Notice Traffic Revisions and Possible Delays: Friday, June 7, 2019 to Wednesday, June 12, 2019, 7:00am to 7:00pm
Portal Way, between McKinley Street and Newkirk Road
Drivers should expect delays as traffic is reduced to single lane traffic on Portal Way between McKinley Street and Newkirk Road from Friday, June 7, 2019 to Wednesday, June 12, 2019, from 7:00am to 7:00pm. Flaggers will be on-site directing traffic. This work is to complete improvements associated with a private development project. Road will remain open during nonworking hours.
If you have questions regarding this notice, please contact Ferndale Public Works Department at (360) 384-4006.
| City Council Agenda Follow-Up June 3, 2019 | |
| APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mayor Mutchler announced that the scheduled Executive Session was cancelled. Councilmember Olson moved, and Councilmember Taylor seconded, to approve the agenda as amended. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. | APPROVED AS AMENDED |
| PUBLIC COMMENT | INFO ONLY |
| PRESENTATION: Ferndale Civics Youth Council Ferndale High School ASB President Leah Kessen & Vice President Alex Faria shared their experiences with the Ferndale Civics Youth Council. | INFO ONLY |
| PRESENTATION: Building Official/Building Inspector Building Official Kyle Huebner introduced Craig Stephenson from the International Code Council, and presented information about the 2015 Existing Building Code. | INFO ONLY |
| INTERVIEWS OF CANDIDATES FOR SEATS #5 AND #7 The resignations of Councilmembers Fred Kennedy and Cathy Watson left two vacant seats on Council. The Ferndale City Council must fill those vacancies within 90 days, or the Whatcom County Council may do so. Per the direction of the Finance & Administration Committee on May 15, staff advertised the vacancies, with a closing date of May 30, 2019. The following people applied, and were each given two minutes to introduce themselves and give a brief statement to Council: Bobbi FergusonDean WithrowGary JensenConnie FariaStephanie ManningJames GrovesCarol Bersch | INFO ONLY |
| EXECUTIVE SESSION: RCW 42.30.100(h) (Seat #7) Council adjourned to executive session to discuss the qualifications of the applicants for the open council seats. | |
| VOTING AND SWEARING IN OF COUNCIL SEAT #7 Following Executive Session, Mayor Mutchler opened nominations for Seat #7. Councilmember Taylor nominated Gary Jensen. Councilmember Olson nominated Carol Bersch. Councilmember Olson moved, and Councilmember G. Hansen seconded, to suspend the Council rules of procedure regarding voting method and vote by simultaneous paper ballots. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. Carol Bersch received 3 votes. (Councilmembers Xczar, Olson and K. Hansen) Gary Jensen received 2 votes. (Councilmembers G. Hansen and Taylor) Councilmember Carol Bersch was sworn in and took her place at Seat #7. | CAROL BERSCH APPOINTED TO SEAT #7 |
| EXECUTIVE SESSION: RCW 42.30.100(h) (Seat #5) Council had the option of adjourning to a second executive session with the newly-appointed Councilmember Bersch included, so she would be able to take part in the discussion of the qualifications of the applicants for Seat #5. By general consensus, the second executive session was cancelled. | |
| VOTING AND SWEARING IN OF COUNCIL SEAT #5 Mayor Mutchler opened nominations for Seat #5. Councilmember G. Hansen nominated Gary Jensen. Seeing no further nominations, Mayor Mutchler closed nominations and by unanimous consent, Gary Jensen was appointed to Seat #5. Councilmember Gary Jensen was sworn in and took his place at Seat #5. | GARY JENSEN APPOINTED TO SEAT #5 |
| COUNCIL COMMITTEE & LIAISON ASSIGNMENTS The following Committee and Liaison vacancies were filled: Public Works & Utilities Committee: Councilmembers Jensen and Xczar Planning & Land Use Committee: Councilmember Bersch Whatcom Transportation Authority: Councilmember Taylor Whatcom County Fire District #7: Councilmember Jensen Ferndale Heritage Society: Councilmember Bersch Senior Center: Councilmember Bersch | INFO ONLY |
| CONSENT AGENDA Councilmember G. Hansen moved, and Councilmember Olson seconded, to approve the consent agenda. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. | APPROVED |
| PUBLIC HEARING: Puget Sound Energy Franchise Agreement Ordinance Pursuant to FMC 5.40, staff recommends renewing the Puget Sound Energy Franchise Agreement. While the City has latitude over some aspects of franchise agreements, other items are governed by State and Federal regulations. The City has worked to ensure that provisions of the agreement provide adequate protection of the public Right-of-Way and the City’s ability to require movement of utilities consistent with City needs. A public hearing is required prior to adoption of the franchise agreement ordinance. Councilmember G. Hansen moved, and Councilmember Taylor seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. | APPROVED |
| PUBLIC HEARING: Comcast Franchise Agreement Ordinance Pursuant to FMC 5.40, staff recommends adopting the Comcast Franchise Agreement. While the City has latitude over some aspects of franchise agreements, other items are governed by State and Federal regulations. The City has worked to ensure that provisions of the agreement provide adequate protection of the public Right-of-Way and the City’s ability to require movement of utilities consistent with City needs. A public hearing is required prior to adoption of the franchise agreement ordinance. Councilmember Taylor moved, and Councilmember G. Hansen seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. | APPROVED |
| PUBLIC HEARING: Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Resolution Pursuant to RCW 35.77.010, the City is required to adopt a revised and extended comprehensive transportation program before July 1st of each year. The program must then be submitted within 30 days to the Secretary of Transportation. With the City’s major focus being the Thornton Street Overcrossing Project, the 2020 – 2025 TIP is substantially similar to previous years with no additional projects and limited modifications to timeline, funding, and expenditure levels. A public hearing is required prior to adoption of the TIP. Councilmember G. Hansen moved, and Councilmember Xczar seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. | APPROVED |
| ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:22 p.m. |
Western Washington University (in collaboration with the City of Ferndale) held a Visioning Workshop for the Downtown area in January. The students received input from the community related to downtown uses, building design, environmental considerations, transportation options, trails and more. Since this meeting the students have worked hard to propose concepts and solutions to improve the Downtown area.
The most recent WWU course narrowed down the concepts into one Downtown Master plan. The final version is almost ready to share!
The final presentation will occur on June 5th at 6PM in the Pioneer Pavilion. All are encouraged to attend and to provide feedback.
For more information, please call Community Development Director Haylie Miller at (360) 685-2367.
Public Works Director Kevin Renz and Public Utilities Superintendent Mike Olinger share the latest on the new city well and our reverse osmosis system.
On May 23rd, 2019, the Ferndale Police Department received a report regarding an allegation of a sexual relationship between at 15-year-old female student from Ferndale High School and a 20-year-old adult male who works part-time as a wrestling coach for the Ferndale School District.
During the investigation, in addition to the original victim, two other victims came forward. At this point in the investigation there is no indication that any of the incidents occurred on school grounds.
The 20-year-old part-time coach was identified as Dalton J Cristelli (04/26/1999) of Ferndale, Washington. He was contacted and booked into Whatcom County Jail. He is no longer employed by the Ferndale School District.
Ferndale Police Department established probable cause for the following charges:
Rape of a Child in the 3rd Degree: In March of 2019 Cristelli (age 19 at the time) had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old female student. The difference in age between the two is over 48 months.
Rape in the 3rd Degree: In the spring of 2016, Cristelli had non-consensual sexual intercourse with a female who was the age of 15 or 16 at the time.
Rape in the 2nd Degree: Approximately 3 to 5 years ago, Cristelli had sexual intercourse with a female victim who was incapable of consent.
This is an ongoing investigation. Due to the nature of the crime and the age of the victims at the time of the incidents, no further information is expected to be released.
All press inquiries contact Communications Officer Riley Sweeney (360) 685-2353 or rileysweeney@cityofferndale.org
Notice is hereby given that one or more members of the Ferndale City Council may attend the following meeting:
Town Meeting – WWU Presentation: Ferndale City Center Final Plan
Wednesday, June 5, 2019, 6:00 p.m.
Pioneer Pavilion
2007 Cherry Street Ferndale, WA
The purpose of the meeting is to present WWU students’ final City Center plan, which incorporates the community input received during the January 23, 2019 Town Meeting.
This is an Open Public Meeting as outlined by the Open Public Meetings Act, and members of the public are invited to attend and observe.
Susan Duncan, City Clerk
City of Ferndale
May 30, 2019
All reports point towards it being a scorching hot summer this year which can have a drastic impact on the local water supply. To help ensure that everyone has the water they need throughout the dry season, the City is implementing a mandatory water conservation schedule based on street address, and limiting it to the hours of 5pm-10am for a period no longer than 30 minutes. Drip irrigation systems, flower and vegetable gardens, potted plants, hanging baskets and newly installed landscaping are all exempt from the restrictions.
For more details on the Water Conservation Schedule, click here.
Following this schedule will help you save money on your water bill, reduce the impact on our environment and help ensure our water system runs strong throughout the season. But that’s not the only way to save water this summer. Here are some other ideas to get you thinking:
1) Install a rain barrel. Rain barrels are great ways to capture water for use on plants and lawns and they are easy to use. For more information on rain barrels, check out www.cityofferndale.org/rainbarrels
2) Become a leak detective. Swing by city hall and pick up your free leaky toilet detection kit. A leaky toilet can add up to an expensive utility bill— a little bit of searching can save you a bundle of money.
3) Consider a new nozzle or faucet. A more efficient faucet, showerhead or garden hose nozzle can give you the same pressure with a fraction of the water use. Swing by your favorite Ferndale hardware store and for a few bucks, you can pick up just what you need.
4) Plant native plants. As tempting as those exotic flowers can be, a native plant garden uses less water and is more resistant to those sudden Pacific Northwest weather weirdness. Check out the WA Native Plant Society (www.wnps.org) for more details.
5) Gold is the new green for lawns. This summer, consider letting your lawn fade to gold. It will return come Spring and in the meantime, experience the cycle of the seasons as your lawn showcases its golden hues during the summer.