Whatcom County Council meeting roundup

The latest from Whatcom County Council meetings…

BBWARM prepares for possible rate increase

Whatcom County Council authorized a contract amendment with FLO Analytics regarding updates to the Birch Bay Watershed and Aquatic Resource Management (BBWARM) district’s fee process during council’s February 6 meeting. The original contract between FLO Analytics and the county was for just under $20,000, and the amendment will increase that deal by $50,965, up to a total of $70,720. Funding will come from BBWARM’s budget.

The contract was changed due to the probability of rate increases for BBWARM’s customers to pay for a “long list of stormwater improvement projects needed in Birch Bay,” the district wrote in a January 3 statement.

BBWARM instituted service charges when it formed in 2009, and rates have gone unchanged for the subsequent 15 years. The district will hold a public advisory committee meeting on Wednesday, April 17. For more information, visit bbwarm.whatcomcounty.org.

Bay Horizon Hostel approved for demolition

Council unanimously declared during its February 6 meeting the Bay Horizon Hostel building at Bay Horizon Park to be “worthless,” and will begin the process of demolishing the building. The building, which was once leased and operated as a hostel, has been vacant since 2012, is a consistent vandalism target and has asbestos abatement issues, according to county records.

With the risk and asbestos hazard posed by the decaying building, Whatcom County Parks and Recreation District plans to demolish it to clear space in the popular Birch Bay park.

“With the building removed, parks will have the opportunity to expand day-use and open, grassy field activities at Bay Horizon Park,” a January 26 memorandum stated.

Local shellfish advisory committee appoints new members

Council appointed Katherine Garrah and Steve Seymour to fill vacancies on the Drayton Harbor Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee on February 6. Garrah will serve a full, four-year term and Seymour will hold a partial term ending January 31, 2027.

Garrah is a biologist working for the Drayton Harbor Oyster Company and has worked in the natural resources industry for 20 years, according to her application. Seymour, the owner of Drayton Harbor Oyster Company since 1985, was a member of the advisory group in 2020.

“Keeping the bay clean is paramount to our business success,” Seymour wrote in his application. “Keeping public beaches surrounding Drayton Harbor safe for shellfish harvest is key to Blaine’s by the sea identity.”

One position remains vacant.

Blaine receives funding for reservoir upgrades

During the February 20 county council meeting, the city of Blaine received a $2 million investment through a grant and low-interest loan from the county’s Economic Development Investment (EDI) program to fund a replacement of the city’s largest and oldest reservoir, the Blaine Wellfield.

The city will commit $500,000 from its water capital reserves toward the project, and funding from county EDI breaks down to a $666,666 grant with a 15-year, $1,333,334 loan, totaling $2 million from the county.

The city recently received a similar grant/loan award from EDI totaling $2.5 million for the G Street Sewer Improvement Project, which began in the spring of 2023, according to previous reporting from The Northern Light.

Blaine’s city government has been working toward a replacement of the reservoir for years, and plans to secure an additional $2.5 million in state funding, according to the city’s EDI application.

“The proposed improvements, along with improving pressure issues will also ensure adequate water supply to all the existing water distribution infrastructure within the city,” the application stated.

The reservoir services the majority of homes in Blaine city limits, and the entire downtown commercial district, and also contributes water to three of the city’s four other sewer zones.

According to the city’s water plan, in its current state, the reservoir is projected to be deficient by about 331,000 gallons by 2038 due to increased demand and lack of adequate storage.

The proposed plan would replace underground reservoirs with above-ground versions, increasing water pressure to the city’s highest users.

Rental assistance

Council voted 6-1 during its March 5 meeting to approve an additional $1.8 million in eviction prevention funding from a Washington State Department of Commerce grant program. The consolidated homeless grant provides over $12 million to the county to fund crisis response systems for those experiencing homelessness, and to provide rental assistance to those at imminent risk of losing housing.

The grant was amended during the March 5 meeting to include an additional $985,600 in rental assistance through the end of 2025, and the remainder of the new funding will go toward operations and administrative costs.

Councilmember Mark Stremler was the lone nay vote, which he said was over concerns of administrative costs, and that the funding doesn’t fully address citizen concerns on homelessness.