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Summary of July 16th, 2018 Council Meeting

You can find all related Agenda documents here

City Council Agenda Follow-Up

July 16, 2018

CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL  
PUBLIC COMMENT INFO ONLY
BREWING OVER CITY BUSINESS

Brewing Over City Business is a pilot program to increase transparency and civic participation. It is made possible by a generous donation from Woods Coffee and support from the Whatcom Community Foundation as part of the Project Neighborly initiative.  First-time attendees to a Ferndale City Council meeting sign up at the beginning of the meeting to receive a free $10 Woods Coffee card. When the meeting is over, those who signed up will receive their card. Students who are attending the meeting as a class requirement are not eligible.

 

 

 

INFO ONLY

CONSENT AGENDA

Councilmember G. Hansen moved, and Councilmember Taylor seconded, to approve the consent agenda. MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

 

APPROVED

 

THORNTON OVERCROSSING PROJECT UPDATE

Current status: Design is 60% complete, BNSF comments are being addressed, and right-of-way acquisition and environmental permitting are underway.

Estimated timetable: Design anticipated to be completed by the end of 2018. Right-of-way acquisition and environmental permitting is expected to be completed in June 2019. Advertisement for bids to be in July 2019.

Construction pre-load is anticipated to begin in September 2019, with the expectation that it will take approximately 18 months.

Bridge & road construction is expected to begin in April 2021, and should take approximately 20 months, with completion expected by January 2023.

 

 

 

 

INFO ONLY

PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS UPDATE

Associate Planner Haylie Miller presented updates on the following private development projects:

·         Taco Bell – the existing Denny’s building will be demolished and replaced with a smaller building with a drive-through. Construction is expected to begin within the next two or three months.

·         LaBounty Apartments – 150 unit complex consisting of 5 buildings with 30 units each. This is a 9-acre site, located west of the existing Labounty Place Apartments. Groundbreaking is expected to be in approximately one year.

·         Third Avenue Duplexes – Two duplexes, located across from Ferndale Grain. They are almost complete and ready for occupancy.

 

 

 

 

 

 INFO ONLY

ORDINANCE: Modifications to FMC 6.02 – Animal Control Enforcement

The City has a contract with the Whatcom Humane Society for animal control services. They have informed staff that the Ferndale Municipal Code does not grant specific authority to confiscate prohibited domestic fowl such as roosters, peacocks, and guinea fowl. While those types of fowl are prohibited according to FMC 6.02.207, the existing language is insufficient to allow Animal Control to confiscate the animals if found to be in the possession of a property owner or roaming at large.  The additional proposed language states that prohibited fowl are subject to confiscation, and will suffice to grant Animal Control that authority.

Councilmember Olson moved, and Councilmember Watson seconded, to approve the agenda bill.

MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

 

 

 

 

 

APPROVED

 

MAYOR REPORTS/COMMENTS

Information only.

COUNCIL REPORTS/COMMENTS

Information only. Councilmember Olson moved, and Councilmember Kennedy seconded, to excuse Councilmember K. Hansen’s absence. MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

 

 

INFO ONLY

ADJOURNMENT: Meeting was adjourned at 6:43 p.m.  

 

FREE Music in the Park with Sky Colony this Saturday at 6pm

The Sky Colony

Join us for a free, all ages concert July 14th at 6pm. Jump, dance, hoot and holler at the stage in Pioneer Park with Sky Colony.

The Sky Colony’s sound is a folk rock revival. They describe it as “a mixture of the call of the Cascadian wilderness and an ‘age past’, the 60’s psychedelia era. Time upon time it has been deemed unique, a sound of ‘luminous spirituality that sets a fire in the mind’.” Learn more about them by clicking here.

This event is part of our 2018 “Summer of Fun”. You can find out about more free recreational events by clicking here.

For questions about Music in the Park, please contact Recreation Coordinator Riley Sweeney at (360) 685-2353 or email him directly by clicking here.

Traffic Impacts on Vista Drive Weds. July 11th, 7am-7pm

There will be traffic impacts on Vista Drive this Wednesday, July 11th from 7:00am to 7:00pm between Fourth Avenue and the Vista Drive roundabout.

To facilitate work on a waterline in the area, traffic will be reduced down to two lanes, with one lane of traffic shifting into the middle lane. Flaggers will be on hand to direct traffic, drivers are advised to use caution and obey all traffic directions.

Please choose alternate routes if possible. Thank you for your patience.

If you have questions regarding this notice, please contact the Ferndale Public Works Department at (360) 384-4006.

What Should Downtown Ferndale Look Like?

What do you want to see in your downtown? The City is looking to jump start our downtown by encouraging residential and commercial developments that allow folks to live within walking distance of Main Street, and we are soliciting your feedback through social media. You can look at the outline of the Catalyst program that being proposed by clicking here.

As we dig into how to encourage this development, what we need to know from the public is . . .

  • What should these residential buildings look like? 
  • What sorts of businesses would you like to see? 
  • What are good models for Ferndale’s downtown?

Remember that the City does not conduct private development, but we can encourage some projects to move forward through tax incentives.

Share your thoughts on our facebook page by clicking here or if you prefer, email our Community Development Director Jori Burnett by clicking here.

Attend Your First City Council Meeting and Receive a Free Coffee Card

The City of Ferndale wants you to attend a City Council meeting and share what you learned with a neighbor. Come see local politics in action and learn more about what is happening in your city and you could receive a $10 gift card to Woods Coffee as part of our “Brewing over City Business” program.

If this is your first time attending a City Council meeting, you live in Ferndale and are not a student, sign up at the beginning of the meeting to receive a free coffee card. Once the meeting is gaveled close, you will receive the gift card. The City urges you to find a friend, a neighbor or family member and invite them out to coffee and share your experiences.

Democracy is not a spectator sport, and our hope is that this will inspire everyone to engage with their local government and have a better understanding of how the City operates. This is a pilot program to increase transparency and civic participation.

“Brewing over City Business” is made possible thanks to a generous donation from Woods Coffee and support from the Whatcom Community Foundation as part of the Project Neighborly initiative. No city funds were expended to make this happen.

For more information or questions, please contact Communications Officer Riley Sweeney at (360) 685-2353 or rileysweeney@cityofferndale.org.

City Clerk Susan Duncan Receives Certified Public Records Officer Designation

Susan Duncan

City Clerk Susan Duncan who handles records management, public records requests, human resources and serves as clerk for the City, has completed the Washington Association of Public Records Officers program to become a Certified Public Records Officer (CPRO). The certification demonstrates a personal commitment and dedication to administering the Washington State Public Records Act (RCW 42.56).

To become certified, an applicant must complete over thirty hours of training covering topics as diverse as legal updates, electronic records and technology, open government sessions and more. Duncan, who completed the Certified Municipal Clerk program for the International Institute of Municipal Clerks in 2016, and now serves on their executive board of their Washington State chapter.

“Susan is an incredible resource,” said Mayor Jon Mutchler. “She knows the rules and law governing our city business forwards and backwards. We depend on her skills and expertise and appreciate her unyielding dedication.”