Incoming WMCA President Susan Duncan (right) with outgoing President Debbie Jermann (left)
Ferndale City Clerk Susan Duncan Elected as President of Washington Municipal Clerks Association
Ferndale City Clerk Susan Duncan was recently elected President of the Washington Municipal Clerks Association (WMCA). Founded in 1969, the WMCA is the statewide professional organization for municipal clerks, facilitating development, support and professional excellence from those who manage the administrative services of our local governments.
Duncan has been the City Clerk of Ferndale since 2015 and is responsible for management of all public records, assembly of council packets, and all human resources responsibilities for the City. In 2016 she received her certification as a Certified Municipal Clerk and in 2020 she received her certification as a Master Municipal Clerk.
“We are so proud of Mrs. Duncan – and we are grateful to have her expertise recognized on a statewide level. It is no secret that we have incredible staff working for the City of Ferndale,” said Mayor Greg Hansen.
Duncan will be sworn in later this month at the Annual Business Meeting of the WMCA.
THE CITY EXTENDS ITS GRATITUDE TO THE LUMMI NATION
WHEREAS, the ability for a community to stop the spread of COVID-19 remains dependent on being able to vaccinate as many members of the public as possible; and
WHEREAS, the Lummi Nation and the community of Ferndale share a long and deep history together; and
WHEREAS, the Lummi Nation recognizes the importance of vaccinating Ferndale School District teachers, staff, and employees; and
WHEREAS, Ferndale School District staff were not currently eligible for the vaccine under the guidelines laid out by the Washington State Department of Health; and
WHEREAS, as a sovereign nation, the Lummi Nation has access to a different supply of vaccines and is able to implement a vaccine schedule that meets the needs of their community; and
WHEREAS, the Lummi Nation identified the Ferndale School District teachers, staff and school board as essential members of their community and therefore included them in their eligibility schedule; and
WHEREAS, the Lummi Nation established a vaccination event on February 27th to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to 374 school district employees: and
WHEREAS, generosity is a core value of the Lummi Nation and speaks to who they are as a people;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, we, the City of Ferndale, do hereby express our profound gratitude to the Lummi Nation for helping vaccinate our Ferndale teachers and staff. Your generosity protects our community as a whole and we are deeply thankful for this effort.
Remembering a single day can bring the distance of a year into focus. It was at the second council meeting in March, only my sixth meeting since being sworn in as the Mayor of Ferndale, when we received notice from the Governor that we were going into a statewide lockdown. In a single moment, the course of our city changed.
Ferndale did what we had to do. We buckled down, wore our masks, shifted to remote work where we could and tried to flatten the curve, but as the weeks stretched into months and we experienced spike after contagious spike, it was clear that this was a marathon, not a sprint.
Even as we were still comprehending the scope of the pandemic came the second blow – the curtailment of Alcoa. The smelter had put food on the table for three generations of Ferndale families and it leaves a big hole in our hearts.
Alcoa
I had expected to spend my first year in the Mayor’s office working on revitalizing our downtown, working on plans for a new city campus or celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Old Settlers Picnic.
We do not get to choose the times in which we live, only how we respond to the moment of crisis. In this, know that we have incredible public servants working around the clock on behalf of our city. City staff got right to work solving problems, building bridges and leveraging our relationships with our community partners to meet the moment head on. From the school district to the port, our local businesses to our non-profits, everyone put their heads together to tackle this crisis.
We developed COVID safe construction standards to allow private and public projects in Ferndale to safely resume work ahead of the rest of the state. We secured over $294,000 in grants for Ferndale businesses and organizations. We worked with the Ferndale Community Resource Center to help with utility bills and even made our own Variety Show with the Old Settlers Association to help celebrate their anniversary.
Thornton Overpass
All of this while never losing sight of our long-term goals. We continued critical investments in our infrastructure, including significant progress on the Thornton Overpass and the Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion. Housing construction remained strong throughout 2020 and into the new year.
As we turn our eyes to the future, the question remains: what is the state of the City of Ferndale? From a city budget perspective, we are in a better position than many of our neighboring small cities. Ferndale always struggled to generate retail sales taxes, a critical component of city budget, but the shift to online purchases has brought in a corresponding boost in city revenues. That said, a city cannot sustain itself without our locally owned businesses, they are more than just a budget line item, they are jobs, community touchstones and that which gives us our identity. Please do what you can to support our local businesses during this difficult time.
With the sudden influx of sales tax and the constant stream of construction activity in Ferndale, our city budget is steady for 2021 although we are being cautious about the future. As Anthony Bourdain said, “Luck is not a business model.” And for those of you put out of work by the Alcoa curtailment or the impacts of COVID, this is small comfort.
We are continuing our work to ensure there is a path, not just back to normal, but to a brighter and better Ferndale. We are investing in our public spaces – a new bathroom in VanderYacht Park, a Picnic Shelter in Star Park and, if the state legislature approves our grant, a new Skate Park in Pioneer Park. These public facilities provide opportunities for community events, safe places to recreate and create local construction jobs.
Star Park Picnic Shelter rendering
We are looking ahead at long-term solutions before they become home-grown disasters. Next month, council will consider placing an affordable housing measure on the ballot this November which would provide much needed matching funds to build affordable units right here in our city for Ferndale residents. This approach, coupled with improvements to our zoning, infrastructure, an emphasis on housing above commercial uses within the Downtown core allows us to tackle the housing crisis on multiple fronts. One only need look at the crisis unfolding in front of the Bellingham City Hall lawn to know that we cannot wait to tackle the housing crisis – we need to take the steps today to help people stay in their homes.
In that vein, we are committing the resources to get several road projects shovel ready, including Ferndale Terrace and connecting the Thornton Overpass to our neighborhoods on the hill. This will allow us to capitalize on infrastructure grants put out by the state and federal government to bring those dollars home to our town and fix a few potholes while we are doing it. The City has been aggressive in informing our representatives in Olympia and Washington DC of infrastructure needs, so that we are well-positioned as a City should infrastructure stimulus bills be adopted.
This last year has been a learning experience, and I do not want it to go to waste. We will expand on the communication tools we have mastered during the pandemic to allow more transparency and better access to your government, whether that is streaming a live video of your council meeting or interactive surveys allowing you to provide instant feedback on city decisions.
Old Settlers Parade
Finally, we will be working to support our signature Ferndale events – our Pioneer Days, Street Festival and Summer of Fun, to ensure that they last for the next generation. They will require all of us to step up – volunteer, sponsor and participate if we want to keep them running strong.
I still have those big plans from the start of my term sitting in my office. We will still need a new city campus with a courthouse and council chambers that can meet our needs going into the future, and I look forward to that day where I can walk past our new catalyst buildings in downtown Ferndale, enjoy a hot dog at Pioneer Days or drive over the Thornton Overpass on my way through the City.
Those days are not far in the distance, they are just around the corner.
For the last 10 years, the Community Garden has been under the care and leadership of Gloria Perez, master gardener and dedicated volunteer. Now it’s time for Gloria to retire!
The Community Garden is looking for one or two dedicated individuals, Ferndale resident, who can take over coordination and management of the garden. Prior gardening experience is preferred and Gloria will provide full training. The Garden is a critical community resource and the Coordinator is a critical role. Through a generous grant from the City of Ferndale, we will be able to provide the new coordinator(s) with a small annual stipend for their time and effort. If you are interested, please contact Gloria at rainglo@comcast.net.
For more information including job description and stipend details, see the flyer here.
The City of Ferndale needs your help in picking the best names for our four snow plows. We have solicited ideas from the public and made a list of potential names. Please vote for the four best names and we will go with the names that receive the most votes.
The City of Ferndale updates the Stormwater Management Program as a response to specific special conditions within the “Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit” that authorizes the City of Ferndale to discharge stormwater to the waters of the State of Washington.
Per the Permit, this program summary will be updated each year and will be available to the public. Participation and comments are welcome and may be directed to City of Ferndale Stormwater staff stormwater@cityofferndale.org. The comment period for the 2021 Program update began February 8, 2021 and ended March 8, 2021.
Drivers should expect delays as the intersection of Shuksan St. & Golden Eagle Dr. will be reduced to single lane traffic from Wednesday, February 10th to Thursday, February 11th, from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Traffic will alternate using one lane as directed by flaggers. Road will remain open during nonworking hours. This traffic impact is associated with a private project.
See map of traffic impact area.
If you have questions regarding this notice, please contact Ferndale Public Works Department at (360) 384-4006.
The City is looking for your feedback on how to best carry out a potential Summer of Fun in 2021. We understand that this year will look different than previous years and want your input on how to host some safe and successful parks activities for our community.
David Wurtz was arrested shortly after midnight on 02/03/2021 by the Ferndale Police Department for multiple counts of malicious mischief. Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) had reported several incidents of vandalism towards their bus stops in the previous months. Damage estimates related to these offenses ranged from $2,500 – $3,500.
In response to these reports, police set up surveillance of a bus stop in the 5700 block of Vista Dr. Shortly after midnight on 02/03/2021, police witnessed a subject walking in the area. As the subject walked by the bus stop located in front of 5750 Vista Dr, the subject sprayed paint on a bus stop sign belonging to WTA.
The subject was detained by police and identified as David Wurtz. David Wurtz had fresh black paint on his hand and fingertips as well as having a can of black spray paint in his possession. A check of other bus stops in the area found several signs had been vandalized with paint which was still wet and dripping.
Based on the observed actions of David Wurtz, physical evidence, and consistencies with previously reported crimes, there was probable cause to arrest David Wurtz for multiple counts of malicious mischief. Due to the combined costs of damage caused by David Wurtz, he was arrested for malicious mischief in the 2nd degree and booked into Whatcom County Jail.
