The regularly scheduled Council Committee meetings on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams, with staff and Councilmembers accessing the meeting from individual locations. This complies with Governor Jay Inslee’s Stay at Home Order, which states, in part, that people should refrain from all public gatherings, including civic activities.
These are still open public meetings as defined by the Open Public Meetings Act. The City will be using Microsoft Teams to livestream the meeting. Members of the public do not need to download anything to view the proceedings. To join the live events, click on the following links:
The Public Works & Utilities Committee meeting begins at 8:00 a.m.
The Finance & Administration Committee meeting begins at 9:00 a.m.
The Planning & Land Use Committee meeting begins at 10:00 a.m.
With the outbreak of the pandemic, the City of Ferndale suspended late fees and utility shutoffs for the Feb. 28th and April 30th billing cycles. As the City begins to restore normal operations, they are providing increased flexibility for utility customers for the June 30th utility bill.
Traditionally, customers with an unpaid balance of over $100 were subject to utility shutoffs however in light of the possible accumulated bills over the last four months, the City is increasing that threshold to $300 for the June 30th bill.
Shutoffs are scheduled for the second week of August and utility customers are strongly encouraged to pay their bill in full, or failing that, reduce the balance to under $300 to avoid a disruption in service. Late fees and shut off fees will continue to be suspended during this time.
For utility customers impacted by the pandemic in need of assistance, the Ferndale Community Resource Center has established a fund to with utility bills. For more information on this program, visit their website here: http://ferndalecsc.org/.
For questions about a specific utility bill, please call the City’s utility clerk at (360) 384-4269 or email utilitybilling@cityofferndale.org.
Notice Traffic Revisions and Possible Delays: Monday, July 27, 2020 to Friday July 31, 2020, 7am to 7pm
Vista Drive, between Ferndale Terrace and Eastview Place
Drivers should expect delays as traffic is reduced to single lane traffic on Vista Drive, between Ferndale Terrace and Eastview Place, from Monday, July 27, 2020 to Friday, July 31, 2020, between the hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM. This work is to complete road improvements associated with a private development project. Flaggers will be onsite to direct traffic. Road will remain open during nonworking hours.
If you have questions regarding this notice, please contact Ferndale Public Works Department at (360) 384-4006.
Notice Traffic Revisions and Possible Delays: Monday, July 20, 2020 to Friday, July 24, 2020, 7am to 7pm
Vista Drive, between Ferndale Terrace and Eastview Place
Drivers should expect delays as traffic will be shifted to utilize the middle lane and temporarily stopped when needed on Vista Drive, between Ferndale Terrace and Eastview Place, from Monday, July 20, 2020 to Friday, July 24, 2020,7:00am 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.
CARES Act funds pooled by County and cities to boost economic recovery
Applications are being accepted beginning this week for a competitive grant program – called Whatcom ReStart – designed to support businesses and non-profits throughout Whatcom County that have been affected by COVID-19.
Whatcom ReStart will issue up to $2.6 million in general grants and another $800,000 for licensed childcare operators. For-profit and non-profit businesses and organizations impacted by COVID-19 are eligible to apply for general grants of up to $15,000 each. There is no cap on grants to support childcare.
Whatcom County and the cities of Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale, Sumas, Everson, Nooksack and Blaine have teamed up and combined their federal CARES Act allocations to offer this competitive grant program to assist businesses that have experienced revenue losses and expenses due to COVID-19-related closures or impacts.
The purpose of this program is to collaborate in support of local businesses and drive economic recovery. More information, including eligibility guidelines, criteria, and applications can be found on the Whatcom ReStart page of the Port of Bellingham website. Grant applications will be accepted July 16 through July 31, 2020. Funding decisions are anticipated in August and funding is expected to be disbursed in September.
“By joining forces, combining County and cities’ CARES Act funding, we are able to increase the reach and efficiencies of our response effort,” said Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu. “I am very pleased with the level of cooperation and willingness of each jurisdiction to work collaboratively for the benefit of all our communities.”
The grant program, funded by $2.6 million of federal CARES Act allocations, provides up to $15,000 to businesses employing up to 25 people prior to the pandemic to cover expenses related to losses caused by COVID-19 related closures. A portion of these funds are set aside for ground-floor, front-facing businesses in the City Center and Fairhaven Districts of Bellingham. A separate pool of $800,000 is dedicated to grants for licensed childcare businesses.
“Economic recovery is a priority throughout our COVID-19 response,” Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood said. “These grants will help businesses stabilize as they work to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic. We are working together to get more of our community members back to work and to revive local businesses affected by COVID-19 restrictions, so we can see our local economies thriving once again.”
“Many businesses are really struggling today, particularly our childcare industry, and need quick access to this aid,” said Ferndale Mayor Greg Hansen. “All partners recognized the time-
sensitive nature of the need and agreed that the grant application and administration should be as simple, inclusive and streamlined as possible.”
“Whatcom ReStart is designed to give a meaningful boost to local small businesses and their employees. We want these grants to have the greatest possible impact on our economy and community to foster resilience as we move forward. Both the eligibility requirements and the application scoring guidelines were developed with this in mind,” said Don Goldberg, Director of Regional Economic Partnership, which is playing a key role in the administration of the grant program.
In addition to these business and economic response efforts, CARES Act funding has also been dedicated to support the public emergency response, food and housing security, and services and facilities to those living unsheltered.
For more information about Whatcom ReStart, visit https://www.portofbellingham.com/933/Whatcom-Restart
Notice Traffic Revisions and Possible Delays: Monday, July 20, 2020 to Friday July 24, 2020, 7am to 7pm
Shannon Avenue, between Joseph Place and Kristi Place
Drivers should expect delays as traffic is reduced to single lane traffic on Shannon Avenue, between Joseph Place and Kristi Place, from Monday, July 20, 2020 to Friday, July 24, 2020, between the hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM. This work is to complete road improvements associated with a private development project. Flaggers will be onsite to direct traffic. Road will remain open during nonworking hours.
If you have questions regarding this notice, please contact Ferndale Public Works Department at (360) 384-4006.
