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.
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 BERSCHAPPOINTED 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 JENSENAPPOINTED TO SEAT
#5
COUNCIL COMMITTEE & LIAISON
ASSIGNMENTS
The
following Committee and Liaison vacancies were filled:
Public Works & Utilities Committee:
Councilmembers Jensen and XczarPlanning & Land Use Committee:
Councilmember BerschWhatcom Transportation Authority: Councilmember TaylorWhatcom County Fire District #7: Councilmember JensenFerndale Heritage Society: Councilmember BerschSenior Center: Councilmember Bersch
INFO ONLY
CONSENT AGENDACouncilmember 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.
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.
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.
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.
