Pump up your tires: May is Bike Everywhere Month! Pump up your bike tires and update your calendars with cycling events all month long, many co-hosted by the City including the 2nd annual Bellingham Bike Parade at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 7. Don’t miss the fun! Last year’s festive bike parade through downtown drew hundreds of cyclists of all ages and abilities. Another popular annual Bike Month event is Bike to Work and School Day on Friday, May 19. Whether you ride every day or haven’t been on a bike for years, this is your day to get out and ride with lots of company and encouragement.
Speaking of biking: All community members, including those with limited or no biking experience, are invited to provide feedback to guide future planning for new or improved bicycle lanes, intersection improvements, and possible vehicle lane removal. Online feedback options via our Engage Bellingham Bicycle Master Plan Updates project page including an interactive map to add ideas, a community survey, space to leave comments or questions, and Spanish language feedback options, are available through the end of May. More details in our recent announcement.
Graffiti arrests: After a lengthy investigation that is still ongoing, this week Bellingham Police arrested four individuals suspected of extensive graffiti and related vandalism seen on walls, fences, buildings and other property all over Bellingham. The four individuals are suspected of 806 counts of malicious mischief, causing more than $92,000 in estimated damages. Graffiti removal and prevention efforts are among the City’s many strategies to foster a safe, welcoming environment in Bellingham’s downtown and elsewhere. Initiated in 2022 and continuing this year, these strategies — identified with participation and feedback from the downtown business community and other stakeholders — include more than one million dollars in City investment last year and again in 2023. Learn about our collaboration with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership on some of these initiatives, including graffiti removal and prevention, and find information about filing graffiti-related police reports on our graffiti and tagging webpage.
Improving public spaces
Plan extra travel time: Construction season is officially underway, with City street projects causing some traffic delays, such as the Woburn sewer replacement impacting travel this spring and summer. It is a good time to plan on travel taking a little longer throughout our area as the City, other agency and private projects begin that require work in the roadways. Please drive safely and be respectful of construction workers, flaggers, other drivers and pedestrians. Learn about City projects at cob.org/projects.
Library branch grand opening: We are so proud to expand library services in the north part of Bellingham and it was wonderful to see everyone who joined the celebration. The branch is a two-year pilot project and the library’s first location on the City’s north side. In the photo below, Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood and Julie Guy, a long-time library advocate and north Bellingham resident, cut the ceremonial ribbon, alongside members of the Library Board of Trustees and the Bellingham City Council, the Library director, and the Bellis Fair Mall general manager. Thank you to all who attended the celebration and thanks to everyone — elected leaders, City staff, contracted vendors, community partners and many others — who helped make this new community amenity a reality. More celebration photos and video available on City and Library social media sites and check the library website for all library locations and hours.
