Birch Bay residents are one step closer to having a waterfront park that will bring what some community members consider a long-awaited public asset: public restrooms.
The latest development is thanks to a county-funded grant that Birch Bay Beach Park received to the tune of $1.8 million on January 1. The money comes from the Whatcom County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC), which recommended late last year the grant go to Whatcom County Parks and Recreation’s development of the park.
The funding boost is one of the largest developments for the waterfront park since 2014, when the county acquired its 4.1-acre parcel at 7930 Birch Bay Drive.
The park is planned to have six gender-neutral bathrooms, which the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce and community members have long advocated for, especially as the bay attracts thousands of people during the Fourth of July and new year celebrations.
Preliminary renderings also show 124 parking stalls that will increase parking in central Birch Bay. There will also be picnic tables, an open field, walking paths and kiosk with a bike rack and drinking fountain.
Danielle Gaughen, executive director of the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, wrote in an email to The Northern Light that the new funding represented a significant milestone.
“Birch Bay Beach Park is more than just a park – it’s an investment in the community’s future,” Gaughen wrote. “Expanded parking, public restrooms, and improved amenities will make the shoreline more visitor-friendly and make it easier for everyone to enjoy the bay responsibly and sustainably.”
LTAC’s $1.8 million is in addition to nearly $972,000 from the parks special revenue fund and a $500,000 grant the parks department received last year from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. The available funding now covers $3.27 million, or about 77 percent of the project’s first phase that’s estimated to cost $4.25 million.
Bennett Knox, director of Whatcom County Parks and Recreation, wrote in an email to The Northern Light that the funding would be enough to get the project through its first phase of a bare-bones construction. But to enhance the park’s design, Knox said the parks department is asking the community to help fill the $980,000 needed to reach the park’s $4.25 million goal.
“We do expect to continue to seek additional funds in partnership with the Birch Bay community so that we can provide the best final product,” Knox said.
The project has already undergone cost-saving measures. Last year, the $4.25 million for phase one was whittled from $5.25 million, primarily through engineering work that included changing the custom restrooms to become a prefabricated facility. Community funding could bring back enhanced design elements like custom restrooms, Knox said.
Knox said the department is focused on completing the first phase and does not have cost estimates for the entire park, which was anticipated to total $4.4 million in 2016.
Over the years, Gaughen has kept a binder full of county meeting notes where the park was mentioned. The $1.8 million LTAC grant represents years of advocacy from the chamber and other dedicated community members, she said.
“Seeing real momentum now is incredibly exciting,” Gaughen said. “The chamber will continue to champion this project and help make connections for Whatcom County parks as they work to secure any additional funding needed to complete the beach park Birch Bay has been waiting for.”
