City News

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

City Seeks Feedback for Potential Skate Park

The City is seeking ideas, feedback and suggestions on a potential Skate Park near the Phillips 66 Sports Complex. 

This year, the City Council updated the Parks Master Plan, and staff immediately began work towards securing a grant for a Skate Park near our other recreational facilities at Pioneer Park (see map to the right).

To complete our grant application, the City seeks feedback from the public about what they want to see in a Skate Park. What design features, themes, equipment and amenities would make a good skate park?

Please email ideas, pictures and suggestions to skatepark@cityofferndale.org, we are collecting all the responses by March 20th. Help us spread the word by sharing this post through social media.

For more information, please contact Recreation Coordinator Riley Sweeney by clicking here or calling (360) 685-2353.

February 28, 2018

Arrest Made in Connection to Online Shooting Threat to Ferndale High School

On the morning of February 22nd, the Ferndale Police Department School Resource Officer was advised that several students were receiving Snapchat messages from an unknown person.  Those messages indicated that there would be a shooting at Ferndale High School.

Uniform patrol officers provided extra security at the school while Ferndale Police Detectives attempted to identify the owner of the Snapchat account.  Ferndale police were able to identify the IP address where the messages originated, and with assistance from Lummi Police and the FBI, Ferndale Police detained two juveniles.

The juveniles were interviewed and one juvenile confessed to making the Snapchat threat.  The juvenile advised that it was just a hoax.  No weapons were located and it did not appear that the juvenile had access to any weapons.  That juvenile was booked into Whatcom County Juvenile Detention for Threat to Bomb or Injure property.

February 23, 2018