City offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 17th in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr Day. The regularly scheduled council meeting will instead be held on Tuesday, Jan. 18th at 5PM.
The City asks all residents to reflect on the life and work of Dr. King during this time. As he said speaking after the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, “We have before us the glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of love into the veins of our civilization . . . freedom and justice through love.” If you have a moment, reflect on his words and what they mean for you as we enter this new year.
Ferndale Mayor Greg Hansen provides an update on the City’s actions and preparedness planning for the upcoming severe weather, comments on work and efforts the last couple of weeks after the recent flood, and provides suggestions for how you can best prepare yourselves and help your neighbors.
In looking at the developing forecast for heavy rains and a rising river, Mayor Greg Hansen issued a statement today, “City staff and Public Works crews are on standby today and in the days to follow with all available resources ready to respond if river levels make this necessary. I encourage individuals to also do what they can to prepare themselves and to help their neighbors. If you are within a flood area, be prepared to secure your vehicles and belongings. Ferndale residents can also help by cleaning leaves and other debris from around the storm drains near your home. Please check on your neighbors. Watch for road closure notices before leaving home, and be patient with each other as this weather evolves. We will continue to monitor this situation and will provide updates as they become available through our website and Facebook page.”
The Miracle Food Network is located at 5611 Third Avenue, Ferndale (in Pioneer Center) and will accept food donations, either fresh or shelf stable items, between 10am and 1pm Monday through Friday.
The Ferndale Community Resource Center is coordinating volunteer efforts and donations right here in Ferndale. If you need help or can provide help, please visit their facebook page or call (360) 380-2200 and leave a message so they can connect you to the correct resource. They will also be coordinating efforts with Samaratins Purse, a non-profit organization that may be able to assist in the cleanup of structures.
The Whatcom County Division of Emergency Management is collecting contact information from those who need assistance and is also collecting information and reports of storm and flood damage. Please call (360) 788-5311 to report storm damage and be sure to leave your name, address and contact information, including phone number. This information will be used to seek federal disaster relief funds and assistance.
FOR VOLUNTEERS: The Whatcom County Division of Emergency Management is accepting calls from volunteers who wish to aid in cleanup efforts. Please call them at (360) 676-6681 to offer your help. Callers should provide their names, contact information and capability for volunteer efforts (i.e. cleanup, carpenter, electrician, general all-around, etc.).
If your structure has suffered damage and you are located within Ferndale City limits, please contact the City Community Development. Director Michael Cerbone can assist you in determining permitting requirements can also assist in determining which permits be fast-tracked. That telephone number is (360) 384-4006 or email him directly at MichaelCerbone@cityofferndale.org
The Ferndale Community Resource Center is coordinating volunteer efforts and donations right here in Ferndale. If you need help or can provide help, please visit their facebook page or call (360) 380-2200 and leave a message so they can connect you to the correct resource.
The Whatcom County Division of Emergency Management is collecting contact information from those who need assistance and is also collecting information and reports of storm and flood damage. Please call (360) 788-5311 to report storm damage and be sure to leave your name, address and contact information, including phone number. This information will be used to seek federal disaster relief funds and assistance.
According to the latest estimates from Washington State, the City of Ferndale is now the second largest city in Whatcom County with 15,270 residents. This represents a 33.77% increase from 2010 and makes Ferndale the fastest growing city in Skagit and Whatcom County. This is also the first time in the history of Ferndale where the City has had more residents than any other City in Whatcom besides Bellingham.
“This is great news for Ferndale,” said Mayor Greg Hansen. “It is no mystery why people chose Ferndale as their home. We have great schools, great parks and an incredible growing business community,” said Hansen.
“While this growth may feel sudden, it is planned. The City is ready to welcome our new neighbors,” said Hansen. In the last three years, Ferndale has started over $50 million dollars’ worth of local infrastructure projects including the construction of the Thornton Overpass, the drilling of a new well and the expansion of the water and wastewater treatment plants.
“For those of you who are concerned about losing our small-town feel, I have a challenge,” said Hansen. “Go out and meet one of your new neighbors. Share your favorite things about our city and in doing so, we will continue our proud tradition of kindness, support and decency that make Ferndale the great place we know and love.”
One of Ferndale’s more colorful settlers, Blanket Bill Jarman is credited as the first permanent white settler in the area when he first put down roots in Whatcom County in 1852. Jarman caused quite a stir earlier when he was kidnapped by tribal members from Vancouver Island and had to be ransomed with a pile of blankets as tall as he stood, earning him his nickname.
In the 1850s, he officially delivered mail by canoe for Fort Bellingham by canoe, and unofficially served as a smuggler. In the 1860s, he staked out a homestead in the county and worked as a bartender for a saloon in Bellingham. In 1871, a saloon patron insulted Jarman’s sister. A fight broke out and Jarman shot and killed the surly patron. Jarman was jailed for a short time before returning to England for a decade.
He returned to Whatcom and moved to Ferndale to stay with his niece and her husband, William Manning on their farm. In 1904, the Old Settlers Association recognized Jarman as the oldest living settler and described him as, “Sailor, deserter, trader, hunter and fisherman, fur dealer, Indian slave, tribesman, squawman, homesteader, ship master, telegraph linesman, army courier and mail carrier, interpreter, bar tender, accused murderer, gold digger; there was little he did not find interesting and zestful”. You can find out more about Blanket Bill from the Ferndale Heritage Society at Pioneer Park.
