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City News

City-wide Clean Up Day, Sat. April 21st, 9am-1pm

Time to roll up your sleeves and make this City shine! Join the Ferndale Downtown Association for the 11th annual Ferndale City-wide Clean Up Day. Volunteers will be picking up litter, sweeping sidewalks and weeding the public areas of our downtown. Food will be provided for volunteers.

During that time, there will be a giant dumpster and recycling facilities at City Hall (2095 Main Street). Bring your yard waste, metals, appliances, electronics, cellphones and more for proper disposal. Thanks to support from WECU, we will have a paper shredder for your vital documents.

Come down and help make your city beautiful.

April 10, 2018

DUI Display and Drill at Ferndale High School This Week

In coordination with St. Joseph Medical Center, Whatcom County Fire District 7, Washington State Patrol, Ferndale Police and Airlift Northwest, there will be a DUI drill on the Ferndale High School football field, Thursday April 12th from 9 – 10 am.

***Please be advised this is only a drill.***

Here is what you can expect to see on Thursday:

– A wrecked car will be placed under the FHS reader board Wednesday morning
– A helicopter will land on the football field during the drill on Thursday
– Police department vehicles and personnel
– Medical transport vehicles and personnel
– Fire department vehicles and personnel
– Unusual (but planned) activity at and around Ferndale High School

In addition, there will be a staged DUI car crash on display in front of Ferndale High School starting tomorrow. It is just a display, please do not call 911.

April 10, 2018

Councilmember Kate Hansen Appointed to Incarceration Prevention Task Force

Councilmember Kate Hansen Appointed to Incarceration Prevention Task Force

Councilmember Kate Hansen

Recently, Councilmember Kate Hansen was appointed by the Whatcom County Council to serve on the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force, as the representative from a Community Health Center. Currently, Kate Hansen works for Unity Care Northwest as a Behavioral Health Case Manager.

The purpose of the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force is to continually review Whatcom County’s criminal justice and behavioral health programs and make specific recommendations to safely and effectively reduce incarceration of individuals struggling with mental illness and chemical dependency, and minimize jail utilization by pretrial defendants who can safely be released.

April 5, 2018

Spammers Send Fraudulent City Email

It looks like April’s Fools wasn’t quite done with us yet – a spammer has sent out some very official looking emails from a City email account – if you receive one, please DO NOT open it. Thank you for your vigilance.

April 2, 2018

City to install new E-Lane on Roundabouts for Distracted Drivers

Artist Rendering of proposed E-Lane

4/2/18 Update: Thank you everyone for enjoying our annual April Fool’s joke. While we are not installing E-Lanes into any of our roundabouts, we do urge everyone to set down those digital devices and focus on the road while driving. Thank you!

To address mounting concerns over distracted driving, the City of Ferndale is installing an “E-Lane” on all City roundabouts. This would allow drivers that are currently using a digital device to travel over the roundabout rather than navigate the difficult circular traffic pattern.

“I understand this may be a radical solution,” said Communications Officer Riley Sweeney, “But better to have a clear passage through the intersection than ask drivers to do something difficult like set down their phones.”

These new E-Lanes are set to be installed in the coming months, so stay tuned for traffic updates. You can get the latest information on road closures through our facebook page and city website, accessible on your Android or Apple mobile devices.

April 1, 2018

Open House for Washington Street Improvement Project Set for April 4th

Open House for Washington Street Improvement Project Set for April 4th

Please join us Wednesday, April 4th from 5:30pm-7pm at the Ferndale Public Library Main Conference Room (2125 Main Street) for an open house for the Washington Street Improvement Project. Project team members will be available to provide information regarding the project, including planned improvements, schedule, and potential impacts to local residents during construction. Project designers, members of the management team, inspectors and contractor representatives will be there to answer your project-related questions.

For more information, please call (360) 384-4006 or email Public-Works@cityofferndale.org

 

March 28, 2018

Ferndale Receives Association of Washington Cities WellCity Award for the 5th Year

Ferndale Receives Association of Washington Cities WellCity Award for the 5th Year

For the fifth consecutive year, the City of Ferndale is recognized by the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) for their commitment to employee health. The WellCity Award is given to cities that meet the AWC’s stringent WellCity standards that include investing in employee health through training, conducting annual wellness evaluations and sponsoring programs that promote healthy lifestyles.

Because of this recognition, the city receives a two percent discount on their medical premiums, that will be applied to the 2019 premiums for active employees, spouses and dependents.

City Clerk Susan Duncan spearheaded these efforts for the City, in collaboration with the City’s Wellness Committee. “This saves the city money and help us live better, healthier lives. We’re extremely proud to continue to receive this award for the fifth year running.” said Duncan.

March 9, 2018

City of Ferndale’s Permit Process Goes Paper Free

City of Ferndale’s Permit Process Goes Paper Free

Going Paper Free from City of Ferndale on Vimeo.

Starting this month, the City of Ferndale’s permitting process is going entirely electronic, cutting through the red tape and creating a swifter, more transparent process for building in Ferndale. Materials and applications could be submitted from anywhere in the world through our online permit center. Staff can then review the documents and transmit feedback electronically to applicants.

“This is a big leap forward in terms of efficiency, cost-savings and increasing productivity,” said Community Development Director Jori Burnett. “With the new system, multiple staff members can be working on the same application at the same time, allowing for faster turnarounds and better cooperation.” He also notes the transition to digital will reduce the amount of space needed to store plans and allow for easier access to digital records.

Going paper free also has an impact for inspectors in the field. “This will allow our inspectors on site to immediately send feedback and receive notes from the project engineers,” said Public Works Director Kevin Renz.

To learn more about the City’s efforts to go paper free, please watch the video embedded above. You can access our Online Permit Center by clicking here.

March 9, 2018