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City News

Request for Qualifications for Malloy Avenue/Whiskey Creek Culvert Replacement Project

CITY OF FERNDALE

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR

Civil and Structural Engineering Services

The City of Ferndale, Washington solicits interest from consulting firms with expertise in Civil and Structural design for the Malloy Avenue/Whiskey Creek Culvert Replacement Project. Other phases of work may be added to the contract as funding becomes available.

The project will replace a failing culvert located within the 6300 block of Malloy Avenue with a fish passage structure and upgrade the existing roadway to full City roadway standards, including curb, gutter, sidewalk, lighting and accommodation for bicycle facilities within the project limits. Other improvements include extending the City’s existing 12” water main to the northern most project limits, as well as the incorporation of a PSE provided street light system. The City of Ferndale is seeking qualification statements from Professional Engineering firms with experience providing design services, up to and possibly including: pre-design alternatives analysis; roadway, box culvert and/or bridge and structure design; surveying; geotechnical investigation, studies and services; permitting; right of way needs analysis and acquisition services; as well as the creation of plans, specifications and estimates; and construction management, construction engineering and inspection services for the Malloy Avenue/Whiskey Creek Culvert Replacement Project. Design and permitting is expected to be completed in 2021, with construction tentatively planned for summer 2022.

Interested parties are responsible for monitoring the website for information concerning the RFQ and any addenda issued on the project page here.

Questions regarding this Request for Qualifications should be directed to Katy Radder, Public Works Project Manager, (360) 685-2377 or via email at KatyRadder@cityofferndale.org.

The City of Ferndale reserves the sole right to terminate this process, to not award a contract, and to cancel or modify this solicitation process at any time. In no event will the City or any of their respective agents, representatives, consultants, directors, officers, or employees be liable for, or otherwise obligated to reimburse, the costs incurred in preparation of this RFQ, or any related costs. The prospective consultant teams shall wholly absorb all costs incurred in the preparation and presentation of the submittals. The RFQ Submittals will become the property of the City of Ferndale.

Interested firms shall submit a Statement of Qualification that contains the following:

1. Cover Letter.

2. Qualifications:

Outline the qualifications of the firm to perform this work.

Project management, provide an organizational chart of the proposed consulting team and a short resume of all key people listed on the chart.

3. References:

Provide a list of projects that were similar in scope. Project list should include year completed, budget, scope and reference contact.

The Statement of Qualification submittal shall be a maximum of 10 single-sided pages (not including the cover page) and one original and four copies shall be submitted.

RFQ SUBMITTAL DEADLINE AND DELIVERY LOCATION

All responses shall be made in writing. Responses by FAX will not be accepted. Sealed responses will be received by the Project Manager of the City of Ferndale, Washington up to the hour of 5:00 p.m., Friday, August 21, 2020. Responses delivered later will not be accepted. The City of Ferndale is not responsible for delays in delivery.

All responses to this request that are mailed through the United States Postal Service shall be addressed to the Public Works Project Manager, City of Ferndale, P.O. Box 936, Ferndale, WA 98248. Hand-delivered responses will not be accepted due to ongoing restrictions due to COVID-19. All responses shall be placed in a sealed envelope clearly marked “MALLOY AVENUE/WHISKEY CREEK CULVERT REPLACEMENT PROJECT RFQ”.

The selection process for this project will involve the following three steps:

1. Request for Qualifications.

2. After the City reviews the Statement of Qualifications received, up to three firms will be invited to interview.

3. After the City considers content and material provided as part of the interview process, the City will solicit a request for proposal from the most qualified firm.

This portion of the project does not contain federal funding however future portions of the project may be funded utilizing federal funds. Therefore the project in its entirety will be held to Federal EEO requirements.

The City of Ferndale in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, subtitle A, Office of the Secretary, Part 21, nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs of the Department of Transportation issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises as defined at 49 CFR Part 26 will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin or sex in consideration for an award.

The City of Ferndale reserves the right to cancel this request or reject any and all responses submitted or to waive any minor formalities of this call if the best interest of the City would be served.

Published

July 29 and August 5, 2020

July 29, 2020

City Statement about Upcoming Black Lives Matter Rally on July 31st

city hall sign

The City is aware of the upcoming youth-led Black Lives Matters rally scheduled for July 31st. The City has not issued a permit for the event as Whatcom County is still in Phase 2 and gatherings over five people are not allowed, however the City has been in communication with the organizers.

For all who choose to participate, whether in support or opposition, the City strongly urges residents to practice social distancing, wear masks, obey all laws and most importantly, peacefully assemble.

“Our students have a civic right, and in my opinion, a responsibility to peacefully raise their voices and advocate for what they believe. As do all of our residents, no matter their beliefs or concerns. Wherever you stand, we are a community of neighbors. Ferndale can all agree to a respectful discourse without ugliness, intimidation or threats,” said Mayor Greg Hansen.

Ferndale Police will be on site to monitor the situation and will take action as necessary to protect the safety of the community and our residents.

July 27, 2020

City to Provide Greater Flexibility for Utility Payments as Shutoffs Resume

With the outbreak of the pandemic, the City of Ferndale suspended late fees and utility shutoffs  for the Feb. 28th and April 30th billing cycles. As the City begins to restore normal operations, they are providing increased flexibility for utility customers for the June 30th utility bill. 

Traditionally, customers with an unpaid balance of over $100 were subject to utility shutoffs however in light of the possible accumulated bills over the last four months, the City is increasing that threshold to $300 for the June 30th bill. 

Shutoffs are scheduled for the second week of August and utility customers are strongly encouraged to pay their bill in full, or failing that, reduce the balance to under $300 to avoid a disruption in service. Late fees and shut off fees will continue to be suspended during this time. 

For utility customers impacted by the pandemic in need of assistance, the Ferndale Community Resource Center has established a fund to with utility bills. For more information on this program, visit their website here: http://ferndalecsc.org/.

For questions about a specific utility bill, please call the City’s utility clerk at (360) 384-4269 or email utilitybilling@cityofferndale.org. 

July 24, 2020

Countywide partnership launches grant program for businesses impacted by COVID-19

Countywide partnership launches grant program for businesses impacted by COVID-19

CARES Act funds pooled by County and cities to boost economic recovery

Applications are being accepted beginning this week for a competitive grant program – called Whatcom ReStart – designed to support businesses and non-profits throughout Whatcom County that have been affected by COVID-19.

Whatcom ReStart will issue up to $2.6 million in general grants and another $800,000 for licensed childcare operators. For-profit and non-profit businesses and organizations impacted by COVID-19 are eligible to apply for general grants of up to $15,000 each. There is no cap on grants to support childcare.

Whatcom County and the cities of Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale, Sumas, Everson, Nooksack and Blaine have teamed up and combined their federal CARES Act allocations to offer this competitive grant program to assist businesses that have experienced revenue losses and expenses due to COVID-19-related closures or impacts.

The purpose of this program is to collaborate in support of local businesses and drive economic recovery. More information, including eligibility guidelines, criteria, and applications can be found on the Whatcom ReStart page of the Port of Bellingham website. Grant applications will be accepted July 16 through July 31, 2020. Funding decisions are anticipated in August and funding is expected to be disbursed in September.

“By joining forces, combining County and cities’ CARES Act funding, we are able to increase the reach and efficiencies of our response effort,” said Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu. “I am very pleased with the level of cooperation and willingness of each jurisdiction to work collaboratively for the benefit of all our communities.”

The grant program, funded by $2.6 million of federal CARES Act allocations, provides up to $15,000 to businesses employing up to 25 people prior to the pandemic to cover expenses related to losses caused by COVID-19 related closures. A portion of these funds are set aside for ground-floor, front-facing businesses in the City Center and Fairhaven Districts of Bellingham. A separate pool of $800,000 is dedicated to grants for licensed childcare businesses.

“Economic recovery is a priority throughout our COVID-19 response,” Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood said. “These grants will help businesses stabilize as they work to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic. We are working together to get more of our community members back to work and to revive local businesses affected by COVID-19 restrictions, so we can see our local economies thriving once again.”

“Many businesses are really struggling today, particularly our childcare industry, and need quick access to this aid,” said Ferndale Mayor Greg Hansen. “All partners recognized the time-

sensitive nature of the need and agreed that the grant application and administration should be as simple, inclusive and streamlined as possible.”

“Whatcom ReStart is designed to give a meaningful boost to local small businesses and their employees. We want these grants to have the greatest possible impact on our economy and community to foster resilience as we move forward. Both the eligibility requirements and the application scoring guidelines were developed with this in mind,” said Don Goldberg, Director of Regional Economic Partnership, which is playing a key role in the administration of the grant program.

In addition to these business and economic response efforts, CARES Act funding has also been dedicated to support the public emergency response, food and housing security, and services and facilities to those living unsheltered.

For more information about Whatcom ReStart, visit https://www.portofbellingham.com/933/Whatcom-Restart

July 16, 2020

Phone Scam Targets Whatcom Residents

SCAM ALERT: Someone is calling Whatcom residents and posing as the Ferndale Police Department. They insist the victim has a warrant out for their arrest and require that the victim send in gift cards in large amounts to resolve the issue.

If you receive one of these calls, please hang up and call 911 to report it. Never give out personal or financial information over the phone to an unknown caller, even if they claim that they are the Ferndale Police.

July 14, 2020

Arts Commission Brings New Mural to Downtown Ferndale

The Ferndale Arts Commission has commissioned a new mural at 2050 Vista in the heart of Downtown Ferndale. This new piece by local artist Matt French is titled “Train Terrain” and was funded by the Ferndale Arts Commission with assistance from the building owner. 

French shares a special connection with Ferndale. His uncle actually worked in this building when it was a machine shop and French’s early awakening as an artist has roots in Ferndale. In his youth, he was arrested in Ferndale for graffiti. While he served his brief jail time, he drew on envelopes which lead to his envelope art getting published in Thrasher Magazine, a skateboarding publication. He has been the art director at Pocket Pistols Skateboards for the last 15 years. His work includes designing shoes for Nike, creating collections for Volcom and Vans, and a standing-room-only art show in Tokyo. Next year, he will be returning to Tokyo to promote SK8FACE, a movie on the history of skateboard art which is coming to Netflix next year.  

The Ferndale Arts Commission has added eight murals to the downtown core in the last two years to bring life, interest and beauty to Ferndale. They are looking for future locations. Interested building owners or artists can contact City Clerk Susan Duncan for more details.  

July 10, 2020

Funding Available for Seamount Resident Rain Gardens

Why build a rain garden?
Rain gardens are highly engineered to provide environmental benefits, but don’t let that fool you.
They are also beautifully landscaped garden features that:
• Enhance the landscaping and appearance of homes and yards
• Provide habitat for beneficial insects and birds
• Filter oil and grease from driveways, pesticides, and fertilizers from lawns, and other pollutants before they reach groundwater or the storm drain and eventually streams, wetlands, lakes and marine waters
• Filter runoff from agricultural land to help prevent pollutants like manure from washing into our waterways
• Reduce flooding on neighboring property, overflows in sewers, and erosion in streams by absorbing runoff from hard surfaces
• Increase the amount of water that soaks into the ground to recharge local groundwater

Rain Garden Manual

How do I build a rain garden?
Qualified properties in Whatcom County are eligible to receive funding (cost share) from the Whatcom Conservation District to design and construct your rain garden. To learn more, please contact Whatcom Conservation District Rain Garden Coordinator Frank Corey, at fcorey@whatcomcd.org or by phone, 360 410-6864. 
*email contact is preferred

July 10, 2020

City Launches Clean Neighborhoods Initiative

This summer, the City of Ferndale is working with neighbors and businesses to clean up our streets and yards. Efforts will focus on abandoned and scrap vehicles in front yards that are visible to the public and overgrown underbrush that can be a hazard with the upcoming Fourth of July weekend.

“Take the time to move that broken down car into a garage and give that yard a mow,” said Mayor Greg Hansen. “These efforts make a big impact on the safety and feel of our community. With the weather turning nice, it is an ideal time to walk through your neighborhood and pick up any trash you find. Exercise and helping your neighbors, the perfect summer activity!”

During the initial outbreak of COVID-19, the City suspended all non-essential functions but as the state begins to reopen, City government is returning to normal operations, including following up on citizen complaints. More information about vehicles in disrepair, yard maintenance requirements and how to file a complaint can be found on the city website here: https://www.cityofferndale.org/commdev/code-enforcement-2/

June 24, 2020

Ferndale Celebrates 125th Old Settlers Picnic Anniversary with Original Video Production

Whatcom Old Settlers Variety Show Available Online July 22nd

With the Old Settlers Weekend cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, the City of Ferndale and the Whatcom Old Settlers Association are releasing a video celebration of Ferndale’s history and culture. Dubbed the Whatcom Old Settlers Variety Show, this production includes a video tour of the historic Pioneer Village cabins, a concert from High Mountain String Band, interviews about Old Settlers Picnics of yesteryear, an inside look at the historic 2019 Paddle to Lummi event and an original radio drama set in 1932 Ferndale.

“We couldn’t let this historic landmark, the 125th anniversary of the Old Settlers Picnic, pass us by,” said Mayor Greg Hansen. “This is our opportunity to tell our story about the history of our community and celebrate the things that make Ferndale our special place by the river.”

“We are looking forward to next year when we can bring back the Old Settlers Weekend,” said Lynda Lucas, President of the Whatcom Old Settlers Association. “But in the meantime, we wanted to do something special to tide us over.”

The Whatcom Old Settlers Variety Show will be available to stream online at www.cityofferndale.org starting Weds. July 22nd.

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

June 22, 2020