Bridge open: The Arroyo Park bridge over Chuckanut Creek is repaired and open! The bridge was damaged when a tree fell on it during a winter storm in January 2021. The repaired bridge (pictured above) is sturdy enough to last generations while protecting our local salmon population. We appreciated our community’s patience while we followed all the necessary steps to repair the bridge, which is part of an extensive and popular trail system. Why did it take so long to repair? Many local, state and federal permits were required in this ecologically sensitive and high-functioning stream corridor. These take time to process, and the work could not be performed during some portions of the year due to fish and habitat requirements. These details and more are available on our Arroyo Bridge repairs page. That’s all behind us now, with our sturdy new bridge in place, so get outside and enjoy the beauty of fall in Arroyo Park!
Speaking of the new bridge: The new Arroyo Park bridge provides a great vantage point to view spawning salmon, and now is the time when we start to see Pacific salmon returning to spawn in the streams they were born in. Spawning occurs when female salmon deposit eggs into gravel nests (or “redds”) that they build at the bottom of a stream. It is an exhausting journey that requires salmon to use all their remaining energy, resulting in both female and male salmon dying once spawning is complete. While it may be alarming to see dead salmon in our streams, it is part of a natural process. The bodies of these salmon provide important nutrients for the ecosystem. While viewing spawning salmon, please be careful not to disturb them or the surrounding habitat by keeping people and pets out of the stream and staying on designated trails. Our Fish Studies page is a great resource for learning more about how and when spawning fish use our City streams.
Tallest spiral slide in the City: The new playground at Lorraine Ellis Park is now open. Located on West Illinois Street in the Columbia Neighborhood, the previous circa 1990 playground was fully replaced this summer. The new playground includes a tower accessing a 14-foot spiral slide – the tallest spiral slide in the City! Other new amenities include swings and benches. Neighborhood interest in the project led to modifications of the original design. Thank you to neighbors who weighed in and helped shape this fun new neighborhood playground. See our Lorraine Ellis Park Playground Renovation page for more details.
Recreation opportunities at Lake Padden Park: An assessment is underway for future recreation development at Lake Padden, and we are asking for your input. We want to understand how you use the park now and how you’d like to use it in the future so we can plan uses that balance the community’s recreation needs and the ecological setting of the park. Please take our short survey on Engage Bellingham by November 8.
Congratulations new graduates: We’re proud to celebrate our three latest graduates of the Basic Law Enforcement Academy, the state-mandated training academy for all city and county entry-level peace officers. Officer C. Fridlund, Officer A. Simon, and Officer R. Neuroth, shown below with Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig at the graduation ceremony, finished the academy last week after almost six months of training in Burien. All three returned to Bellingham to pair with experienced personnel and begin a 14-week field training phase as they work toward solo officer status with the Bellingham Police Department. Congratulations to all three on completing the academy and thank you for your commitment to public service!
