Everyone knows it is going to be beautiful this weekend but remember to give your friends and neighbors plenty of space. Gatherings are not permitted at this time. Explore our parks, take in the fresh air but save the picnics, frisbee and toddler playdates for later. Thank you for your patience and enjoy the sunshine!
Yesterday, the Whatcom Unified Command, which includes the Whatcom County Health Department, issued a recommendation to cancel all summer activities to limit the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the City is cancelling Old Settlers’ Weekend, the Ferndale Street Festival, the Parks and Recreation activities and all other large gatherings and events through August 31st, 2020. This was done in consultation with the organizing committees of these events.
Press release from Whatcom Unified Command included below:
Whatcom Unified Command (WUC), which includes the Whatcom County Health Department as a lead partner, is working to prevent and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 locally. Consistent with that key objective, and in line with recent simulation models, the Health Department recommends cancellation of summer events throughout Whatcom County.
In a letter to community leaders today, April 14, Erika Lautenbach, Whatcom County Health Department director, noted that work already underway to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 has been showing results.
“We see positive effects of the efforts to contain the virus, in large part due to the social distancing measures put into place in March,” said Lautenbach. Governor Jay Inslee initially announced his Stay Home, Stay Healthy order on March 23; on April 2, he extended the order through May 4.
Modeling presented by the Health Department on April 13 indicate Whatcom County is “on the downside of the first wave of COVID-19 spread locally. Scenarios suggest that with continued social distancing, the next wave could be mitigated as well. However, if group gatherings resume too soon, the virus’ spread could be deadlier.
Lautenbach said that’s why she recommends that all summer events – including parades, community festivals and fireworks displays – should be cancelled.
“I recognize that this recommendation creates considerable disappointment,” said Lautenbach. “However, the long-term health of our community and our economy could be further damaged if we move too quickly to resume the activities that we know will put us at risk.”
For more information on COVID-related recommendations, visit the Whatcom County Health Department COVID-19 webpage. For updates on WUC work to prevent the spread of the novel virus, visit WhatcomCOVID.com or the Whatcom Unified Command: COVID-19 Facebook page.
The City is working on our parks events for this summer and we need your help! Take the survey and help us narrow down our giant list of ideas so we know what you want to see in our parks this summer.
Over the weekend, Star Park and Cedar Creek Park were both tagged with graffiti. The Ferndale Police Department is investigating and if you have any information about this incident, please reach out to Officer Steven Gamage at 360-384-3390 x5864 or sgamage@ferndalepd.org.
Thankfully, our Public Works crew was able to remove the damage however we do need your help making sure Star Park stays clean.
Star Park is an incredible facility. Over 2,000 volunteers and 300 organizations donated thousands of dollars and hours to bring it to life. It was designed by Ferndale children and built by this community.
We are small town and it is likely that whomever did this is local. Please talk to your children, neighbors and friends about how important Star Park is to our city – you never know whose mind you might change.
The City is planning a Star Park Renewal day in Spring of 2020 where we will conduct minor repairs, repaint the park and add some additional art to the equipment. If you are interested in volunteering for this, please email Recreation Coordinator Riley Sweeney at rileysweeney@cityofferndale.org.
The City has a number of Boards and Commissions that work to advise the council on a broad array of subjects. These are volunteer positions but absolutely essential to providing quality input to the city decision making process.
To apply for one of these positions, please fill out this application and email it to City Clerk Susan Duncan at susanduncan@cityofferndale.org. Click the links below to learn more about each board or commission.
Here are the positions currently seeking volunteers:
It’s time for our annual City of Frightdale Halloween Decorating Contest!
Deck out your home for Halloween and send a picture to rileysweeney@cityofferndale.org by October 30th. Our judges will pick three winners to receive Woods Coffee cards.
We look forward to seeing your spooky decorations!
A new playground is coming to Cedar Creek Park, off of Apollo and Aquarius north of Thornton Road. The new play equipment, which will be installed on the south side of the creek adjacent to the sidewalk, includes a Jupiter rope climber, log walk and a slide.
Installation will begin in September 2019 with the park open for use starting in October 2019.
There are numerous ways residents of the City of Ferndale can participate to help enhance the community they live in. One such way is volunteering to serve on city advisory bodies that help form public policy and make Ferndale a prosperous place to be.
We currently have an opening on the Parks, Recreation and Trails Advisory Board (PRTAB), the Arts Commission and the Tree Board. If you are interested in serving on one of these bodies, please fill out the Boards and Commissions application and submit it to City Clerk Susan Duncan. You can find the application here.
All these meetings are open to the public. Appointments to these advisory bodies are made by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council.
For more information contact the City Clerk Susan Duncan
Email: susanduncan@cityofferndale.org
Phone: (360) 685-2354
Fax: (360) 384-1163