Electric Avenue bridge: The closure continues but the park remains open! During a recent inspection, we discovered a critical structural issue that required us to close the bridge for safety reasons. While this closure creates challenges for commuters, we appreciate your patience as we prioritize public safety. Good news! Bloedel Donovan Park remains open for you to enjoy the beautiful weather. We anticipate increased traffic in the area, so consider carpooling, walking or biking for your next park visit. While you may not see workers on the bridge yet, our team is actively working with structural engineers to design a temporary solution. We want to get at least one lane reopened with traffic signals as soon as possible. This will be followed by a more permanent solution to get both lanes flowing again. We’ll keep you updated on the latest developments and the temporary solution timeline on our project webpage.
Swimming advisory issued for southern end of Boulevard Park: With the warm weather arriving, we know that folks will be flocking to places to swim, and Boulevard Park and Taylor Dock are popular spots. Please avoid swimming in this area due to high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in the water that may cause illness upon contact. The Whatcom County Health Department issued a no-contact advisory for the southern end of Boulevard Park on May 31, 2024 when high bacteria results were found near Taylor Dock during an inspection. If you do come in contact with water or sand in this area, it is recommended that you shower or wash your hands before eating. Find more information, including a map showing water quality alerts for other local beaches, from the Department of Ecology.
Save the date for Library Card Night at the Bells: Join Bellingham Public Library for Library Card Night at the Bellingham Bells Game on Thursday, June 20 at Joe Martin Field. Show your library card at the gate for a free general admission ticket that night. One ticket per library card. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Pick up Summer Reading Activity Cards for the whole family and root for the Bells!
Opioid crisis education and action planning event: Registration is now open for the 2024 All Hands Whatcom Opioid Summit June 25 & 26 at Bellingham High School. This year’s two-day summit is focused on how the opioid/Fentanyl crisis is impacting our youth and young adults – from grounding in data and evidence-based practices to building empathy through personal stories, to action planning for community investment. Registration is free, with donations welcome. Everyone is invited to attend and has a role to play in cultivating a community where children, youth and young adults thrive. The City and Bellingham Public Library join many other government, organizational and community sponsors of this important event.
Last call for feedback for Water System Plan: We are updating our Water System Plan and we need your help. Our Water System Plan helps us to figure out how we will invest in maintaining and updating the system that cleans your drinking water and delivers it through the community. Please take our survey on Engage Bellingham and let us know what you value most about water in Bellingham. The survey closes June 12.
Future park needs your creative artwork! As design of Storybrook Park in the Birchwood neighborhood continues, we’re putting out a call for artists to create art for five to seven locations in the park. To complement Storybrook’s idyllic natural setting, we’re asking for artwork that will help create a magical, exploratory journey for community members, and that each piece be thematically connected or collectively tell a story. Interested artists should apply by July 12. Learn more about the request for qualifications on our Public Art webpage.
Improved garbage and recycling downtown: Tired of overflowing garbage bins and wind-blown litter that ends up in our streets and waterways? Us too! That’s why we’ve started transitioning the public garbage and recycling bins downtown to larger, enclosed bins that can hold more material and keep out wind and rain. We tested options and landed on these bins (see photo below) after receiving positive feedback from our community and staff. One feature that receives praise is how easy it is to open – just step on the convenient foot pedal for a hands-free option or manually open the small door on the front. Thanks to the larger capacity, these bins also require fewer pickups, reducing our transportation-related emissions. This is one of many things we are doing to beautify downtown.
