Mailbox security

Some mailboxes in Whatcom Falls neighborhood in Bellingham, Wash. have suffered damage in recent weeks. Board members and neighborhood residents who attend the Whatcom Falls Neighborhood Association discussed the ongoing issue at their meeting on Feb. 8.

President of the WFNA, Iain Davidson reported that a few mailboxes, which  had been taken from their mounts were still lying in the road.

            “I saw three mailboxes just sitting in the median way for weeks,” Davidson said. “I don’t know where they came from.”

            Rick Sawyer, a board member of the WFNA, expressed similar concern for mailboxes around his home.

            “We continue to have mailbox problems in our neighborhood,” Sawyer said. “Somebody’s breaking them off and, I presume, moving them around since I keep seeing them in different places now.”

            Residents at the meeting shared their interest in starting a neighborhood watch program for Silverbeach Road. The street allows access to one of the parking lots and the fish hatchery at Whatcom Falls Park. At least two neighborhood watches already exist in the Whatcom Falls neighborhood for Blackberry Lane and Alvarado Drive. Residents discussed that installing neighborhood watch signs would help deter thieves and vandals.

            Sawyer elaborated on the issues with vandalized mailboxes in an e-mail regarding both past incidences and those incidents that occurred recently.

            “In each case many boxes were damaged either by being ‘crushed’ (hit with a bat, perhaps) or snapped off their posts or posts knocked out of the ground,” Sawyer wrote.

            At the WFNA meeting, residents discussed possible action that could be performed in response to the mailbox damage. Davidson mentioned that Sawyer had taken the initiative and came up with one possible solution to mailbox vandalism.

            “Rick did a good job of getting our cul-de-sac people together and buying a lockable mailbox,” Davidson said.

            The large, multi-unit mailbox is shared by the homes in the cul-de-sac and the cost of the box was split evenly among the users, who each paid about $100. Sawyer researched mailbox designs, ordered the correct size for his street and, with the help of neighbors, poured a concrete slab and mounted the heavy-duty box in place.

Sawyer explained that post office was accommodating while he and his neighbors removed their old mailboxes and installed the new one.

“You have to buy an approved box,” Sawyer said. “You have to mount it in accordance with [the post office’s] location specifications, but all that stuff is very easy to get. The post office was quite cooperative with us including agreeing to hold mail [during the project].”  The new mailbox has not been damaged or vandalized.

            Sawyer mentioned in his e-mail that he also assisted another neighbor with a different mailbox issue.

            “I also have installed an individual locking box for another neighbor who was not able to be a part of the ‘group’ installation because of location, but whose box had been opened by an individual going through boxes on Clearbrook [Drive],” he wrote. “Police were called on this incident but the suspicious individual had left the area before the police arrived.”

            Officer Katrin Dearborn of the Bellingham Police noted that mailbox vandalism is a common crime Bellingham. Residents should invest in mailboxes that lock because of the possibility of identity theft. Some people may not want to pay for a lockable mailbox, but it is a worthwhile investment that will keep the mail and identities of residents safer, Dearborn said.

Crime rate consistent in Whatcom Falls Park

The crime rate in Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, Wash. has remained steady based on police reports from the last four years. Katrin Dearborn is a Bellingham Police officer who reported that of the 309 calls officers responded to in the Whatcom Falls neighborhood last year, only 22 were inside the Whatcom Falls Park boundaries.

Leah Dutton lives near Lake Padden and has come to the park five times this year. She said she likes the off-leash area for her dog and her children enjoy the renovated play structures. Dutton voiced concern about the presence of transients in Whatcom Falls Park.

“I’ve seen homeless people bathing in the creek,” Dutton said. “That would make me probably not want to go on the trails by myself, unless there was a lot of other people around the park.”

            According to Dearborn, a litter compliance officer often contacts transients in Whatcom Falls Park and in other parks throughout the city.

            “One of the [litter compliance officer’s] jobs is to clean up the homeless camps on city property,” Dearborn said. If unoccupied camps are discovered, the officer leaves a notice informing the transients that they need to move their belongings. Whatever is not removed by the specified time is hauled away by the officer, Dearborn said.

            Usually after the litter compliance officer contacts transients they move to another area. For this reason, Dearborn said, the job is ongoing.

            Some visitors to the park noted other issues besides the presence of transients. Ene Lewis lives across the street from Whatcom Falls Park and visited it nearly every day when bald eagles were nesting in the trees. Even though there are currently no active nests, Lewis still comes to the park frequently. She enjoys walking the trails and has a studio downtown. Sometimes she takes a trail through the park and strolls all the way to her studio. Lewis said she is not been aware of any major crimes or issues in the park.

            “The worst I’ve ever seen was a defaced restroom and that was years ago,” Lewis said.

            Dearborn mentioned that most of the crimes committed in Whatcom Falls Park are liquor law violations, graffiti and car prowling. Those particular crimes are fairly common in most parks in Bellingham, she said.

            “A good portion [of crimes] are the liquor law violations,” Dearborn said. “[They are] either transient or underage people going into the park to drink after hours.” She added that the Bellingham Police enforce the 10 p.m. closure of all city parks.

            If an area is targeted repeatedly, officers do go undercover to increase security. Dearborn explained this occurred in one instance at Lake Padden.

            “We had a rash of cars getting broken into,” Dearborn said, “We put people out there undercover just to make sure. The patrol officers went there more often to deter [crime].”

            The Bellingham Police have never needed to station undercover officers at Whatcom Falls Park. Officers who are on night patrol will drive through the park after hours and contact individuals as they see them, Dearborn said.

            Whatcom Falls Park continues to attract new visitors, despite occasional criminal activity. Roger Bare came up from Marysville, Wash. to hike the trails and observe the creek and scenery.

            “The trails are nicely groomed,” Bare said. “The stone bridge over the falls is beautiful.” He added that being able to ride mountain bikes in the park was a real privilege, because most parks do not allow that activity where he lives.

            Dearborn said Whatcom Falls Park and the entire Whatcom Falls neighborhood are wonderful. The people who live in the neighborhood are fortunate in many respects, she said.

            “They really don’t have that much crime compared to some other neighborhoods,” Dearborn said. 

Go nuts for doughnuts

A small local doughnut shop called Lafeen’s received recognition in a book that compiles a variety of recipes from local businesses in Bellingham, Wash. Lafeen’s has been serving customers for more than 25 years from its location across the street from Whatcom Falls Park in the Whatcom Falls neighborhood.

Steven Siler is a local author and firefighter who published the book “Signature Tastes of Bellingham” in October of last year. According to an article in Publishers Weekly, the book was one of the three holiday bestsellers at Village Books, another local Bellingham business.

Despite the economic recession, Lafeen’s continues to thrive with a steady stream of regular customers as well as newcomers who arrive to satisfy their sugar or caffeine cravings. Justin Born has been working at Lafeen’s for 18 months and he said business is better than ever now that the shop has free refills for coffee and free Wi-Fi.

Although Lafeen’s gained exposure in “Signature Tastes of Bellingham,” Born maintained that most people learn about the shop by word of mouth.

“We’re the oldest doughnut shop in Bellingham,” Born said. “We don’t even really advertise…I’d definitely say we’re a landmark because we’re the only Lafeen’s.”

Born said the shop sees fewer customers in the winter, but business improves during the warmer months, especially because of the shop’s proximity to parks. Although Lafeen’s is closer to Whatcom Falls Park, Bloedel Donovan Park is a popular place to go in the summer and people often stop for doughnuts on their way to or from that park, Born said.

“We also get a whole lot of mountain bikers coming in because we’re actually at the bottom of Galbraith [Mountain],” Born said.

Many customers stop in as they are driving by. Karen Jensen, a regular customer at Lafeen’s, moved to the Bellingham area from Marysville, Wash. She often visits the shop on her way to town.

“Lafeen’s has the best doughnuts in town,” Jensen said.

Another customer who frequents the shop is John Moore. He said he has fond memories of bringing his granddaughters to Lafeen’s. Moore used to come in once a week by bus, but he said he drives now because of his age.

According to Born, the shop sells mostly dessert items in addition to doughnuts and ice cream. Brownies, muffins and turnovers are also available at Lafeen’s. The baked goods are made fresh from scratch daily and the leftovers are donated.

“We never sell a day-old doughnut,” Born said. “We donate the day-olds to the senior center every day.”

A large thank-you note from the senior center is tacked on a wall of the shop, along with “Lafeen’s Love Boxes.” These are small boxes for doughnuts that are flattened and decorated with markers by children, Born said.

According to Born, the Lafeen family founded Lafeen’s 27 years ago. Mr. Lafeen was a cabinetmaker and built all of the interior walls, cabinets and counters. Born said that the owner of the shop, Chan Bun Samuth, has been approached by remodeling companies to see if he would like to change the counters to stainless steel from the current Formica. The answer to such suggestions is always no.

“We haven’t modernized our whole shop,” Born said. “This is the local feel we’ve got, the local vibe we want to give.”

Another advantage Born mentioned to the classic look of Lafeen’s is some customers remember coming to the shop as children and now they are grown up and the store is just the same.

“We get more familiar faces coming through here than we get more first-timers,” Born said.