report on York’s hot issues, speaker YNA President Kim Owen, and report on Samish–Maple–Ellis Street Corridor Study,speaker Chris Comeau)
  • Dumpster Day announcement
  • Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
  • tenants’ union petition
  • Move Out Madness
  • Eleanor Apartments update
  • YNA residents’ survey
  • RIP Fred Charlton
  • Samish-Maple-Ellis study
  • Park work party report

  • General Meeting announcement (speakers Steve Swan, Ben Larson, Officer Eric Osterkamp)
  • spring park work party announcement
  • 2017 YNA Board officers elected
  • Community safety program
  • Apple device theft wave
  • new tenants’ union
  • rental inspection results
  • City code enforcement
  • quality-of-life survey
  • parks reports
  • big bus route changes

  • Annual Meeting announcement (topics: “The State of the City and the County: Key Issues for 2017,” with elected officials, and “Water Metering in York Begins in February,” speaker Anitra Accetturo)
  • Annual Holiday Party report
  • announcement of upcoming YNA Board elections
  • 2017 Board nominees


  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Homelessness in Bellingham,” panelists Mayor Kelli Linville, Mike Parker, Kate Robertson, Officer Eric Osterkamp, Steve Nordeen)
  • Franklin Park updates
  • fundraising campaign results
  • how to be a good neighbor
  • student resources
  • tips for avoiding device theft
  • new York District neighbors
  • Annual Picnic report
  • rental inspections news

  • Annual Picnic announcement
  • announcement of community forum on Housing Concerns

 

  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “The Three Ws of Urban Living: Water, Waste, and Wrats”)
  • rental inspections
  • Lobby Day report
  • parks reports
  • Dumpster Day announcement
  • neighborhood business profile (The Foundry and the Bellingham Repair Café)
  • Tenant Waste Task Force
  • recycling resources
  • Kids’ Scavenger Hunt

  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Town and Gown: How Neighborhoods and Students Can Work Together”)
  • York’s Little Library
  • crime in York
  • update on Ellis Street crosswalk safety
  • update on Tenant Waste Taskforce
  • Board election outcomes and updates
  • RIP Harriet Spanel
  • Franklin and Rock Hill park updates
  • Kids’ Corner (spring topics and activities)
  • new senior housing project coming to York

  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Public Safety in York”)
  • meet new York Board member Audrey Roberts
  • preparing for the “Big One” and announcement of CERT basic training sessions
  • report on local house fires
  • Franklin Park update
  • Tenant Waste Taskforce being formed
  • Kids’ Corner (creatures in our neighborhood)
  • Volunteer Mobilization Center event announcement


  • Annual Picnic announcement
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Are You Ready for the BIG ONE?”)
  • protect York’s unique character
  • announcement of City’s open house on Planning Issues
  • the gardens of York (An Urban Oasis, A Farm in the City, and Growing Food with Fish)
  • Kids’ Corner (York’s older houses)
  • create your own time capsule
  • welcome back students
  • announcement of Franklin Park work party

  • General Meeting announcement (topics: “Stormwater Pollution and Prevention,” speaker Caanan Cowles, and “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design: An Analysis of York’s Franklin and Rock Hill Parks,” speaker Officer Eric Osterkamp)
  • Dumpster Day announcement
  • update on the closure of the Aloha Motel
  • new rental inspection program in Bellingham
  • parks updates
  • spring gardening tips
  • York’s Wine and Roses Club update
  • Kids’ Corner (butterfly gardens and trees)
  • heritage-trees scavenger hunt
  • announcement of upcoming Board meeting on Comprehensive Plan updates

  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Getting to Know the Air Inside Your Home,” speaker Dave Blake)
  • 2015 Board and officers elected
  • meet new Ward 3 City Councilman Dan Hammill
  • York’s Annual Golden Trowel Award
  • ADUs—to be or not to be?
  • welcome Community Police Officer Eric Osterkamp
  • York Historic District street signs
  • Rock Hill Park report
  • neighborhood business profile (Flip Kids & Maternity)
  • overfill or infill—what’s the future for York?
  • announcement of City’s open house on growth and the Comprehensive Plan

  • Annual Meeting announcement (speakers Mayor Kelli Linville, new Ward 3 Councilman Dan Hammill, and new Planning Director Rick Sepler) and 2015 Board elections
  • 2014—the year in review


  • Annual Holiday Party announcement
  • Annual Meeting announcement
  • staying safe in the neighborhood
  • YNA news and Aloha Hotel updates
  • announcement of Board elections
  • Rock Hill Park update
  • Annual Picnic report

  • Annual Picnic announcement
  • meet new Board member Robb Correll
  • Yorkers celebrate National Night Out Against Crime in the neighborhood
  • new rain gardens along York streets
  • help keep the neighborhood rat-free and clean
  • Dumpster Day report
  • raise your voice on rental ordinance
  • Samish Way updates
  • announcement of Franklin Park “Make a Difference Day” work party
  • the story behind the Historic District street signs
  • congratulations to Marlins’ Café breakfast cook Joey Robles

  • General Meeting announcement (topics: “Bellingham Rental Housing: Issues & Solutions,” speaker Jack Weiss, and “Stump the Junk Chump,” speaker Rodd Pemble)
  • Dumpster Day announcement
  • fundraising report
  • Treasurer’s report
  • another great Earth Day celebrated at Franklin Park
  • welcome new Rock Hill Park stewards
  • Samish Way work-group update
  • rentals need inspections—just like restaurants
  • WWU student campaign “Everyone has a right to a safe ’Bellinghome,’” fireworks ban in city limits
  • Night Out against Crime announcement
  • say “yes” to York’s downtown houses

  • General Meeting announcement (meet new City Councilmember-at-Large Roxanne Murphy, plus education program “Tips to Kick-Start Your Spring Garden,” speaker Julia Raider)
  • Samish Way task force organizes to fight crime
  • Board bylaws update
  • announcement of Earth Day celebration at Franklin Park
  • congratulations to award-winning organizer Lisa McShane for “Whatcom Wins” campaign
  • meet Board members Katie Dunne, Brian Kennedy, and Cory Anderson
  • rental safety and students
  • business profile (York resident Jerry Hruska’s SweetArt candy shop, downtown)
  • announcement of Dumpster Day
  • new Downtown Bellingham Plan includes visions for western York

  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Homelessness and Hunger in our Community,” speaker Mike Cohen)
  • Nelson’s Market receives Community Building award
  • bid for new Board members
  • Holiday Progressive Dinner report
  • horse-drawn-wagon rides and caroling party report
  • Yorkers share Christmas BBQ with City Gate neighbors
  • York Farm partnering with Northwest Agriculture Business Center
  • WWU Geology students service learning at York Farm
  • RIP Ethel Nelson of Nelson’s Market
  • Byron Bagwell receives the Golden Trowel Award
  • “We Scare Hunger” scares York on Halloween
  • York sign gets facelift


  • Neighborhood Dessert Social and General Meeting announcement (topics: “Wild (animal) life in the York,” speaker Rae Edwards of North Cascades Audubon Society, and “October Riot and Community Spirit,” speakers from Bellingham Police Department and WWU student leaders)
  • announcement of 10th Anniversary Holiday Progressive Dinner
  • announcement of Annual Holiday Party and wagon rides and caroling
  • announcement of community Thanksgiving dinner

  • Fall Picnic announcement
  • York joins Sehome for Night Out against Crime
  • City sprays Roundup weed killer in York
  • call 911 about loud parties or cars on lawns/blocking drives
  • York Farm updates
  • announcement of second annual Harvest Fest and Apple Pressing
  • announcement of York Farm work party
  • report on first Solstice Celebration and Fundraiser
  • business profiles (York Massage and Wellness
  • and The Workspace)
  • Dumpster Day report
  • beekeeping in the neighborhood
  • York youngsters Zoey and Jack Robinson launch paper-transforming business

  • Announcement of Dumpster Day
  • announcement of Solstice Celebration and Fundraiser
  • announcement of Move-Out Madness
  • taking Teddy to tea at the Annual Historic Neighborhood Party
  • postal carrier Sally Higgins returns to work after accident
  • RIP Paul de Armond
  • York Community House to be a Community-Supported Agriculture drop spot
  • business profile (Byron Bagwell’s Summit Painting and B-Squared Bamboo)

  • General Meeting and Spud Fest announcement (topics: “Bellingham Food Bank’s Garden Project—an innovative program for low-income families,” “Rain Barrel Construction and Water Conservation,” speaker Anitra Accentturo, “Safety in the York: Bellingham Police Department crime report,” and “York Farm - What’s up and What’s Ahead,” speaker Mary Loquvam)
  • York Farm breaks ground
  • Wings over Water Birding Festival honors York artist Vivian Mazzola Hruska as Featured Artist
  • children welcome at the York Farm
  • York bikes! and announcement of Bellingham Bicycle Master Plan open house
  • rental health and safety
  • business profile (Urania Shaklee’s ModSock)
  • birding in the York

  • Annual Meeting and Chili Dinner announcement (topic: “Rental Housing Registration and Inspections for Safety and Health Standards,” speaker City Councilman Jack Weiss)
  • YNA goals for 2013
  • fundraising drive results
  • announcement of upcoming Board elections


  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Rental Registration, Safety, and Health,” speaker City Councilman Jack Weiss)
  • Annual Holiday Party announcement
  • Make a Difference Day report
  • Ethel Nelson celebrates 100 years
  • well wishes to injured friends
  • York Harvest Festival report
  • business profile (Mary Ann Newman’s Face It Salon)
  • how to make use of the local Washington State Archives to research your house and neighborhood

  • Annual Picnic announcement (including kids’ art postcard swap)
  • General Meeting announcement
  • report on the City’s Pedestrian Master Plan
  • about York’s historic churches
  • Western students call on City Council for safe rental housing
  • report on National Night Out Against Crime event with Sehome Neighborhood
  • roster of YNA committees and work groups
  • announcement of Franklin Park work parties
  • welcome to WWU students
  • Dumpster Day report
  • Swedish pancakes at Norway Hall
  • pitch for Volunteer Chore Program volunteers to provide transportation for low-income isolated veterans
  • neighborhood orchard and garden project going strong
  • business profile (Greg Heath’s Donkelope Bikes)

  • Dumpster Day announcement
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Bringing Butterflies to Your Garden,” speaker David Droppers)
  • local history of eating frogs
  • beekeeping tips
  • birdwatching along Whatcom Creek
  • the Orchard and Garden Committee’s activities
  • Franklin Park Earth Day work party report
  • Wine & Roses Garden Club activities
  • Rock Hill Park report (the Ivy Wars)
  • business profile (John McColloch’s Johnny Mac Studios)
  • pitch for summer host families for Compass USA exchange students
  • National Night Out Against Crime announcement
  • remembering Arne Hanna
  • report on first Heritage Day party
  • Annual Picnic and Harvest Festival announcement

  • Heritage Day party announcement
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Preserving Neighborhood Character through Historic Preservation,” speakers Michael Houser and Katie Franks)
  • Board members and officers election results
  • pitch for volunteers
  • business profile: Colleen Milton’s Black Market Boutique and Amanda Cobb’s adjacent Under Current Tailoring and Clothing Design)
  • about being a designated Historic District
  • architectural history of York and its bungalow houses
  • Golden Trowel awarded to the Jeff and Sarah Bates family
  • RIP Deloss “Eddie” Chrisman
  • York’s baby boom strikes again
  • local Kindermusic classes’ tuition in March being donated to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
  • parks report
  • $1,456 raised for new Historic District street signs

  • Annual Meeting and Board elections announcement (topic: “Meet the Mayor and New Councilmember,” speakers Mayor Kelli Linville and City Councilmember Cathy Lehman)
  • RIP George Liepart
  • York 2011 in review
  • Annual Holiday Caroling Party and Wagon Rides report

  • Annual Holiday Caroling Party and Wagon Rides announcement
  • Annual Meeting save-the-date
  • report on results of Whatcom Volunteer Center’s “Make a Difference Day,” pitch for joining Board
  • Neighborhood Faces (Gladys Howard of “The Glad Bag” and Gary Gerard of City Gate Apartments)
  • fundraising progress for Historic District signs
  • progress of expanding Historic District area
  • local kindergarteners’ first impressions
  • RIP Ruben Anaya
  • request to turn on porch lights for safer mail delivery
  • local gardeners Andrew and Holly Fletcher-Love win Whatcom Blooms award
  • Warmth for Washington collecting winter wear for the Interfaith Commission’s emergency shelter

  • Annual Picnic announcement
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Campus and Community Relations,” speaker Steve Swan, WWU’s Vice President for University Relations)
  • about The Market at Lakeway’s receipts-based local fundraising program
  • Dumpster Days report
  • pitch for old/unused computers for City Gate Apartments’ new Job Club
  • Franklin Park work party announcement
  • raising chickens in York
  • freeway noise pollution
  • Garden Street United Methodist Church’s new “Garden Street Cooks” cookbook
  • Neighborhood Faces (graduating York-a-Dorks Sierra Scott, Sarah Dillard, Kyle Scott, Alan Sherman, Thomas Swan, and Will McShane)
  • update on Historic District signs’ design approval
  • Indian Street Pottery receives Mayor’s Arts Award
  • House 2 Home Virtual Furniture Bank looking for furniture donations and volunteers
  • Seal, Trap, Clean–Get rid of rodent infestation in York

  • Dumpster Day announcement
  • online survey for City’s Pedestrian Master Plan
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Be Emergency Prepared,” speakers Dan McShane and an American Red Cross representative)
  • tips for decreasing crime
  • report on Earth Day event at Franklin Park
  • report on Associated Students of WWU’s Franklin Park “Day of Service,” the Community Energy Challenge
  • Kids’ Corner (book review by Klara Schwarz)
  • announcement of Rock Hill Park Game Day planning meeting
  • update on Historic District signs
  • York Farm Report (growing scarlet runner beans
  • solving pest problems without harming pollinators
  • local gardening activities)
  • Neighborhood Exchange feature
  • work on I-5 onramp at Lakeway
  • piebald robin in residence
  • outstanding volunteer Gary Gerard of City Gate Apartments
  • graffiti and what to do about it

  • York house fires expose unsafe conditions
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Indoor Air Quality Health Issues,” speaker Dave Blake of Northwest Clean Air Agency)
  • new rental licensing law inches forward
  • outstanding volunteer Anne Mackie
  • 1316 Franklin Street celebrates its 100th birthday
  • meet the new YNA board members
  • persevering in getting potholes filled on an unofficial alley

  • City Council approves YNA’s Plan Amendments
  • General Meeting Announcement (topic: “Growing Native Plants,” speakers Carrie and Dietmar Schwarz and City Parks & Recreation Department’s Rae Edwards)
  • Board recruitment
  • 2010 YNA Board accomplishments
  • outstanding volunteer George Liepart
  • Cindy Kaufman wins Golden Trowel Award
  • a look back to the YNA in 1977
  • Loving Space students adopt Franklin Park native plants
  • walking tour of York’s historic trees
  • Tree Keepers meeting announcement
  • Kids’ Corner (share your wish for the new year)
  • online housing survey collects rental facts
  • message from York Historic Preservation Committee Chair Don Hilty-Jones
  • about the Recycle and Trash Society (RATS)
  • photos from the Annual Holiday Party


  • Board recruitment
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Historic Home Renovation Techniques,” speaker Jim Gunsolus of Craftsman Woodworking)
  • light your porch for safer mail delivery
  • Annual Horse Wagon Ride and Caroling Party announcement
  • wiffleball field proposed for Rock Hill Park
  • Wine and Roses Garden Club Holiday Progressive Party announcement
  • about the Recycle and Trash Society (RATS)
  • York Plan amendments move forward to Council work session
  • Franklin Park updates

  • York Plan updates near conclusion
  • Annual Potluck Picnic announcement
  • pros and cons of the Ellis Street rezone (plus questions and answers)
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Community Energy Challenge: A Whatcom County Green Jobs and Energy Efficiency Program,” speaker Shawn Collins)
  • Whatcom Volunteer Center looking for furniture donations for Home 2 Home Virtual Furniture Bank
  • historic signs sprout in York
  • Make a Difference Day event announcement
  • signage of reading stars around neighborhood
  • longtime mailman Mike Valenti no longer to serve York
  • about the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Council
  • outstanding volunteer Ron Barnett
  • Kids’ Corner (letterboxing in Rock Hill Park)

  • Dumpster Day announcement
  • General Meeting and Burrito Fiesta announcement (topic: “Creating a Backyard Wildlife Habitat”)
  • York Plan amendments still moving forward
  • highway improvements move forward without plans for safety/noise wall
  • York Plan amendments Q&A
  • Earth Day volunteers clean up Franklin Park
  • Historic Preservation Committee hopes for signs celebrating York’s history
  • Wine and Roses Garden Club welcomes newcomers
  • alley-beautification contest
  • Annual Picnic announcement
  • putting an end to graffiti
  • dog-waste stations available from the City
  • Rock Hill Park spring weeding event report
  • why historic preservation matters

  • Neighborhood urges state to build I-5 safety wall
  • Lowell School rummage sale announcement
  • General Meeting announcement
  • meet the 2010 Board members
  • York Plan amendments advance to public hearing
  • Franklin Park grand reopening
  • City should require rental licensing with mandatory inspection for tenant safety
  • Helen Jackson selected as one of the Bellingham Herald’s 10 Who Cared 2009 award recipients
  • about the Recycle and Trash Society (RATS)
  • police encourage residents to report graffiti
  • York Historic District approved


  • Holiday Caroling and Horse Wagon Ride announcement
  • Wine and Roses Garden Club holiday dinner party announcement
  • 2009 projects recap
  • General Meeting announcement
  • ways to get involved


  • York submits Plan amendments to City
  • 4th Annual Holiday Caroling and Wagon Ride announcement
  • 2009 YNA Board elections
  • York Disaster Preparedness presentation announcement (speaker: Don Davis of the Bellingham Fire Department)
  • Yorkers participate in 25th Annual National Night Out against Crime
  • York Quality Committee recruitment
  • York closer to Historic District designation
  • report on Make a Difference Day volunteer event at Franklin Street Island

  • Yorkers respond to recent crimes with York Pride Night
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: the “No More Than Three Unrelated” Rule in single-family-zoned housing, speaker Dick Conoboy)
  • Neighborhood Plan updates move forward
  • crosswalks on Lakeway and Samish in 2009
  • parks work parties announcement
  • Disaster Preparedness Committee spearheading the Map Your Neighborhood campaign
  • Rock Hill Park update
  • Dumpster Day report
  • about the York Quality Committee
  • report on Franklin Trail signs

  • Neighborhood survey results
  • General Meeting announcement
  • list of upcoming York planning meetings
  • about Neighborhood Design
  • Brooks Manufacturing changing its wood-treatment process to eliminate odor
  • YNA receives Small and Simple Grant from City to cover half of costs of planting 37 trees
  • Historic Preservation Committee participating in a survey and inventory project thanks to Preserve America grant
  • cyclists and walkers needed for assessment for Neighborhood Plan update
  • grant funds would expand York’s green infrastructure
  • RIP Sophia Gilbertson
  • Sergeants Johnston and Lanham assigned to York as part of Community Oriented Policing effort
  • YNA committee reports
  • about native-plant gardening

  • Neighborhood Plan update heats up
  • General Meeting announcement
  • Carriage Ride announcement
  • Disaster Preparedness Committee meeting announcement
  • the new Franklin Park needs your help
  • YNA Board elections announcement
  • Kids’ Corner (York’s sequoias)
  • Samish Urban Village concept takes shape
  • recruiting for new reality show on learning how to reduce water and energy consumption
  • late-night shuttle-bus scuttlebutt
  • reduce your carbon footprint thanks to York being very walkable


  • Annual Picnic announcement (Lincoln and Franklin Schools Reunion Picnic)
  • how to get involved with the Neighborhood Plan update process
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: Neighborhood Plan updates)
  • neighbors push back and win against oversized redevelopment
  • recruiting a new Yorker editor
  • YNA committee status updates
  • ReUse appliance pickup service
  • Kids’ Corner (monkey puzzle trees hunt)
  • Dumpster Day report

  • Dumpster Day announcement
  • Franklin Park survey and petition results
  • Yorkers seek traffic safety improvements
  • Neighborhood Planning Committee report
  • Annual Picnic and neighborhood school reunions save-the-date
  • YNA committee reports
  • York takes 8th place in the Green Energy Neighborhood Challenge
  • City awards tree-planting grant

  • General Meeting announcement (topic: developing the Franklin Park Master Plan and investing the $150,000 Neighborhood Initiative Program Grant received in 2006
  • speakers Jonathan Schilk of the City Parks Department and Katie Franks of the City Planning and Community Development Department)
  • 2006 York recap
  • Whatcom Creek Trail comes to York
  • YNA Board elections announcement
  • Historic Preservation Committee report


  • Final City Council hearing on York Neighborhood rezone announcement
  • Green Power Community Challenge
  • keep porch lights on for safer mail delivery
  • Historic Preservation Committee report
  • YNA receives $2,500 grant to update York Neighborhood Plan
  • Wine and Roses Garden Club’s Holiday Progressive Dinner announcement
  • Caroling Party and Wagon Rides announcement

  • York Rezone update
  • Annual Potluck Picnic announcement
  • neighbors petition to show support for protecting historic York
  • Historic Preservation Committee report
  • Franklin Park renovation project
  • Campus Community Coalition promotes neighboring in York
  • Rock Hill Park updates
  • Community Car Share now available in Bellingham
  • General Meeting announcement (topics: York Rezone
  • PSE’s Green Energy Challenge
  • vote on proposed changes to YNA bylaws)

  • General Meeting announcement (topic: plans for building a new playground at Franklin Park, speaker playground architect Jonathan Schilk of the City Parks Department; upcoming school bond, speakers Dr. Dale Kinsley and Kelly Bashaw; YNA Board elections)
  • Franklin Park work party announcement
  • 2005 York recap
  • 2006 Board elections
  • York South security projects
  • how to research the history of your home
  • Historic Preservation Committee report
  • about the Wine and Roses Garden Club
  • zoning in the York Neighborhood


  • Try knocking on your neighbor’s door (dispute resolution efforts between Campus Community Coalition, Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center, and neighborhoods)
  • Annual Picnic announcement (and I-5 sound-wall christening)
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Candidates’ Night”)
  • Wine and Roses Garden Club news
  • butterfly habitat emerges at Rock Hill Park
  • Franklin Park restoration project needs your help
  • a short history of Franklin Park
  • mediation program promotes neighborhood cooperation
  • party patrols help calm neighborhood
  • keep premises litter-free
  • recycling hotline
  • parking headaches plague Yorkers
  • parking on lawns is illegal
  • meet the 2005 YNA board members
  • volunteers needed for neighborhood projects
  • YNA treasury grows

  • Litter codes need enforcement
  • General Meeting announcement (topic: “Completion of the I-5 Sound Wall Project: landscaping, fencing, and final details,” speaker Jeff Peterson)
  • alcohol-related offenses create new job opportunities in York
  • input wanted on a project for beautifying the neighborhood
  • YNA wins Small and Simple grant from City for a butterfly garden at Rock Hill Park
  • Annual Dumpster Day announcement
  • Franklin Park planning task force forms
  • Spring Neighborhood Potluck and Historic Preservation Meeting announcement
  • Rock Hill Park work party announcement


  • Call for public response: realtor proposes bulldozer solution to his parking problem (1254 Grant Street)
  • General Meeting announcement (topics: “York Neighborhood Plan—Guidelines for Protecting Quality of Life,” “Fall Family Day Fun,” “Planning Historical Preservation Projects”)
  • Planning Commission public-hearing announcement
  • 2004 Board members list
  • report of the first Historic Preservation Committee meeting
  • informal survey results indicate kicking out crime and cleaning up the neighborhood are priorities
  • new postal box installed at Nelson’s Market
  • joint meeting of neighborhoods (York, Sehome, Sunnyland, and Central Business District) announcement
  • York T-shirts available again
  • advance notice of Family Day plans

  • York Rezone update
  • General Meeting announcement (topics: plans for a Summer Neighborhood Fun Day
  • Spring Clean-Up Dumpster Day)
  • Annual Neighborhood Spring Clean-Up/Dumpster Day announcement
  • Wine and Roses Garden Club update
  • preserving the historic York Neighborhood

  • Construction of I-5 sound wall to begin in May
  • General Meeting announcement
  • City Council looks at new ordinance to hold landlords accountable for problem party houses
  • “spot” rezone proposed for Grant and Humboldt Streets to allow 35-unit apartment complex (1200 block of Grant and Humboldt Streets)
  • farewell from YNA President Mary Fraser
  • Treasurer’s Report
  • Wine & Roses Garden Club news

Yorkers date back to 1977. Issues from 1977 to 2003 are currently archived in hard-copy form only, but they can be viewed upon request.

The Yorker Crew

The Yorker Newsletter Production: Mark Ellis Walker

The Yorker Online Webmasters: Thomas R. Scott and Mark Ellis Walker