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City News

City Opens Negotiations with Elsa, Mr. Freeze for a Milder Winter

Mayor Mutchler (left) with Ice Delegation

After several years of heavy snowfall, the City of Ferndale opened negotiations with Elsa and Mr. Freeze in an attempt to secure a milder winter for Ferndale.

“While we may have received a frosty reception in the past, I believe now icy a path forward,” said Mayor Jon Mutchler at the recent council meeting.

Though the glacial pace of negotiations may chill enthusiasm for this measure, the City believes tensions are thawing. When reached for comment, the delegation agreed that they had given Ferndale the “cold shoulder” but are ready to “let it go.”

Whether or not an agreement can be reached, the City will continue to prepare for inclement weather. Click the links below to learn more about what to do in a flood, snow or ice weather incident.

Flood Preparation

Snow and Ice Preparation

April 1, 2019

Plots Available at the Community Garden

Garden Plots Available at Ferndale Friendship Community Garden

The Ferndale Friendship Community Garden has garden plots available to rent for gardening season 2019.The garden is located behind Pioneer Park, near Star Park and the baseball fields. Yearly plot fees are sliding scale of $10 to $20, plus a $10 cleaning deposit, participation in two work days and helping maintain the garden. 

In your own garden plot you can:

·       Grow nutritious fresh food for your family

·       Learn about organic gardening

·       Reduce your food budget

·       Have fun and garden with your family

For information about obtaining a plot, contact Gloria J. Perez at 360- 223-3836 or rainglo@comcast.net.

March 14, 2019

Public Notice Solicitation Of Professional Services


The City of Ferndale (pursuant to RCW 39.80) is soliciting statements of qualifications and performance data from engineering and/or architectural firms for providing general engineering and survey services for municipal applications including but not limited to sanitary sewer systems, storm drainage, water distribution systems, streets, geotechnical investigations and studies, and traffic engineering for the remainder of the 2019 calendar year.  These qualifications and performance data will be placed on file and will be used as a source from which to select one or more qualified firms from whom a detailed proposal will be requested for any specific project. 

Those firms who wish to submit shall provide one (1), Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) with a cover letter for each discipline of work they wish to be considered.  The discipline of work needs to be stated in the cover letter.

Include SOQ point-of-contact information with e-mail address on each cover letter.  The format of the SOQ is left to the discretion of the submitter.  Submittals should not exceed (10) ten pages. 

Those firms that have statements currently on file will need to resubmit to be included in the remainder of the 2019 calendar year. All SOQ’s will be placed on file and will be used to select qualified consultants for each particular project, as the need arises.  Due to the ongoing nature of the projects throughout the year consultants not selected will not be notified.  Failure to follow the format outlined above may result in disqualification and/or removal from the Consultant Roster.

Please submit Statements of Qualifications to the City of Ferndale Public Works Department, by mail; attention: Public Works Department, P.O. Box 936, Ferndale, WA 98248 or emailed to public-works@cityofferndale.org.  The City of Ferndale encourages minority and women owned consultant firms to respond.

For questions, please contact the Public Works Department at public-works@cityofferndale.org or (360) 384-4006.

Following are the Disciplines of Work that the City will be accepting SOQs:

  • Architecture                                       
  • Civil Engineering Design
  • Construction Management & Inspection
  • Cultural Resource Services
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Services
  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Hydrogeology
  • Hydrology
  • Land Surveying and Survey Review
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Materials Testing & Inspection
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Property Acquisition & Relocations
  • Property Appraisal
  • Property Review
  • ROW Services
  • Structural Engineering
  • Traffic & Transportation Engineering
  • Traffic Signalization
  • Transportation Planning
  • Utility Engineering
  • Water/Wastewater Engineering
  • Wetlands Delineation & Analysis
March 13, 2019

Threat Received at FHS, Deemed Not Credible

Ferndale High School and Ferndale Police Department, “Threat Not Credible”

At approximately 8:10 AM on Wednesday, March 13th, a Ferndale High School student found and reported a note that contained a threat directed at the Ferndale High School Campus.

Ferndale High School Administrators began working with the Ferndale Police Department immediately and it is the opinion of law enforcement and school administration that the note does not pose a credible threat.

Any further investigation will focus on the origin of the note. Ferndale High School Administrators will continue working with the Ferndale Police Department to determine who may have authored the note.

The Ferndale School District would like to thank the student who reported the note and the team at the Ferndale Police Department for their assistance.

March 13, 2019

Ferndale Celebrates Government Transparency with Sunshine Week

March 11th-16th is Sunshine Week, where journalists celebrate the public’s access to government information. Here at the City of Ferndale, we embrace the spirit of transparency because we believe that the public has every right to see and understand the work we do on their behalf.

That’s why we upload as many public documents as possible to our website so that you can access them when and where you need them. This week, we will be featuring a different type of public record or information available from the City of Ferndale on our social media pages. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to join in.

If there is a type of public document that you would like to see on the City website but can’t find it, please give Communications Officer Riley Sweeney a call (360-685-2353) or an email at rileysweeney@cityofferndale.org.

March 11, 2019

Ferndale Receives Association of Washington Cities WellCity Award for the 6th Year


For the sixth consecutive year, the City of Ferndale is recognized by the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) for their commitment to employee health. The WellCity Award is given to cities that meet the AWC’s stringent WellCity standards that include investing in employee health through training, conducting annual wellness evaluations and sponsoring programs that promote healthy lifestyles.

Because of this recognition, the city receives a two percent discount on their medical premiums, that will be applied to the 2020 premiums for active employees, spouses and dependents.

City Clerk Susan Duncan spearheaded these efforts for the City, in collaboration with the City’s Wellness Committee. “This saves the city money and help us live better, healthier lives. We’re extremely proud to continue to receive this award for the sixth year running.” said Duncan.

March 6, 2019

Summary of March 4th, 2019 Council Meeting

Meeting Materials can be found by clicking here

 City Council Agenda Follow-Up March 4, 2019  
CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL    
PUBLIC COMMENT INFO ONLY
CONSENT AGENDA Councilmember G. Hansen moved, and Councilmember Taylor seconded, to approve the consent agenda.  MOTION CARRIED 7-0.   APPROVED
ORDINANCE: Development Standards Modification/Land Disturbance As currently written, Chapter 19.65 of the Ferndale Municipal Code requires a permit for the removal of vegetation greater than six inches in diameter that cannot be completed exclusively with hand tools. The proposed revisions remove this language and allow an exemption for the removal of up to four trees per year on private, residential lots. Removal of trees and/or vegetation in or near probable critical areas will still require permitting. Additional proposed changes include updating the definitions of “clearing” and “land disturbing activities”, updating activity thresholds, amending fill placement and testing requirements, and updating setbacks language.  Councilmember Kennedy moved, and Councilmember Watson seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.         APPROVED
APPROVAL: Shop Well #2 Pilot Study In 2013 a Reverse Osmosis (RO) Pilot test was completed at the City’s Water Treatment Plant to obtain approval from the Washington Department of Health for the City’s current treatment system. The City’s current well water treatment system provides a blended mix of about 40% water treated to removed manganese and 60% treated by RO to remove hardness. The new treatment system will be revised to 100% RO treatment. Because the treated product is far too soft to be usable, a remineralization step will be added. This consists of injecting carbon dioxide to temporarily acidify the water. The RO finished water is then percolated through a calcite filter to dissolve calcium and carbonate to achieve a proper balance between softness and hardness. The pilot study will be at the Shop Well #2 location. The primary objective of the pilot study is to evaluate the performance of the treatment system for removing TDS, optimizing the RO system recovery rate, re-mineralizing finished water and to refine full scale treatment design criteria. Councilmember Watson moved, and Councilmember Taylor seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.               APPROVED
RESOLUTION: Department of Ecology State Revolving Fund Loan/WWTP The City is required to expand the capacity of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, (WWTP) and construction is anticipated to begin in 2019. The total cost of the project is currently estimated at $25 million. The $14,542,784 State Revolving Fund Loan with the Washington State Department of Ecology would partially fund the project. It provides a very low interest rate of 2%. Approval of the authorizing resolution will formalize the loan. Project design, administration, and management work that has occurred thus far can be billed against the loan. The loan has a funding expiration date of April 30, 2023, and repayment is not required to begin until one year after project completion or initiation of operation. Councilmember Taylor moved, and Councilmember Kennedy seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.           APPROVED
DISCUSSION: Public Notification Procedures A recent zoning text amendment included a proposed change to the Mixed-Use Commercial zone, proposing a density limit of twenty dwelling units per gross acre. A property owner with a pending application in that zone expressed concern about not having received a mailed notice related to the Public Hearing held by the Planning Commission on this matter. The Planning Commission recommended approval of the text change and forwarded it to the City Council for consideration. Because the property owner was concerned with the noticing procedure that took place, staff brought the proposed text amendment to the Planning and Land Use committee as a discussion item only. The committee placed the Mixed-Use Commercial text amendment on hold and directed staff to bring forward a summary of noticing procedures for review. After discussion with the full Council about the different types of notifications, the item was referred back to the Planning & Land Use Committee. The committee recommended that direct mailings be provided to property owners if the text change is considered substantial or material. Examples of substantial or material changes are included related to changes in uses and/or densities. The committee also recommended property owners within 300 feet be notified for rezones or substantial text amendments during the Notice of Application phase only. Councilmember Taylor moved, and Councilmember G. Hansen seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.           APPROVED
RESOLUTION: Council Rules of Procedure Occasional review and/or revision to the Council Rules of Procedure provides an opportunity for Council and staff to become more familiar with the rules to ensure that the established procedures are being followed, and also to ensure compliance with state law. Careful review and revision of the rules has eliminated the areas in which there were contradictions as well as eliminating out-of-date language. The rules as proposed rely heavily on the Revised Code of Washington, Roberts Rules of Order, and best practices as recommended by registered Parliamentarian Ann MacFarlane. Councilmember K. Hansen moved, and Councilmember Kennedy seconded, to approve the agenda bill. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.         APPROVED
ADJOURNMENT:  The meeting was adjourned at 6:55 p.m.    
March 5, 2019

Notice Traffic Revisions and Possible Delays: Continuing on Thursday, February 28, 2019 until further notice

Notice Traffic Revisions and Possible Delays: Continuing on Thursday, February 28, 2019 until further notice

Intersection of Main Street and Hovander Road

Drivers should expect delays as traffic is temporarily stopped on Main Street at the intersection of Main Street and Hovander Road to safely assist trucks moving from Main Street to Hovander Road and/or Hovander Road to Main Street. This work is to complete improvements associated with a private development project. Road will remain open, and traffic only stopped when trucks are present.

February 28, 2019