June 30th, 2019 Issue

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Eagleridge Students Explore the Math Behind the Thornton Overpass Project

Students at Eagleridge Elementary got to roll up their sleeves and, using new math skills, plan out a key piece of the Thornton Overpass project last month.

Capital Projects Manager Katy Radder and her team of City employees taught students how to utilize math to measure distances on a map drawn to scale. Next, they received yarn representing each of the different utilities (light, water, sewer, storm and communications) that need to be installed in the Thornton Overpass, which begins construction this year.

Students worked to fit the utilities into the space for the project while working within limitations. After all, water and sewer lines cannot be placed too close together. Public Works staff also answered questions about Ferndale’s infrastructure and what it is like working for the City.

City Greenlights First Phase of Salish Village Project at Slater Road

After several months of design/review, the City is proud to issue permits to the Lummi Commercial Company (LCC) for what is considered the first phase of the Salish Village project located on Tribal Trust property south of Slater Road, within Ferndale City Limits. This phase includes a travel center with truck stop amenities and a 10,000 square foot store.

The LCC has contributed to the City to address the potential traffic and utility impacts of this phase and will be improving significant portions of Rural Avenue and Slater Road as well as
installing the water infrastructure to connect the property.

“The Lummi Nation and the City have worked diligently to ensure that the interests of both are met and protected,” said City Administrator Jori Burnett. “We share a common community, and I’m excited to continue to explore more partnerships as we move forward.”

“This is a project that we can all be proud of. We are encouraged with the partnership that we have built with the City of Ferndale and look forward to the things to come,” said Tim Ballew, CEO of the LCC.

The City anticipates working with the Lummi Nation, the State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), County, and the City of Bellingham later this summer as WSDOT begins work on the Slater Road corridor for up to $21 million made available through Washington State’s Connecting Washington program, the same program that has substantially funded the Thornton Overpass.

Stop Bike Thieves, Register Your Bike

With the nice weather, bicycle theft is on the rise. With a few easy steps, you can stop bike theft in its tracks—all you need to do is register your bike. Many bicycles are returned to the Ferndale Police but never claimed or resold at pawn shops. Registration gives us a chance to find the right owner.

Help us help you by filling out a bicycle registration form on our website (www.FerndalePolice.com) or stop by the department during office hours and fill one out in person.

For additional information call our office Monday thru Friday 8:00a – 5:00p at 360-384-3390 ext 0.

Only Rain Down the Drain

Pet waste doesn’t biodegrade like wild animal waste, it sticks around for a long time and contains harmful bacteria. It is raw sewage that pollutes our local waters, and the City of Ferndale is committed to reducing fecal
coliform in surfacewater and stormwater.

By bagging pet waste and putting it in the trash, you can help keep our water clean and help the City save time and money. There are pet waste dispensers located throughout our Ferndale Parks or you can stop by City hall to sign the Pet Waste Pledge and receive a free pet waste bag dispenser .

For more information about our efforts to keep our waters clean, check out www.cityofferndale.org/stormwater.

Why does the City allow so many dang pharmacies to open?

Here at the City, we get this question often. The City is actually not involved in the decisions to locate a specific business at a specific location. Often private businesses base the decision on demographics, foot traffic, growth and scores of other considerations.
The City does decide the zoning for an area that outlines general types of businesses (retail, light manufacturing, etc) that are appropriate for that part of town. Then, if a business owner is interested in setting up shop, and they fulfill the legal requirements to do so, the City issues a permit. The rest is up to the free market and local customers as to what they will support and which businesses will flourish.

The Wild Pioneer Life of William “Blanket Bill” Jarman

One of Ferndale’s more colorful settlers, Blanket Bill Jarman is credited as the first permeant white settler in the area when he first put down roots in Whatcom County in 1852. Jarman caused quite a stir earlier when he was kidnapped by tribal members from Vancouver Island and had to be ransomed with a pile of blankets as tall as he stood, earning him his nickname.

In the 1850s, he officially delivered mail by canoe for Fort Bellingham by canoe, and unofficially served as a smuggler. In the 1860s, he staked out a homestead in the county and worked as a bartender for a saloon in Bellingham. In 1871, a saloon patron insulted Jarman’s sister. A fight broke out and Jarman shot and killed the surly patron. Jarman was jailed for a short time before returning to England for a decade.

He returned to Whatcom and moved to Ferndale to stay with his niece and her husband, William Manning on their farm.  In 1904, the Old Settlers Association recognized Jarman as the oldest living settler and described him as, “”Sailor, deserter, trader, hunter and fisherman, fur dealer, Indian slave, tribesman, squawman, homesteader, ship master, telegraph linesman, army courier and mail carrier, interpreter, bar tender, accused murderer, gold digger; there was little he did not find interesting and zestful”. You can find out more about Blanket Bill from the Ferndale Heritage Society at Pioneer Park.